Our World, Connected

Are young people disengaged? The real story behind youth participation.

Aug 14, 2024

The conversation dives into the upcoming elections and challenges the notion of youth disengagement. Young activists share their impactful stories, showcasing innovation in tackling societal issues. Highlights include the powerful narratives from an Iraqi engineer focused on peacebuilding and an Indonesian youth advocating for environmental education. The discussion emphasizes the importance of family support, diversity, and the role of social media in empowering youth voices. Ultimately, it calls for greater youth involvement in shaping future policies.

52:35

Creator website

AI Summary

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

The podcast reveals that youth are not disengaged but actively seeking innovative ways to participate in societal issues and politics.

Insights from young changemakers highlight the importance of inclusion and diversity in political dialogue to reflect younger populations' needs.

Social media serves as a powerful tool for youth activism, enabling them to raise awareness and mobilize communities for social change.

Deep dives

Youth Political Engagement in Elections

2024 is poised to be a significant year of elections, with over 2 billion voters participating across more than 60 countries. Despite concerns about low political engagement among young people, the episode discusses the implications of this trend on policy-making. It highlights that policies often fail to reflect the needs and desires of younger populations, who may feel disadvantaged as a result. This situation underscores the importance of understanding and addressing the unique perspectives and contributions of youth in shaping policy outcomes.

Intro

3min

Youth Leadership in Peacebuilding

7min

Environmental Awareness and Empowerment through Education

2min

Empowering Youth Voices

26min

Empowering Indonesian Youth Towards a Vision for the Future

2min

Empowering Iraqi Youth for Change

6min

Empowering Youth in Decision-Making

3min

Engaging Youth: Local Actions and Global Change

2min

Almost half of the world’s population will be voting in elections in 2024. Young people, however, are less likely to join this large group of voters than older generations. Many believe this is because young people are less interested or engaged in politics and society.

In this episode of Our World, Connected, host Christine Wilson challenges these assumptions about youth participation and reveals a more optimistic picture, backed by British Council Next Generation research.

Christine speaks with two young changemakers: Disty Winata, an Indonesian activist with experience at the G20, the UN, and the British Council’s 90 Youth Voices for The Future programme, and Dhari Al-Malih, a geological engineer from Iraq who refuses to let violence define his home country and shares his story of using science for social good.

Join Christine and guests as they explore the innovative ways in which young people engage with societal issues, and ask: how can we better support young people and amplify their voices in policy decisions that will shape their futures?

Learn more about this topic with British Council Next Generation research:

Next Generation Iraq - https://www.britishcouncil.org/research-insight/next-generation-iraq

Next Generation Indonesia – https://www.britishcouncil.org/research-insight/next-generation-indonesia

Explore our full collection of reports and resources – https://www.britishcouncil.org/research-insight/research-series/next-generation

Follow British Council Research and Insight:

Newsletter – https://www.britishcouncil.org/research-insight/subscribe

Twitter – https://twitter.com/InsightBritish

Website - https://www.britishcouncil.org/research-insight