Youth engagement and politics is a two way street

This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by Ms. Isabelle Karolinne Bispo Andrade, a second year medical students from Universidade Tiradentes, Aracaju-SE, Brazil. She is affiliated to the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA), cordial partner of The Sting. The opinions expressed in this piece belong strictly to the writers and do not necessarily reflect IFMSA’s view on the topic, nor The European Sting’s one.

This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by Ms. Isabelle Karolinne Bispo Andrade, two second year medical students from  Universidade Tiradentes, Aracaju-SE, Brazil. They are affiliated to the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA), cordial partner of The Sting. The opinions expressed in this piece belong strictly to the writers and do not necessarily reflect IFMSA’s view on the topic, nor The European Sting’s one.

Young people are often touted as the future—future policy makers, future practitioners, and future leaders but this narrative fails to acknowledge that young people are also the present [2]. They are often the intended audience for health and social programs, yet they rarely participate in the decision-making processes that determine how these programs are designed, implemented, or evaluated. Failing to meaningfully engage young people, well-intended adults may miss opportunities to create relevant and effective programs and policies for youth [1]. 

The lack of progress on key health challenges has occurred not because of an absence of passionate young leaders on the front lines of health, but despite their efforts, because of insufficient avenues for meaningful youth participation. This reality has fuelled inaccurate perceptions that “emerging youth movements have yet to turn their attention to health.” On the contrary, from climate change to mental health to nutrition, young people have brought neglected topics to the top of the global health agenda. However, meaningful engagement requires reciprocal responsibility. To expect the delivery of youth-led interventions is unrealistic until world leaders in health acknowledge their own role in reversing the status quo: they need to invest in participatory youth leadership. [2]. 

The young people have the ability to organically collaborate and can ensure more equitable policies that reflect diverse lived experiences [2]. But governance structures and a silo mentality prevent the creation of opportunities that are effective or fast enough to meaningfully tap into their potential. Quite simply, by failing to include the next generation of young leaders as equal partners in policy and practice. 

However the WHO commissioned the report Engaging Young People for Health and Sustainable Development to provide areas of strategic opportunity for WHO and its partners to transform the way it engages with young people. Furthermore, the WHO Knowledge Action Portal offers an innovative opportunity to bring communities together, including young people, on the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases. In addition, the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, in collaboration with The International Youth Alliance for Family Planning and Family Planning 2020, created the Global Consensus Statement on Meaningful Adolescent and Youth Engagement,10 defining it as an inclusive, intentional partnership between youth and adults [3]. 

We can applaud this progress but much more must be done to position young people as equal stakeholders in the realization of global, regional, and national goals in health. Notably, there remains substantial underinvestment of both intellectual and financial resources for the development and implementation of tangible and meaningful youth engagement strategies [3]. It is time to reframe the narrative: only a two-way relationship between young people and established leaders can achieve health for all. Without young people and the necessary investment to engage them, sufficient progress will simply fail to happen [2].

References 

1- Linda S. Sprague Martinez, Catalina Tang Yan, Astraea Augsberger, Uchenna J. Ndulue, Emanuel Ayinde Libsch, Ja’Karri S. Pierre, Elmer Freeman, and Katherine Gergen Barnett. Changing The Face Of Health Care Delivery: The Importance Of Youth Participation. Journal Health Affairs [Internet]. 2022 Oct [cited 2023 Jan 27]; VOL. 39, NO. 10. Available from: https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/10.1377/hlthaff.2020.00728

2- Arush Lal, Barbara Bulc, Marlene Joannie Bewa, Muhammad Yaeesh Cassim,Shakira Choonara, Enes Efendioglu, et al. Changing the narrative: responsibility for youth engagement is a two-way street. Journal The Lancet [Internet] 2019 Aug 09 [cited 2023 Jan 27]. Vol 3, Issue 10, P 673-675. Available from: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanchi/article/PIIS2352-4642(19)30247-0/fulltext 

3- Barbara Bulc, Batool AL- wahdani, Flavia Bustreo, Shakira Choonara, Alessandro Demaio, David Imbago Jáme, et al. Urgency for transformation: youth engagement in global health. Journal The Lancet [Internet] 2019 May 16 [cited 2023 Jan 27]. Vol 7, Issue 7, E839-E840. Available from: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(19)30221-9/fulltext 

About the author

Isabelle Karolinne Bispo Andrade is second year medical students from Universidade Tiradentes, Aracaju-SE, Brazil. She is affiliated to the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA), cordial partner of The Sting.