Youth’s participation in society – examples of initiatives implemented to improve participation

Abstract

This report explores the current state of knowledge regarding young people’s participation in society, while also exploring implemented initiatives aimed at improving youth participation in both Norway and other countries. Eastern Norway Research Institute (ENRI) has been commissioned by The Word Expression Forum (WEXFO) to develop this report as a part of their project “Youth’s Participation in Society” (YPiS). This report presents a theoretical framework for understanding youth participation, provides examples of challenges and opportunities experienced by young people in connection to their participation in society, and presents examples of projects aimed at facilitating youth participation in different countries across the globe. The report also includes a discussion on how Norwegian and international projects address the opportunities and challenges facing young people seeking to make use of their right to express themselves and participate in society. Work on this report commenced in March 2022 and was completed in October 2022. On behalf of the Eastern Norway Research Insitute, the project leader and the project team would like to thank WEXFO for the assignment and the fruitful collaboration.