By Daisy Yator
The 2024 Assembly should be remembered as the “Youthful Assembly,” marking the first time young people fully participated in the event. This began with the youth pre-assembly, where more than 40 young people from over 30 countries gathered, filled with enthusiasm and eager to engage.
The two-day pre-assembly was highly productive, offering youth a platform to showcase their work from across the world. These young people are actively involved in their organizations, churches, and communities, fostering hope through action and demonstrating the power of youth in action.
In one particular session, the group was asked what comes to mind when they hear “ACT Alliance.” The words “collaboration” and “hope” stood out. They also shared their dreams and hopes, especially regarding their involvement in the life of the Alliance. A key moment during the pre-assembly was a solidarity action on climate justice, where all voices joined together in unison, calling for urgent climate action. The passion and energy during this action underscored the collective responsibility for climate justice, a global crisis that demands attention.
I was deeply inspired by the discussions and proud to see the assembly dominated by young people calling for inclusion in ACT structures and advocating for meaningful youth engagement in thematic areas. The youth presence at this assembly was acknowledged, and there is hope to sustain their aspirations, dreams, and the momentum they’ve built.
There is a need for young people to be equipped with governance skills to ensure they are not just representatives filling a youth quota but active participants in decision-making.Caterina Lemp World YWCA
Increasing Youth Participation in ACT Alliance and Membership
Empowering youth representation and participation within ACT Alliance structures is essential. A Member Conversation focused on how ACT Alliance members can meaningfully enhance youth participation across all levels. Unfortunately, despite this ambition, only two non-youth delegates prioritized the conversation, apart from two speakers who served as youth champions. To achieve meaningful engagement, inter-generational participation is necessary.
The key idea of a “Youthful Alliance” is to strengthen local engagement at the member level, where young people are equipped with the skills, knowledge, and information they need to build a strong youth movement at both regional and global levels. Ms. Happy Mkumbwa, representing the ACT Tanzania Forum, shared how their forum enhances and sustains youth engagement through a youth community of practice and by including youth representatives in forum meetings.
At the regional level, it was inspiring to learn about the collaborative efforts of the Latin American regional youth Community of Practice (CoP), where young people are actively engaged in addressing issues like fundamentalism and climate change. Mateo Fischer, a youth delegate from Argentina, shared that youth in his region are conducting research on fundamentalism, which he hopes will continue to strengthen their collaboration.
As young people call for representation in leadership positions, Ms. Caterina Lemp from Worldwide YWCA drew inspiration from her organization, where more than 60% of their governing board is composed of youth. She encouraged the need for young people to be equipped with governance skills to ensure they are not just representatives filling a youth quota but active participants in decision-making.
Since ACT Alliance has its foundation in churches, the church plays a crucial role in mobilizing young people. Edward Santos from the National Council of Churches in the Philippines highlighted how churches can support diaconal work, emphasizing the need to tap into the potential of church councils to foster ecumenical diakonia.
Challenges and Moving Forward
One concern raised was the underrepresentation of youth from Europe, which had the lowest number of participants at the assembly. This highlights the need for a more balanced representation moving forward.
Active youth engagement and participation in ACT structures are critical to the future of the Alliance. Strong recommendations from the youth included allocating more resources to youth initiatives, ensuring their inclusion in ACT forums and advisory groups, and increasing youth participation in governance. In future assemblies, youth aspire to have voting rights, further solidifying their role in the Alliance. Achieving these goals requires the commitment of members to be youth champions, as well as dedication from the youth themselves.
This assembly has shown that there is space for youth to engage meaningfully and it’s up for grabs.
