Young People’s Civic Engagement in East Asia and the Pacific - A Regional Study Conducted by Innovations in Civic Participation

The following report analyzes the state of youth civic engagement in East Asia and the Pacific, including the challenges and support available for programming in this area. It presents a list of recommendations to further develop youth civic engagement in the region. The report is based on information obtained through questionnaires, youth focus groups and desk-based research administered and conducted by Innovations in Civic Participation (ICP) on behalf of UNICEF EAPRO, with the support of national and international partners. The overarching recommendation for UNICEF and other stakeholders to further support youth civic engagement in East Asia and the Pacific is to promote the development of a continuum of opportunities (with the necessary skills for effective participation) to enable the broadest possible range of young people to participate based on their individual and collective interests, needs, and development stages. In addition, these opportunities should be empowering, supporting real youth participation and skill-building as opposed to meeting the goals and needs of particular interest groups. Closer integration among government policies, resources and bottom-up initiatives is necessary to successfully develop these kinds of transformative programs.