YPARD is organizing an Affiliated Event for the UN Food Systems Summit Pre-Summit in partnership with the Youth Alliance for Zero Hunger and several other youth-led organizations on July 28th at 13.30-14.20 CET at “Tokenism or democratic representation? Commitments for Institutionalizing Youth Agency in Food Policy Spaces.” 

What is it all about?

The global food and agriculture space is finally abuzz with enthusiasm for dialogues about the role of youth! As youth organizing through networks, civil society, and the private sector, we are weary of dialogue and policies for us without us. With this side event, youth organizations have joined forces to address the main challenges youth face when seeking to democratically and sustainability engage in food policy spaces. The downstream result of the event will be a Guide for Mainstreaming Youth Agency in Food Policy Dialogues. 

What are the first steps in sustainably mainstreaming youth?

This side event will discuss the main barriers to consistent, democratic youth participation, including: 1) credibility, 2) tokenism, 3) siloing (ie: as innovators, entrepreneurs, labor, the leaders of tomorrow), 3) restricted access to information, 4) limited networks with more established professionals and leadership 5) capacity building and mentorship, 6) varying definitions of youth, and 7) funding.

Register here for the event, and please share widely (also on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook). All are invited to attend and be involved in sharing their perspectives.