Youthwise: The OECD's Youth Advisory Board - 2022 Cohort

9 November

Jonathan van de Gronden joined the panel discussion for the webinar “Unlocking the potential of youth-led social enterprises” organised by the OECD’s Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities (CFE). This launch event, as part of the Global Action for Promoting Social and Solidarity Economy Ecosystems, brought together voices from policymaking, international networks, and, most importantly, young social entrepreneurs, also as part of the OECD Stand By Youth initiative. 
 

10 November

As part of the OECD COP27 Virtual Pavilion, Youthwise co-created and developed an event alongside OECD Environment experts, titled “Youthwise: Can we leverage the energy crisis to create green and inclusive societies?”. The event focused on how, given the energy crisis, we can protect the most vulnerable people while, at the same time, bringing about changes that will allow society to become more just, inclusive, and green, including by maintaining momentum on climate objectives. 
 

18 November 

Arthur Thirion wrote an article Can we leverage the energy crisis to create green and inclusive societies? Five of my key takeaways from the OECD Youthwise exchange during COP27.

25 November

Michael Bakare participated in the launch event of the new Observatory on Social Mobility and Equal Opportunity at the OECD headquarters in Paris, France. The roundtable discussion brought together policymakers and key stakeholders from across OECD countries to explore how social mobility and equal opportunity can be achieved on the ground.

17 October

Youthwise attended a roundtable organised by the OECD Civil Society Information Society Advisory Council (CSISAC), the body that manages civil society engagement for the Committee on the Digital Economy Policy (CDEP). During the roundtable, Youthwise members shared their perspectives on the digital and green twin transitions. These perspectives will feed into the written civil society contribution to the OECD Digital Economy Ministerial Meeting Dec 13-15. 

27 October

Youthwise members joined a meeting of the OECD’s Forum Engagement Group (FEG) on the Future of Work and took part in a discussion on the School-to-Work Transition. The FEG presented the preliminary results of a multi-national survey to assess the knowledge gaps that youth are expressing in this transition, after which Youthwise members were invited to give their thoughts and feedback. Members' inputs will help affirm and steer the FEG's work on the topic going forward.

16 September

Youthwise met with representatives of the OECD Civil Society Information Society Advisory Council (CSISAC), the body that manages civil society engagement for the Committee on the Digital Economy Policy (CDEP). CSISAC representatives shared plans to include Youthwise input in civil society consultations that will feed into the OECD Digital Economy Ministerial Meeting taking place in December. 

Youthwise members also met with colleagues from the OECD Environment Directorate to discuss the co-organisation of an event at the OECD COP27 Virtual Pavilion. 

8 August

Four members of the 2021 Youthwise cohort wrote articles reflecting on their journey in the programme:

Idalia Ziehl explored the challenges and possibilities of entrepreneurship in her article "It's time to stop idealising entrepreneurship".

Brian O'Shea wrote about 'The double anxiety of youth' event at the OECD COP26 Virtual Pavilion in his article "When it comes to making all jobs green, there is no room for compromise". 

Miyu Sasaki contributed an article "Building an inclusive society should start in the classroom" about diversity and inclusivity in education. 

Ingrid Annilo wrote about the possibilities of volunteering in her article "How volunteering could transform the care economy into a caring one". 

20 July

Victoria Reeser participated in a high-level advisory panel for the OECD Horizontal Project on Climate and Economic Resilience. The panel discussed ways in which momentum for net-zero emissions and climate-related investment can be maintained given the rapidly changing global landscapes and increasingly volatile financial situation.

8 June

At the invitation of the Italian Chairmanship of the Ministerial Council Meeting (MCM), Youthwise participated in a workshop with 70 youth delegates to discuss the future young people want. (See 10 June below)
 

9 June

Youthwise 2022 met with the OECD Environment Directorate’s Kumi Kitamori and Andrew Prag for an in-person brainstorming session. At the workshop, Youthwise learnt about the OECD’s horizontal Project Integrating Climate and Economic Resilience and discussed ways to contribute to the directorate's ongoing work.

Youthwise 2022 met also with the Centre for Inclusion, Well-being, Sustainability and Equal Opportunity (WISE) for an in-person brainstorming session on social mobility. At the workshop, WISE experts Romina Boarini and Emanuele Ciani presented their work and exchanged perspectives with Youthwise on how to combat rising inequalities. 
 

10 June

Takeaways from the workshop held on 8 June were conveyed by two Youthwise members, Ilaria Foroni and Jack Pepilinski, to Ministers during the Ministerial Council Meeting session on Youth: "The Future Youth Want - Elements of a Youth Manifesto". It marked the first time young people participated in an OECD Ministerial Meeting. Read their speeches. 
 

21 June

Ahead of the Fourth OECD Ministerial Summit on Productivity, two Youthwise members were invited to participate in an event titled "The Youth Side of Productivity" co-hosted by the OECD's Latin America and Caribbean Programme (LAC) and the Australia Latam Emerging Leaders Dialogue (ALELD).

Youthwise members Rebeca Quesada Molina from Costa Rica and Erika Xananine Calvillo Ramirez from Mexico spoke at a panel on the future of work and offered youth perspectives on how to improve skills acquisition, the school-to-work transition and human-centred productivity in Latin America and the Caribbean. 

7 April

Youthwise 2022 participated in its first workshop of the year, joined by Carol Guthrie, Head of Stakeholder Engagement at the OECD. The goal of the session was to explore what Youthwise can do in 2022 to promote and embody inclusive and meaningful youth participation.

The workshop kicked off with introductory remarks by the OECD and a video from Youthwise 2021 member Manpreet Deol, where she talked about her experience in Youthwise and shared some tips for the incoming members. Following Manpreet's video, 2022 Youthwise members Victoria Reeser and Erika Xananine Calvillo Ramirez spoke about their experience contributing to the OECD Environment Ministerial Meeting. Then, members gave a presentation on how to improve youth engagement, which was followed by them discussing their ideas on challenges and solutions in 4 breakout sessions. The discussion that ensued covered various topics, from promoting civic education and local engagement, to boosting digital skills or reaching out to marginalised communities.

The exchange provided valuable perspectives and a great starting point for shaping our programme of work this year.

20 April

Erika Xananine Calvillo Ramirez wrote an article "Enhancing environmental justice and the meaningful involvement of all people in decision-making processes". 

Victoria Reeser wrote about climate policy in her article "Moving to Net Zero - Closing the ambition gaps on climate mitigation and adaptation" (link to follow). 

10 March

First informal meeting where the new Youthwise members 2022 initiated discussions on their work programme and next steps.

21 March

Youthwise was officially launched during a high-level panel of policymakers and members of youth organisations to discuss the main findings of the OECD policy paper “Delivering for youth: How governments can put young people at the centre of the recovery”, compiling the views of youth organisations from 72 countries on their experiences through the COVID-19 crisis, and analysing national response and recovery plans across OECD countries.

Speakers' contributions centred on how governments can strengthen public governance approaches to deliver a fair, inclusive and resilient recovery for young people. Marine Marty, the Youthwise member on the panel, shared insights on youth participation.
 

31 March

Members of Youthwise were invited to contribute to the OECD Environment Ministerial Meeting, the first one since 2016, to bring young people's perspectives.

Two of the Youthwise 2022 members participated in the event: Victoria Reeser, American environmental economist, addressed the plenary session alongside the Secretary-General, and Erika Xananine Calvillo Ramirez, Mexican climate and indigenous rights activist, spoke at the climate justice breakout session. Manpreet Deol, a member of Youthwise 2021, was also invited by the US Chair to share her remarks in the breakout session on the green and digital transitions.