Engaging Young People in the Policy Change Process

The report evaluates a project that engaged young researchers from seven developing countries to bridge the policy gap between the information society (IS) and sustainable development (SD). It identifies key success factors for youth engagement, such as 'learning by doing' and a 'sense of ownership,' while highlighting the critical need for robust institutional and intellectual support. The document details how researchers in countries like South Africa and Kenya directly influenced national ICT strategies and emphasizes the necessity of gender-disaggregated data and specialized recruitment to effectively integrate young women into the policy process.

• The project successfully enabled young researchers to influence national policy, with specific impacts in South Africa and Kenya where researchers directly contributed to national ICT strategies. In South Africa, the link between ICTs and sustainable development was acknowledged in the introductory chapter of the national strategy document.
• A 'learning by doing' approach was essential for capacity development, allowing youth to strengthen their research, writing, and advocacy skills through practical application and engagement with stakeholders.
• Providing young researchers with a sense of ownership and the freedom to make independent decisions during implementation was a primary motivator and a key factor in their ability to influence national policy.
• The project encountered significant challenges in providing intellectual support; national advisory committees were often difficult to recruit due to the lack of volunteer time from practitioners, and international advisors were frequently unavailable due to other professional or health commitments.
• The lack of an established host organization in the Philippines negatively impacted the researcher's ability to deliver results on time, suggesting that local institutional accountability is vital for youth researchers.
• Integrating young women into policy research requires specialized strategies, as traditional recruitment and research models often fail to account for their specific needs and constraints.
• The report emphasizes that gender-disaggregated data are critical for identifying gender-specific policy problems and that gender issues must be explicitly linked to sustainable development and economic growth to be prioritized by policy-makers.

APA

Dongtotsang, D., Andjelkovic, M., & Willard, T. (2006). Engaging Young People in the Policy Change Process. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/infosoc_young_people_policy.pdf

Chicago

Dongtotsang, Dolma, Maja Andjelkovic, and Terri Willard. Engaging Young People in the Policy Change Process. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2006. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/infosoc_young_people_policy.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Dongtotsang |first1=Dolma |last2=Andjelkovic |first2=Maja |last3=Willard |first3=Terri |title=Engaging Young People in the Policy Change Process |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=May 2006 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/infosoc_young_people_policy.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{dongtotsang2006engaging, author = {Dongtotsang, Dolma and Andjelkovic, Maja and Willard, Terri}, title = {{Engaging Young People in the Policy Change Process}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2006}, month = may, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/infosoc_young_people_policy.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }