Intention of the series

The two-day participatory symposia, which will be convened regularly in a variety of international settings, will engage experts in youth sector programming, donors, scholar-practitioners and youth working to improve how public policy affects young people. Each symposium will aim to highlight the challenges, insights, successes and next steps for key agencies and young people engaged in youth policy work. More specifically, these symposia will produce clear, coordinated follow-up actions that practitioners, donors and scholars and young people can take in order to align policy and coordinate action to make their programs more effective and public policy more responsive to the needs of young people.

Approach of the series

Each symposium will strive to create a space for leading experts and young people to identify and discuss goals, strategies and required paradigm shifts, in a collective, systematic and inclusive manner. The symposium series will address participants’ engagement with youth and youth issues and focus on the following key strategic issues:

• What works and what doesn’t in different contexts, and why;
• How the different disciplines, sectors and themes intersect.

Areas of interest include: youth in conflict-affected areas, youth and rights, political participation of youth, youth and transitional justice, youth and public health, youth and gender, youth and civil society.

Format of the series

The symposia, facilitated by experts with intimate knowledge of the youth sector, will comprise small group interactions, case studies, current trend updates from policymakers and practitioners, and an open inquiry process that will help challenge and push the discussion from generalities to more specific issues that need to be addressed within the youth sector.

Outputs of the series

A report will be issued on the proceedings of each symposium that will include background materials on its theme, identification of key challenges and better practice around the theme, trends in the particular sub-sector areas, and key policy implications for program implementation on a national and transnational scale. Furthermore, the symposia will be recorded and summative videos of the key issues, discussions and conclusions will be made available.

Partners of the series

The “Youth Policy Symposium Series” has been initiated and is convened by the Open Society Foundations and the British Council. Each symposium is organised together with a range of partners.

Contact

For general questions regarding the “Youth Policy Symposium Series” contact us at symposia@youthpolicy.org.