#youth forum

[cripplerage]

Young advocate here! So if you're a young person (aged 25 or under) or someone who cares about young people having a voice, you can do something called a "youth forum." You invite a bunch of youth and a bunch of politicians, maybe some people from non profit organisations or other relevant professionals, (smaller ones, I'd recommend state and city/town only). And the whole purpose is to let youth talk about their issues in front of these adults. Prepare prompts, be ready to break people into smaller discussion groups, let youth give speeches, presentations, poetry what have you if they want.

Good politicians want to hear from young people. And the rest of them want votes and community approval. They will come. See if your local library can lend you a space, if not you can use a public park.

Just some general advice;

Try to tackle each issue one by one but let the conversation flow if it's productive. There's a lot of intersectionality so transitioning from talking about disability rights to homeless people's rights for example could happen.

Don't be afraid if younger kids come. You might have to split them up by age for more serious discussions but kids do care about politics in their own way and they can contribute a lot. And older kids and young adults tend to be very welcoming of kids in these sorts of environments.

Try to guide discussions by what are the problems, what is causing the problems/preventing them from being fixed, and what can we do about it. Remember that in these sorts of scenarios it's best to accept that you can't change everything, work with what might be achievable.

And don't make enemies. As much as I would love to go in there and talk about how much I hate cops, the professionals are going to stop listening if they think you're too rational or that your ideas are all unachievable. It's ok to paint a bigger picture but try to have smaller ideas, too.

Try to write everything down. Bring big pieces of paper and lots of pens for everybody, as well as lots of sticky notes so people who can't reach the paper can still write stuff down and add it later. Type up a summary of everything that was discussed and send it to everyone that was invited, whether they came or not.

Don't back down if no professionals decide to come! Since there's no guarantee, tell the youth that professionals were INVITED but don't promise that some are coming unless they tell you that they are. Getting politically minded youth together is a BIG first step. Follow through on those discussions, write everything down, send it to the professionals who didn't come. Show them what they missed out on.

Even if no professionals came or read the summary of the day, sometimes action can come from getting people together. Some of those ideas they write down might be things you can do yourselves, and now that you've all met you have a small community to help get things done.

Learn from the day and try to do it bigger and better next year!

Final note, there are often youth advocacy events already run by nonprofits. I gave a speech at the 2024 QFCC Youth Summit in Brisbane last month, for reference. I don't know if there are many opportunities in other countries but I've definitely seen some. You'd be surprised at how many opportunities you can find on LinkedIn! Generally they want someone to either give a speech or participate in a group discussion on an ongoing topic around 4-6 times a year. Nothing major.

Can I ask what you suggest we do instead of "vote blue no matter who" (re your recent post)? I'm not trying to start drama and I'm asking in good faith, I just don't ever see actual suggestions on what to do besides "disengage entirely," and I feel like that's not very helpful.

if you can't imagine political actions that goes beyond voting once every four years then sorry, but you're already disengaged

[internationalwomenday]

CSW67 Youth Forum – “Feminist and intergenerational digital futures: Innovation and technology for gender equality”.

The in-person Youth Forum will spotlight youth and adolescent recommendations on innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality, with a particular focus on grassroots and community voices. The recommendations were compiled from 103 community consultations, which engaged over 2500 young people across 60 countries. UN Women’s Executive Director, Sima Bahous, Member States, Private Sector and Member States will be in conversation with youth and adolescent activists. Registration is required.

CSW67 Youth Forum – “Feminist and : Innovation and technology for gender equality” 11 March 2023, 9am–4.30pm EST Church Center for the United Nations, 777 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017

[hoshingi]

HOSHI ‘음악의 신’ in Jeju Island @UNESCO Youth Forum

[pancakeke]

I downloaded a stupid app game with a global chat. and it seems the old part of me that loved being mean to horny 12 year olds never matured and disappeared. it has just been lying in wait for a chance to return.

[truth4ourfreedom]

UK BAN ON PUBERTY BLOCKERS UPHELD BY HIGH COURT!!!!

UK ban on puberty blockers upheld by High Court https://www.euronews.com/health/2024/07/29/uk-puberty-blockers-ban-upheld-by-high-court

[northshrine]

oh yes absolutely

[itsallmadonnasfault]

David Banda as Music-era Madonna at the first night of the Celebration tour in Los Angeles!

[htyfnetwork]

"I got this one right here." - Niels Fisch-Thomsen

from 1957, the world we want, episode 11, Summary of Three Months in the USA

[fy-wonwoo]

231114 (win for ww) unesco youth forum with seventeen – preview

[calamitydaze]

long tag ramble below u have been warned

[artfalastin]

fantastic dialogue about art, palestine, and activism by artist samia and activist nelly hester bailey. the talk begins at about the 19 min 50 sec mark. the short film about samia and her groundbreaking work shown during the talk can also be found here.

in february of this year, a retrospective exhibition of samia's work that had been three years in the making was cancelled due to zionist pressure. you can read an interview on that subject with her here.

[ibijau]

I feel like the nanowrimo forums get worse every time I look at them

which is frustrating because I'd really, really like to be able to get chatty with people who do the challenge this year, but that forum is an abomination

I guess I could try to join a discord, but I find big discords overwhelming and I don't know where to find one anyway

[hoshingi]

WOOZI '음악의 신' in Jeju Island @UNESCO Youth Forum

[leninisms]

people’s conference for palestine: how do movements achieve transformation?

“This workshop will provide a dialectical comparative analysis of the North American anti-war movement in relation to the contemporary Palestinian liberation movement.”

[sisterdivinium]

Who among us will create a WN internet forum as if it were 2003, I wonder...

[indigenouspeopleday]

Calls to Action for Safeguarding Seven Generations in Times of Food, Social, and Ecological Crises – Reporting on the Outcomes of the 2023 UN Global Indigenous Youth Forum (UNPFII Side Event).

Indigenous Youth leaders of the Global Indigenous Youth Caucus with Indigenous Youth leaders who attended the second session of the biennial UN Global Indigenous Youth Forum will report on the outcomes and calls to action deliberated at the Forum.

186 Indigenous Youth from the seven socio-cultural regions, 54 countries, and more than 100 Indigenous Peoples – gathered for a week at the FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy in October 2023 for the first in-person gathering of the UN Global Indigenous Youth Forum. From a week of discussions with Indigenous Youth, Indigenous Chefs, Member State Countries, UN agencies, foundations, NGOs, universities, and research centers they distilled clear calls to action, and recommendations as it relates to the future of Indigenous Peoples' food and knowledge systems in the context of the intersection of food, social, and ecological crises that humanity is facing. The Coalition on Indigenous Peoples' Food Systems, the Global-Hub on Indigenous Peoples' Food Systems, and the Youth Hub of the Mountain Partnerships participated in UN Global Indigenous Youth Forum and will share their commitments to partner and advance the work with Indigenous Youth globally. Indigenous Youth are taking action in their communities, and they are ready for organizations, Member States and UN Agencies to listen and support their advancements.

Watch the Calls to Action for Safeguarding Seven Generations in Times of Food, Social, and Ecological Crises – Reporting on the Outcomes of the 2023 UN Global Indigenous Youth Forum (UNPFII Side Event)