EMBs have a crucial role to play in achieving SDG target 16.10 (“Ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements”) through CVE activities.

All citizens, including young people, are entitled to the knowledge and information necessary to make well-informed choices and thus to participate in a meaningful way in electoral processes. As part of the CVE activities that form part of EMBs’ mandate, they need to form extensive partnerships with youth organizations, schools and universities, and political institutions and to find innovative ways to build young people’s knowledge and capacity.

The education sector and the provision of CVE programs are vital tools in the prevention of violent extremism, and for facilitating young people’s positive engagement in peace. Educating youth with critical thinking skills may be the first defense against violent extremism, by equipping young people with the skills to detect extremist propaganda, make informed decisions, and question the legitimacy of extremist content. Any civic education initiative in this age should also aim to educate people on how to spot fake news and identify hate speech on social media. This can serve as an alternative policy to completely blocking social media which can adversely impact on youth and their engagement with politics. EMBs in their advocacy campaigns should focus not just on the electoral process but also on what constitutes a fair election and what ethical standards for political parties and media etc. should be adhered to.

In the progress study The Missing Peace, mandated by United Nations Security Council Resolution 2250, reference is made to the potentially transformative power of education in building peace, and the educative role that youth can play in building peace. “Many civil society organizations, including youth-led organizations, have extensive experience in developing educational strategies and modules for peace, through both formal and non-formal means, signaling the importance of building strategic partnerships.”[i] The message to EMBs, particularly in conflict and fragile contexts, is to collaborate with youth organizations to provide CVE initiatives.

The young people consulted for the progress study pointed to a need for “value-based education for peace and teaching of critical thinking skills and non-violent methods to address conflicts, with a particular focus on the celebration of diversity.”[ii] While governments predominantly provide or oversee education at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels, other educational organizations, such as CSOs, provide informal educational initiatives. These can be youth-led or focused on youth and play a vital role in educating young people about their rights and responsibilities in democratic societies. EMBs can be part of multi-stakeholder alliance providing peace and democracy education. Youth-led CVE and peace-related education is noticeably innovative and resourceful in using art, sport, and media. EMBs can partner and/or support such initiatives.

There are a number of ways that EMBs and other CVE providers inform and educate voters and potential voters. These include:

• information and advertising campaigns
• supporting grassroots movements
• door-to-door or face-to-face interaction
• school and university curriculum, extra-curriculum and adult education
•  mock elections and other special-purpose programs
• entertainment 
• inducements.

Different countries have different ways of approaching young voters. As youth are not a homogenous group, EMBs should develop education programs taking into account the specific challenges of different subgroups related to the voting process. Non-targeted activities might lead to discrimination against certain subgroups and undermine efforts toward an inclusive electoral participation. For example, voter education campaigns relying on information and communication technologies (ICTs) often discriminate against illiterate youth, those with visual disabilities, or those living in areas with limited internet access.

Targeting young women

In view of the need for increased women’s empowerment across most societies, EMBs should reflect on strategies and targeted activities to reach out to young women and eliminate existing barriers to women’s participation.

Voter education programs should take into account the fact that young women and girls might face additional challenges compared to young men and boys. Voter information campaigns should therefore highlight to women and men alike the importance of their votes and emphasize their right to vote as equal members of society. A recent document co-produced by UNDP and UN Women[iii]  put it this way:

“With respect to gender equality, it is also extremely important to convey to young women voters that the ballot is secret. In outreach messages and images, it is important that women be shown in active roles as voters, candidates and electoral staff.”

Example: The Canadian NGO “Equal Voice’” a multi-partisan organization that promotes the election of women in Canada, called on citizens to “bring a girl to vote” to the ballot in the 2011 elections in order to familiarize girls of pre-voting age with the voting process.

Intersectionality and Hard to Reach Youth

Youth who suffer multiple or intersectional discrimination, often face strong barriers to meaningful participation in society, including their ability to access information and education. Targeted CVE campaigns pay attention to these often hard to reach youth, matching the media and approach with the specific needs of the target group. Peer-to-peer approaches are frequently used to educate and inform marginalized groups.

Example: In Australia, the Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC) has a range of engagement strategies to reach youth who are the hardest to reach, using peer-to-peer approaches including:

• young Indigenous Australians – by partnering with Aboriginal organizations (such as the Korin Gamadji Institute)
• multicultural youth – through the Youth Active Citizenship project
• hard-to-reach youth, such as the homeless, youth not in education or employment, and youth with disabilities – through VEC’s “Be Heard Democracy Ambassador” programs.

See Annex: VEC Some Youth Inclusion Programming

Example. In Kenya in 2017, IFES leveraged community social networks to implement targeted voter education campaigns and outreach in informal settlements to two traditionally marginalized populations in Kenya – women and youth voters. See Annex: Voter Education Outreach in Informal Settlements

Example: Elections Canada launched “Inspire Democracy” in 2014 with the goal of building a community of youth-serving organizations knowledgeable about the issue of declining youth voter turnout and helping Elections Canada provide voter information to young people in preparation for the 2015 federal election. It includes three core activities:

1. The development and launch of the Inspire Democracy website in April 2014. The website shares research on youth engagement, as well as engagement tools, links to engagement organizations and infographics in an effort to make research findings relevant and accessible to stakeholders.
2. National workshop series. A total of 10 workshops, each 1.5 days in duration, were held in major cities across the country from April to October 2014, with the goal of providing youth-serving organizations with a better understanding of youth engagement issues and brainstorming ways they could engage youth during the 2015 election. Over 130 organizations participated in the workshops and the final  
3. Inspire Democracy newsletters. A quarterly newsletter was launched in May 2014 to provide youth-serving organizations, academics, and government officials working on youth-related issues with updates on new research and engagement tools and to help further build the engagement community. Go to www.elections.ca for more information.