Youthwise: The OECD's Youth Advisory Board - 2023 Cohort

12 April

The OECD, ILO and Y7 co-hosted a workshop for 2024's Y7 Global Youth Leaders Program on the topic of "Understanding International Challenges: New Skills, Entrepreneurship, and Future of Work". Youthwise members were invited to observe and participate in the Q&A, and OECD Head of Division for Skills and Employability in the Employment, Labour and Social Affairs Directorate (ELS) Mark Keese presented and gave feedback on policy proposals.
 

23 April

The Committee for Scientific and Technological Policy invited three Youthwise members to its 2024 Ministerial for the Multistakeholder high-level Dialogue day. Pascual was asked to join the Opening Plenary Session: "Shaping science and technology policies for our future: how to engage diverse audiences?" alongside the Ministers from Colombia and Thailand, as well as other speakers, in which he spoke about engaging with diverse social groups, including indigenous peoples, in the advancement of technologies that will help their lives.

Beom Joon Baek made an intervention in the session on "Human enhancement: emerging technology and the human future", during which he spoke about the importance of including young people in developing tech policy to make sure it is effective and future-proof.

Alexandros was a panellist for "Partnerships for climate action and biodiversity", taking his experience of multi-stakeholder collaboration and interdisciplinary communication from his work in academia and as a biomedical start-up co-founder and applying it to the challenges of tackling climate change.

5 February

Following the initial consultation in Berlin in 2023, we held an online consultation for Latin America to discuss topics in the Recommendation of the Council on Creating Better Opportunities for Young People. Pascual, Pablo, Berenice (Youthwise 2023) and Pedro (Youthwise 2021) joined OECD experts and the TUI Care Foundation, plus young people from across OECD countries in the region, for a consultation on youth policy.

7 February

For the final regional consultation, we hosted a discussion on the Recommendation of the Council on Creating Better Opportunities for Young People in Asia-Pacific. OECD experts and the TUI Care Foundation were joined by Youthwise members Phoebe, Beom Joon, Berk (Youthwise 2023), Miyu (Youthwise 2021), Jack (Youthwise 2021), Joshua (Youthwise 2022), and Yunjoo (Youthwise 2022) for discussions on topics including education, jobs, inequalities and inclusion, trust in government, and mental health.

30 January

Youthwise members were invited by the Directorate for Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) to take part in a consultation providing feedback on the draft Ministerial Declaration, which was to be the main deliverable of the upcoming OECD Science and Technology Policy Ministerial in April 2024. Beom Joon, Claudia, Alexandros, Pablo and Kibiriti joined OECD experts for the discussion, and later submitted a comments document to be considered in the drafting of the Declaration, which was subsequently published during the Ministerial. 

13 November

On 13 November, Berk, Jacqueline, Vidmantė, Finja, Alexis and Adina joined OECD experts and the TUI Care Foundation, plus young people from across Europe, for a consultation on youth policy in Berlin. They discussed topics in the Recommendation of the Council on Creating Better Opportunities for Young People, including education and skills, jobs, housing, inequalities and mental health.

30 November

On 30th November, Achraf took part in the launch of the OECD-EU Missing Entrepreneurs 2023 report as a panellist. Alongside other entrepreneurs, he exchanged on the question of "How to achieve systemic change in entrepreneurship". The discussion looked at the challenges of running a business, improving diversity among entrepreneurs and supporting the next generation of business owners and leaders.

5 October

As part of the ongoing work of the "Informal Working Group on Assessment and Qualifications in Upper Secondary Education" (see 6 July for initial meeting), Kendra-Jean was invited by the Directorate for Education and Skills to attend the second meeting in Paris as a panellist, discussing her views and observations of upper secondary certifications. She also contributed a youth perspective to the workshop on "Implementing assessment reform in a post-COVID world".

15 September

Contributing to the conversation around World Democracy Day, Samantha wrote an article for the OECD’s Forum Network Can democracies be saved without the youth?, exploring how young people need to be included in all areas and levels of government, and also how young people can be active in shaping their own democracies. 


18 September

Phoebe contributed an article to the Forum Network for International Equal Pay Day on Empowering the Future: Harnessing Youth Voices to Close the Gender Pay Gap, exploring the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women’s salaries and possible solutions to closing the gender pay gap.

14 August

Following their participation on the panel for the European Youth Event "Career. Ready, set, go! How to improve school-to-work transitions", Finja and Vidmantė wrote an article for the OECD’s Forum Network on their thoughts on the discussion: How Can We Empower Young People to Successfully Enter Today's Workforce? Five Takeaways from the OECD’s session at the European Youth Event.
 

August

As part of their support of the Youthwise 2023 cohort, the TUI Foundation offered mentorship opportunities to all members, with the overall goal of supporting economic development in all countries and contributing to a more interconnected, global mindset. Kibiriti, Jacqueline, Beom Joon, Finja, Ally and Berenice were all assigned mentors to work on areas such as creating an impact-driven organisation, soft skills in communication, critical thinking, presentation, leadership, interpersonal skills, empathy, listening skills, marketing strategy and business strategy.

6 July

Four Youthwise members – Adina, Berk, Kendra-Jean and Magnus – were invited by the Directorate of Education and Skills to join the Informal Working Group on Assessment and Qualifications in Upper Secondary Education, which will meet 3-4 times over the coming year with the aim to develop 2 working papers on assessment and qualifications, looking at different approaches to designing assessments for qualifications in upper secondary education and implications for learners and learning, teachers and teaching, education systems and transitions employment. At the first virtual meeting in July, Kendra-Jean and Magnus participated in the panel discussion, sharing their perspectives as young people.
 

7 July

The Directorate of Science, Technology and Innovation invited Youthwise to attend the hybrid Roundtable on Digital Safety by Design for Children. Youthwise member Berk participated in the round table in Paris while others joined online, and former Youthwise member Konstantinos Papachristou (2021) provided the afternoon keynote speech. Youthwise embers exchanged on topics including the current policy landscape, best practices, age assurance technologies and solutions, and digital safety for children in immersive technologies. 
 

11 July

The Swedish Delegation to the OECD invited Youthwise members Nikita and Pablo to give a short intervention to Ambassadors, experts, and policy makers at the Friends of Gender Equality+ meeting: "From celebration to further action: Ongoing work to address LGBTI+ discrimination at the OECD". A policy brief analysing work of the NGO SOS Homophobie was presented at the meeting, allowing Youthwise member Pablo, a volunteer for SOS Homophobie, to comment on the findings of the analysis and make suggestions for points of consideration and next steps. Nikita shared her thoughts on harmful stereotypes around gender and sexuality.

6 June

Youthwise members Claudia and Beom Joon were invited to attend the launch of the OECD’s Global Forum on Technology, held in the margins of this year’s Ministerial Council Meeting. Bringing together a broad range of country and stakeholder perspectives, this event sought to identify and elaborate on core questions on the development of responsible and values-based technology. It also served as a platform for inclusive dialogue to anticipate and respond to the opportunities and risks technology development brings. Claudia and Joon were invited to attend and make interventions in the breakout sessions "Emerging technologies to address climate change and foster resilient societies" and "Responsible, values-based and rights-oriented technology". 
 

7-8 June

The 2023 Ministerial Council Meeting (MCM), chaired by the United Kingdom, with Costa Rica and New Zealand as Vice-Chairs, took place on 7 and 8 June at the OECD Headquarters in Paris. At the invitation of the Chair, Youthwise members provided their perspectives on the topics discussed during the meeting in a written statement, "Our future in Three" complemented by a video message. Following their participation in the Global Forum on Technology, Claudia and Beom Joon were present at a Youthwise stand during the MCM to present Youthwise and discuss their statement with meeting participants. 
 

9 June

The OECD hosted an event at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, as part of the European Youth Event. Youthwise members Vidmantė and Finja were nominated by the group to take part in the panel alongside representatives from survey company Qualtrics and social change foundation Bertelsmann Stiftung, plus OECD expert Rebecca Frankum, who works on pathways and transitions in Upper Secondary Education. The discussion was enriched by many members of the audience who added their own perspectives and asked the panel questions on a wide range of topics, including education for migrants, the place of AI in education and barriers to access for skills development (in particular in rural areas) translating work experience onto a CV and the role of school in choosing a career. Youthwise’s input gave the panel an intergenerational perspective to the topics raised.

22 May

Members of Youthwise - Anahera, Kendra-Jean, and Samantha - had a meeting with representatives from the UK delegation to the OECD. As the Chair of the Ministerial Council Meeting (MCM), the UK invited Youthwise to submit a video and a written statement expressing their perspectives on the subjects that will be addressed during this year’s meeting. 

5 April

Youthwise 2023 kicked off with an official launch event titled “Securing the future: putting youth at the centre of policy change” at the OECD headquarters in Paris. The new group was welcomed by then US Ambassador to the OECD Jack Markell, OECD Deputy Secretary-General Ulrik Vestergaard Knudsen, OECD Director for Public Governance and for Public Affairs and Communications Elsa Pilichowski, and TUI Care Foundation Executive Director Alexander Panczuk.

Over the course of the day, Youthwise members engaged in discussions with OECD experts in various fields including environment, education, employment, governance, science, and technology. These discussions aimed to explore opportunities for meaningful engagement between Youthwise and the OECD throughout the upcoming year.

Additionally, Youthwise met with representatives from the Italian and British delegations to the OECD, in their capacity as previous (2022) and current (2023) Chairs of the Ministerial Council Meeting (MCM), to explore avenues through which Youthwise can exchange with OECD Member Countries. This launch event marked the beginning of an exciting Journey for Youthwise 2023!
 

27 April

Youthwise 2023 participated in a virtual information session with the Acting Deputy Director of Public Affairs and Communication, Julian Knott, where they learned about the structure and workings of the OECD and its various bodies and committees.

Youthwise discussed their priorities for the year ahead and brainstormed ideas for their contribution to the MCM.