Engaging youth in public policy discourse to drive lasting change for nutrition-sensitive social protection
This dialogue aims to discover and amplify viable pathways to improve youth participation in policy discourse regarding nutrition-sensitive social protection in the Global South. It seeks to address the gap where young people have valuable lived experiences but lack consistent platforms for decision-making. Participants will explore bottlenecks to engagement, share successful solutions, and identify tools needed to empower marginalized youth in food systems transformation.
Dialogue Questions:
- What are the biggest bottlenecks limiting youth engagement in policy decisions?
- What are real-world examples of solutions that enhance youth participation?
- How do public officials really feel about youth input? When do they take it seriously?
- What can young people do to better prepare for meaningful engagement?
- What specific tools and protections do marginalized youth need to participate fully?
Hello, I’m Pacifique, the sponsor of this Dialogue. I’d like to welcome all of you, and thank you in advance for submitting your thoughts, stories, and evidence on this important topic. Together, through this Dialogue, we can co-create innovative approaches to improve youth engagement in public policy. I’m looking forward to seeing the submissions you all
Engaging youth in public policy discourse to drive lasting change for nutrition sensitive social protection
Meaningful youth engagement in nutrition sensitive social protection must go beyond symbolic consultation. Young people especially those from food-insecure, rural, Indigenous, and climate vulnerable communities need to be treated as co-designers of policy, trusted knowledge holders, and long-term partners in implementation.
Through my work across UN platforms (including the UN ECOSOC Youth Forum, WHO Delegations, and the World Food Forum Youth network) and my academic training in agrifood systems, I have seen three approaches that consistently strengthen youth participation.
1. Start locally and connect to policy arenas.
Effective engagement begins in communities—schools, farming groups, youth cooperatives, and informal settlements—using accessible methods such as town-hall dialogues, youth-led surveys, and digital storytelling. In FAO-affiliated youth consultations I helped lead in Australia, young people raised concerns around rising food prices, culturally appropriate nutrition programs, and climate impacts on household food access. These perspectives were later translated into policy briefs for institutional partners, ensuring lived realities shaped technical discussions rather than being sidelined.
2. Recognize youth as knowledge producers.
Young people possess unique insights into how nutrition and social protection systems function—or fail—on the ground. Growing up in a rural farming community in South Asia, I observed how programs often underperformed because youth were excluded from design and monitoring. That experience now informs my advocacy for youth-led data collection, community nutrition mapping, and participatory evaluation frameworks within social protection schemes, including at international policy forums.
3. Institutionalize participation, not one-off consultations.
Sustainable impact requires formal structures: youth advisory councils attached to ministries, funded fellowships inside social protection agencies, and feedback mechanisms built into nutrition programs. At the World Food Forum Australian Youth Chapter, we are developing consultation frameworks, ethical guidelines, and youth-data protections so that engagement becomes continuous rather than episodic.
Evidence from my work:
I helped lead a youth-driven nutrition campaign focused on improving access to affordable, protein-rich foods in underserved communities. The initiative emphasized community education, locally relevant food solutions, and science-based messaging and was later recognized by the FAO. The experience reinforced that when youth leadership is paired with institutional partnerships and credible evidence, social protection programs can become more responsive and trusted.
Priorities for the future
To strengthen youth engagement in nutrition-sensitive social protection globally, I believe policymakers and development partners should prioritize:
• Resourcing youth participation, including stipends, travel support, and capacity-building so involvement is not limited to those who can afford it.
• Embedding youth across the policy cycle, from agenda-setting to monitoring and evaluation.
• Centering marginalized voices, particularly from food-insecure and climate-affected regions.
• Linking local innovation to national and global governance, so grassroots solutions inform system-level change.
If we are serious about achieving equitable nutrition outcomes, young people cannot remain peripheral to policy discourse. We must be recognized as partners in designing the social protection systems that will shape our collective future.
Thank you for this incredibly interesting submission, Paramjeet! Really great insights. I have a follow-up question regarding the key point you’ve raised about recognizing youth as knowledge producers. From your experience, what needs to happen in order for decision-makers to see youth knowledge as credible and legitimate? What are the communication tools and strategies that can best position youth inputs as valuable evidence in design processes?
My journey with the HEZA Initiative and working with international organizations like UNICEF and Elekta foundation has taught me that youth have the skills, knowledge, and lived experience to shape solutions—but often lack the platform to be heard. At HEZA, we intentionally work only with youth, giving them space to understand their communities through living, working, and volunteering among them. This closeness to real life is where practical solutions emerge. Yet, one organization is not enough. Initiatives like Youth Advocates Network (Thanks UNICEF Rwanda to support it), have shown the power of connecting youth talents, helping them learn from one another and collectively influence policy rather than speaking in isolation.
One major bottleneck in policy engagement is access—access to information, to decision-makers, and to confidence. Many young people are willing to engage but are unaware of affordable, nearby platforms or lack the capacity to navigate them. Digital spaces and social media are powerful tools to amplify youth voices, market their ideas, and learn continuously, but they require guidance and skills to be used effectively. Platforms exist; what’s missing is the ability to identify them, enter them, and use them strategically.
I am grateful to the Government of Rwanda, the Ministry of Youth and Arts, and UNICEF Rwanda for initiatives like the INGAGI digital platform, which connects youth to opportunities. With smartphones now common among Rwandan youth over 20, self-learning and self-promotion are within reach. When youth invest in learning—whether in nutrition or other sectors—they gain the confidence and credibility to influence. As we say in Kinyarwanda, “ufite iki ngo mpereho?”—what do you bring to the table? Empowered youth with something to offer will always have a voice worth listening to.
Centering Youth in Nutrition Policy: A Lesson from the Field
In my work leading community-based nutrition programs in humanitarian settings, I’ve seen firsthand how policy intentions often fail to reach the realities of young people—especially young mothers navigating food insecurity, displacement, and limited decision-making power.
During the Hot Meal Program in Mahama Refugee Camp at Alight Rwanda, we served over 600 postpartum mothers with warm, balanced meals and reached more than 4,000 community members with nutrition education. But the most transformative moments came during home visits, where young mothers, some in their teens, shared their fears, ideas, and resilience.
What struck me was this: these young women were not just beneficiaries. They were caregivers, educators, and informal leaders in their households. Yet, their voices were rarely heard in formal decision-making spaces.
Three key bottlenecks I’ve observed:
• Tokenism over trust: Youth are often invited to “participate” without real influence or follow-up.
• Lack of localized platforms: There are few safe, sustained spaces for young people, especially young women, to shape nutrition priorities.
• Disconnect between policy and lived experience: Policies often overlook the social, economic, and cultural realities that youth navigate daily.
What’s needed:
• Youth-led feedback loops embedded in program design and evaluation
• Mentorship pipelines that link young community actors to district-level decision-makers
• Investment in community-based platforms where youth can co-create solutions, not just receive them
If we want nutrition-sensitive social protection to be sustainable, we must move beyond consultation and toward co-leadership. The future of nutrition policy depends on the people who will live it, and that includes youth.
1. What are the biggest bottlenecks limiting youth engagement in policy decisions?
– Young people are often not organized and lack awareness of the full policy process. Many do not know where to advocate or whom to approach to engage in policy decisions.
2. What are real-world examples of solutions that enhance youth participation?
– Build networks or alliances of young people with shared interests. Identify the problem and map the stakeholders who influence decision spaces and decision makers. Share your asks, recommendations, or concerns through formal and informal channels such as written letters, media campaigns, and public forums or events. Engage decision makers and influencers in the campaign and help them understand the problem you want to address and the solutions you propose. Prepare strong evidence and continue advocating until youth voices are reflected in outcomes.
3. How do public officials really feel about youth input? When do they take it seriously?
– Public officials often gain confidence in youth when young people demonstrate real examples of change and engage officials at different stages. Trust builds when advocacy is supported by solid evidence and consistent, credible action. Officials tend to take youth seriously when they see visible results and lived experience, not only suggestions or ideas.
4. What can young people do to better prepare for meaningful engagement?
– Young people should ACT on the issues they want to change and engage with policy spaces through real initiatives. They should MOBILISE peers and like minded youth to build collective action. Then INFLUENCE the staholders and it becomes stronger when it is grounded in practical experience and demonstrated impact.
5. What specific tools and protections do marginalized youth need to participate fully?
– Marginalized youth require safe spaces to express their views. They also require capacity and logistical support to participate. They need protection from discrimination, mentorship and platforms that amplify their voices in decision making spaces.
Over 85% of the world’s youth reside in the Global South, where 44% already rely on agrifood systems for their livelihoods. Integrating this demographic into policy and employment could boost global GDP by $1.5 trillion—a 1.4% increase. However, youth are currently hitting a “wall of compounding barriers” that prevents them from transitioning from passive beneficiaries to “architects of innovation”.
𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐁𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭
Youth engagement is stifled by a matrix of systemic obstacles:
• Economic Exclusion: High unemployment and lack of access to land, credit, and traditional financing force youth to prioritize survival over policy advocacy.
• Institutional Tokenism: Policymakers often involve youth in “decorative” roles—inviting them to speak without providing seats at decision-making tables or influence over final outcomes.
• Perceptual Gaps: Many officials view youth as “immature,” “fragile,” or “passive recipients” whose input is unreliable.
𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐃𝐨 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐲𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐥𝐲?
Research indicates that public officials move from “gatekeeping” to “trust” when youth meet specific strategic criteria:
• Technical Mastery: Demonstrating an understanding of fiscal impacts and articulating why certain policy alternatives would fail.
• Strategic Branding: Positioning youth groups as “trustworthy” and “thoughtful” advisors who can provide input during prompt policy actions or crises.
• Balanced Authenticity: Combining personal “lived experiences” with a high level of professionalism in presentation.
𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥-𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭
Success stories demonstrate that structured agency leads to systemic change:
• Global Movements: ACT4FOOD unified 100,000 young people to influence the UN Food Systems Summit, leading to youth representation in the global School Meals Coalition.
• Peer-Led Models: In Pakistan, the SOPRAN project used the Benazir Income Support Programme to empower adolescent girls as “agents of change,” delivering nutrition education and iron-folic acid to marginalized households.
• Health Wellness Messengers: In India, the Ayushman Bharat program trains students to lead peer-to-peer education on anemia and menstrual health, fostering a local culture of care.
𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐌𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭
Meaningful participation requires more than just a seat at the table; it requires:
• Soft-Skills Training: Equipping youth with psychological tools like a “locus of control” and assertiveness to navigate adult-dominated policy spaces.
• Civic Literacy: Training on legislative processes, advocacy tactics, and the roles of local versus national government.
• Safeguarding & Protections: A rights-based framework that recognizes the “right to participate” as a legal instrument. Marginalized youth specifically need digital security to prevent online harassment and physical safeguarding during public protests.
• Fair Compensation: Paying youth for their expertise and time to ensure that participation is not limited only to those who are financially secure.
One of the biggest bottlenecks limiting youth engagement in policy decisions is a sense of helplessness when confronting large and complex systems. Many young people believe their voices will not influence entrenched structures, leading them to disengage before they even begin. This feeling is often reinforced by structural barriers such as limited access to decision-making spaces, tokenistic inclusion, and the absence of mentorship or clear pathways for participation. As a result, the energy and innovation that youth bring are lost before they can meaningfully contribute.
A practical way to enhance youth participation is to move away from a “savior complex” and instead become a “drop of clean water” where one is. Youth-led community initiatives and local youth councils show how small, consistent actions can influence broader policy over time. By making their immediate environments more inclusive and functional, young people generate evidence of what works, build credibility, and create models that can be scaled and adopted at higher policy levels.
Public officials may initially feel challenged by youth input, particularly when it questions established practices shaped by years of experience. However, youth contributions are taken seriously when they are evidence-based, practical, and aligned with policy priorities. When young people present solutions that improve efficiency, address real needs, or complement existing frameworks, officials are more willing to engage and collaborate. Trust grows through sustained dialogue, demonstrated results, and a shared commitment to public good.
To prepare for meaningful engagement, young people must invest in policy literacy, ensure their facts are accurate, and communicate effectively—honestly, kindly, and with clarity. Being teachable and open to learning from others strengthens intergenerational collaboration. In addition, building alliances, understanding advocacy processes, and developing negotiation skills enable youth to move from symbolic participation to substantive influence.
For marginalized youth to participate fully, they need safe and inclusive platforms where they can express ideas without fear of discrimination, dismissal, or retaliation. Facilitated forums and focus group discussions are valuable entry points, but meaningful inclusion also requires accessible meeting formats, digital connectivity, and legal protections against discrimination. Mentorship opportunities and deliberate outreach further ensure that those most often excluded are not only present but empowered to shape decisions that affect their lives.
Bridging the gap between community-level health and national policy requires positioning youth not merely as beneficiaries of social protection, but as implementers, accountability actors, and policy influencers.
Through my work in ASAL communities, I have engaged youth at multiple levels. Under the Baby-Friendly Community Initiative (BFCI) during NHP+ and NICHE implementation, I worked closely with young mothers in Mother-to-Mother Support Groups and young mentor mothers. These platforms enabled delivery of both nutrition-specific interventions — such as optimal breastfeeding, complementary feeding, and micronutrient awareness — and nutrition-sensitive interventions linked to household food security and appropriate utilization of cash transfers.
This experience showed me that when young mothers are supported through peer-led structures, their confidence increases, infant feeding practices improve, and they begin influencing other households. Youth engagement becomes sustainable when it is community-driven and structured.
In the Sustainable Food Systems Project, I supported over 130 groups, including youth members, strengthening VSLA systems that mobilized over KES 5 million in savings. Youth participation grew when nutrition was linked to income generation — through climate-smart agriculture, agribusiness, and value addition. When young people see that diversified crop production improves both income and diet quality, they become champions of nutrition-sensitive food systems.
From emergency nutrition work under IMAM scale-up and KIERP II, I also learned that youth can serve as frontline actors in data collection, community mobilization, and early case detection. Training youth in tools such as Family MUAC and dietary diversity tracking enhances community-based monitoring and strengthens accountability.
To enhance youth participation in public policy for nutrition-sensitive social protection — in line with the Kenya Nutrition Action Plan 2023-2027 — three practical actions are necessary:
Institutional inclusion: Formal youth representation in County Nutrition Technical Forums and social protection advisory structures.
Economic empowerment: Linking youth to savings groups, nutrition-sensitive enterprises, and shock-responsive cash systems.
Capacity and knowledge tools: Simplified policy briefs, digital engagement platforms, and training in monitoring and accountability systems.
From my experience, youth engagement is strongest when it combines peer support (as seen in BFCI), economic resilience (through VSLA and agribusiness), and structured participation in governance platforms.