The dynamics of meaningful youth participation: Mapping the purpose of participation of Youth Dialogue on Internet Governance participants

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Abstract

This study investigates how youth are navigating the regional and global Internet governance spaces using the Pyramid of Participation framework as proposed by the author, which is built on Arnstein's ladder. By understanding how youth participate in these spaces, this study seeks to understand the dynamics of meaningful youth participation by using the Youth Dialogue on Internet Governance (YOUthDIG) as an exploratory case study. The findings reveal that The Pyramid of Participation outlined in this paper provides a visual framework for decision makers to reflect on where and how participants engage with the process. This Pyramid of Participation also acknowledges that when there is no meaningful participation, that participants will choose to discontinue their participation and this motivation requires reflection on where we can enhance processes and change attitudes to ensure a better informed group of stakeholders and empowered actors.
Original languageEnglish
JournalPolicy & Internet
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 18 Sep 2024

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
I would like to thank Sandra Hoferichter and Rainer Rodewald from the EuroDIG Secretariat for their support in conducting research on YOUDIG. Professor Dr. Jamal Shahin, Professor Dr. Trisha Meyer, Dr. Niels ten Oever, and Dr. Diana Potjomkina for guiding me through difficult questions and challenging perspectives, and reviewing my work. Dr. Dmitry Epstein for his insights on regional and global IGF research design. I have much gratitude for Michael J. Oghia and Emil Nyquist for their discussion and proofreading. The respondents for contributing through interviews, and Dr. Cyril Tjahja for illustrating the Pyramid of Participation. This work was supported by the GREMLIN Project, Vrije Universiteit Brussel [grant number: 2017/092].

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