Obstacles in youth participation

In the following part, you’ll be invited to have a series of reflective tasks to explore what may limit youth participation. 

When we say obstacles these can be understood as the lack of existence of conditions that make youth participation function as well as the lack of commitment and will. 

Based on the experiences we have, we could categorize the obstacles as: 

General obstacles

• The youth participation structures are only providing space for limited groups of young people. Instead of this, we recommend having an inclusive approach. 
• The spaces and channels created for young people to participate are not youth-friendly. 
• The youth participation activities are too complex and expect too much from young people. Imagine that being aware of the content of certain policy documents is a requirement and you’re asked to tell your opinion about it. 
• Participation is only offered on limited occasions. 
• Being unprepared to integrate the voice of young people in real decision-making. Imagine that a local municipality asks about the opinions of young people regarding a specific topic but there’s no capacity to deal with them. 
• Obstacles can be also very much on a personal level, depending on your availability and interest. 

Common mistakes of youth participation structures

• Youth participation structures are created without young people.
• Only creating these structures without the real possibility of taking part in decision-making (if you remember the Ladder of participation) 
• Not providing sufficient resources to maintain the youth participation structure. 

So let’s embark on a series of reflective tasks to explore further the obstacles.