Beyond formal political and electoral processes and structures there are a number of ways young people can be actively involved in decision-making processes and institutions that affect their environment and their lives within it. These include structures that enable youth to provide inputs and influence policy-making processes and structures that enable youth to learn about policy-making processes, such as:

•  national youth councils
•  youth parliaments (local, national, regional, international)
•  local processes that feed into policy-making processes (e.g. youth mayors)
•  forums (local, national, regional, international)
•  peace processes (in post-conflict contexts)
•  participatory or structured social dialogues and youth observatories
•  participatory planning (e.g. budgeting and budget advocacy), monitoring (e.g. social audits, community score cards, and other citizens’ oversight mechanisms) and research
•  youth consultations and panels 
• youth juries, mock trials
• opinion polls, online surveys/consultations, and petitions
• civil society organizations.

Opportunities for youth to participate in political processes depend largely on the political and cultural context. A democratic environment can be more favorable to participation in general. For the most part, promoting youth participation needs to be geared towards achieving levels relative to those of the rest of the population.

Example: In Ukraine, a young activist mobilized young people in her community to open a youth radio station. Co-funded by local government and USAID’s DOBRE program, it works to increase the involvement of local residents and civil society organizations in local government decision-making, while holding local officials accountable through monitoring and oversight – the youth radio station had its first live broadcast in March 2018. Allowing local voices, including those of young activists, to be heard, the radio station helps young people participate in civic journalism.[i]