NURTURING ACTIVE CITIZENSHIP AMONG YOUTH IN

South Asia is home to one of the largest and fastest-growing youth populations on the planet, with 33% of India’s population between 15 and 35 years old. The challenge is to ensure that this huge cohort becomes a vibrant, constructive force that can address social issues and create a more just, equitable and peaceful world. How do we build the capacities of young people to become leaders for social change, improve their communities and impact issues of social justice?

Preliminary findings from a current study show that although youth civic engagement policies and programs are at different stages of development across the region, each country has a variety of available assets that can be strengthened through further investment by governments and local and international donors.

In order to support investments in youth active citizenship in South Asia, Innovations in Civic Participation (ICP) , a US-based NGO, is engaging with Pravah , an India-based NGO, and a variety of regional partners in a multi-year program in South Asia to build capacity for youth active citizenship in the region.

Building a knowledge base An early phase of this initiative included a mapping study that identified existing youth service policies and civic engagement programs in India, Pakistan, and . The findings were reported in a working document, Youth Development through Civic Engagement: Mapping Assets in South Asia , initially published in late 2008. ICP continues to seek information about more programs throughout these countries, particularly India, and will revise the document accordingly. ICP encourages all stakeholders working in the youth development and active citizenship field in South Asia to complete the online survey to continue to swell the knowledge base on youth active citizenship in the region.

India consultation In India, promising youth active citizenship models are in place but there are few instances of collaborative efforts among stakeholders. To address this, Pravah and Innovations in Civic Participation (ICP) hosted a consultation on youth active citizenship on March 3 – 4 in with support from the American Center in New Delhi and the Sir Ratan Tata Trust.

The consultation brought together over 100 key stakeholders from different sectors across the country to explore the needs of the field and to make recommendations for creating a more supportive environment for youth development and active citizenship. This was the first time such a large and diverse group of people met to discuss youth active citizenship in India. The overwhelming response reiterates the need for such collaborative spaces and indicates that the time has come for youth active citizenship to be on everyone’s agenda.

Mrs. Sindhushree Khullar, Secretary, Ministry of Youth Affairs opened the consultation by talking about the importance of the youth vote in the coming elections and the need to view young people as the drivers of social change. Additional sessions explored youth perspectives on active citizenship, the reasons to invest in youth as active citizens, and innovative approaches for building youth active citizenship, including international experiences.

The two days of animated discussions resulted in a list of needs and recommendations which will be disseminated to all the stakeholders in the field of youth active citizenship including the Ministry of Youth Affairs. Some of the needs that emerged focused on comprehensive and accessible data, capacity building, evaluation tools, and greater visibility for youth active citizenship. The recommendations included the creation of a national youth commission to review programs and policies across all sectors from the youth perspective.

1 The consultation’s success in bringing together a diverse group of people and building ownership for an agenda for action was the first – yet critical - step for deeper engagement and collaboration contributing to a more supportive environment for young people who are active citizens.

2