Episode 103: youth participation
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Looking Outside is for curious people looking for a fresh take on familiar topics, in business and beyond.
In a boardroom setting, young people are often spoken of and sometimes represented. But their ideas, opinions and provocations are mostly inconsequential, left untranslated to influence. After all, young people are full of naivety and inexperience that doesn’t fit with our practical ‘real world’ ... right? But Shai Naides says that their presence should be less like a token of good will, and more like a gesture of intent. Through his work in policy for intergenerational governance and participation, within UNICEF's office of strategy and evidence, Shai has uncovered what it takes to bring young people into multilateral forums where their (perhaps altruistic) challenges and perspectives to established thinking are turned into a mechanism for their agency. And perhaps gives them back a little bit of hope for the future.
To look outside, Shai looks at the margins of the system, at groups of stakeholders that are not a part of where decisions are being made, so working with young people constantly helps him explore and challenged, pushed into uncomfortable places. Shai advocates interrogating why that discomfort exists.
Shai is a policy and international development practitioner based in UNICEF's Office of Strategy and Evidence - Innocenti, where he leads the team, portfolio and agenda on intergenerational governance and participation. His work sits at the intersection of research, foresight, and institutional change, with a focus on strengthening how institutions engage children and young people in policy, strategy, and decision-making. Shai leads UNICEF's research and foresight agenda on participation, including work on meaningful youth engagement in the multilateral and national systems, child rights youth foresight, and emerging approaches to intergenerational governance.
Shai supports UNICEF offices and partners in advancing more institutionalized, rights-based and impactful approaches to participation, moving from traditional consultation mechanism into stronger institutional practice, accountability and decision-shaping.
More on Shai:
Connect with Shai on LinkedIn
Follow his writing on Substack
Check out the UNICEF reports mentioned on the show: Meaningful Youth Engagement in the Multilateral System & Child Rights Youth Foresight Report on the Future of Education & UNICEF Youth Foresight Playbook & From Children’s Voices to Action & Bridging the Intergenerational Trust Gap
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