Youth Participation in iol Policy-Making and Elections
The success of the Y20 summit and the IEC's efforts to engage young people will depend on their ability to adapt to the changing needs and preferences of young people, and to create opportunities for meaningful participation and influence in policy-making and elections.
South Africa's upcoming hosting of the Y20 summit offers a chance to break the cycle of youth participation in policy-making being reduced to performative gestures, and experts believe that young people must play a more active role in shaping the country's future by participating in elections.
The country has a history of launching frameworks to empower young people, but actual policy adoption and implementation often exclude them. The Y20 promises to gather delegates to shape policy recommendations for global leaders, but its structure reinforces the contradiction between policy participation and influence. To avoid this, the government must commit to institutionalising youth power by treating the final communique as more than symbolic, budgeting for implementation, creating a public-facing accountability mechanism, and sharing power with youth.
The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has been struggling to connect with young people, particularly first-time voters, in its efforts to engage them in the electoral process. Despite its commendable intentions, the IEC's strategies have been out of touch with what appeals to young people. The use of popular artists in political campaigns has proven effective in engaging young people, but the IEC has not adopted a similar approach.
Young people are drawn to events that blend information with entertainment, and the IEC could consider using comedians or incorporating elements of entertainment into its campaigns to make them more engaging. The commission could also explore innovative solutions to mitigate practical barriers to voting, such as long queues at polling stations, by implementing staggered voting times or increasing the number of voting stations in high-density areas.
By rethinking its strategies and incorporating elements of entertainment and convenience into its campaigns, the IEC can better fulfill its mandate of fostering active participation in South Africa's democracy, and the Y20 summit can be a starting point for meaningful youth participation in policy-making.