Youth Policy Juries

Youth Policy Juries is a grassroots think tank that gives everyday young people in Africa the opportunity to discuss and critique the existing policies, particularly those related to the economy. It is designed to be representative, well-informed, deliberative, and not manipulated by any party or interest group. The prospectus for the Youth Policy Juries takes as its starting point the main contention that there is a democratic deficit in policy and decision-making. Young people in the Africa have too little influence over how governments manage and decide policies.

The case for youth policy juries…

We recruit a combination of randomly selected, quotas, and demographically representative segments of ordinary young people potentially affected by policy and do not get involved through usual participation mechanisms. These youth juries receive training in critical thinking, background information, and access to subject experts and advocates for different views. They are convened in an intensive, jury-like setting to evaluate complex and polemic policies of the day, and draft joint statements that provide clear, concise, accurate information to their fellow young people. Youth Policy Juries overcome the limit of self-selected participation where only experts, interest groups, lobbies, or highly-motivated individuals are involved.

Our projects mainly focus on the challenging economic questions for young people of today:

Degradation of ecosystems, resource stresses, and climate change will create increasingly severe and unpredictable impacts.

The youth population will see rising migration resulting from conflict, climate change and the search for a better life.

Disruptive new technologies, such as data analytics, robotics, and artificial intelligence may change the world of work and the nature of production and consumption in dramatic ways.