Youth voices from the frontlines: Facilitating meaningful youth voice participation on climate, disasters, and environment in Indonesia

Abstract

In Indonesia children and youth are often impacted the most by disaster, environmental degradation, and a changing climate in ways unique to them. Yet in discussions to address specific impacts, they are rarely part of formal decisionmaking even when their participation is promoted as a foundational expression of child rights. The reason for such absence is rarely that young people have little to contribute as youth are often passionate advocates for change interested to identify, explain, and act on issues important to them. What is more likely to be lacking are opportunities to learn youth-friendly techniques and tools for exploring and sharing their concerns, as well as access to decision-makers open to hearing and responding to what they have to say. In support, there is a growing interest by development organizations in using participatory media as a collaborative, exploratory storytelling process that can amplify youth voices in policy spaces as a way to rebalance decision-making power. Such interest was at the core of a 2016-2017 initiative in Indonesia entitled Youth Voices from the Frontlines. This paper offers insight from the initiative for promoting meaningful youth participation in governance such as ensuring adult participatory media facilitators have sufficient training, mentorship, and organizational support and that social mobilization projects are adequately resourced for meaningful dialogue and listening interactions critical for building influential youth voice. Creating such environment can support youth in tackling the issues they decide are most pressing to them - in this case, flooding, polluted rivers, fire, pollution haze from peat fires, and more.