PAMPORE: Youth for Peace International, in collaboration with Samvada Baduku and Eqra Foundation, organized a day-long dialogue on ‘Youth Participation’ in Jammu. Twenty youth leaders and social workers from Jammu and Kashmir participated in this dialogue to advocate for youth rights and participation.
According to the Global Youth Development 2020 report, India ranks 55th in terms of youth political and civil participation. For the past 20 years, the average age of Lok Sabha MPs has consistently been above 50. With young people representing the largest portion of India’s population, there are no MPs under the age of 29. Recognizing this issue of limited youth participation in decision-making spaces and realizing the need to advocate for systems and policies that are for and by young people, Samvada, a Karnataka-based youth work organization, is partnering with CSOs across India to conduct multiple consultative dialogues with youth leaders and workers.
It should be noted that in the past, similar dialogues in Karnataka led to the creation of a Karnataka youth manifesto and budget. The recommendations from these documents were adopted by a few political parties during the 2023 Karnataka Assembly Elections.
During the consultation held in Jammu, Musaddiq, a youth and peace activist from Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district, expressed the need for a “space to acknowledge and consider innovative ideas and solutions for social change by young people.” He also emphasized the importance of “making existing grievance redressal mechanisms more youth-focused” and highlighted “the need for new interventions for drug abuse, mental health, and career counseling.” These consultations serve not only as platforms for young people to share their experiences but also to provide recommendations and propose solutions for the formation of ‘We, the Youth of India: Youth Agenda 2024.’
Since the next general elections are scheduled to take place in April-May 2024, the organizers aim to finalize the Youth Agenda document by February 2024. Dissemination and lobbying with stakeholders are planned for March – April 2024.

BILAL HABIB