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Youth Are Already Political Actors

Writer: Katie Kim
Katie Kim
Oct 18
1 min read

Young people do not wait for formal invitations to participate. UNICEF Innocenti’s Beyond Being Heard documents youth-led action ranging from student protests in Bangladesh to youth–women alliances in Kenya and digital organizing in Latin America. The report was shaped through consultations with 120 young people aged 12~23 across 18 countries.

     

What interests me is the shift from seeing youth as people preparing to become citizens to recognizing them as citizens acting now. Protest, storytelling, community organizing, and digital campaigns may look different from traditional politics, but they can still influence public debate.

     

Youth activism matters because policy is stronger when those who will live longest with its consequences can challenge it today.



 
 
 

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