The Women, Peace and Security Network – Canada (WPSN-C)’s latest publication, WPS at 25 and Canada’s CNAP3: Feminist Reflections on Progress and Gaps is edited by Katrina Leclerc, Sandra Biskupski-Mujanovic and Sarah Keeler.
Today’s #16Days reading is Chapter 12: Detokenizing Civic Space: Leveraging WPS–YPS Synergies for Full Youth Engagement in Canada by Shayne Wong.
Tokenism in civic engagement has long been a concern for young people, whose inclusion in political and policy spaces often comes without real influence, power, or voice. This problem is even more acute for youth from marginalized communities. Youth engagement in Canada has frequently been reduced to advisory roles, short consultations, or public relations exercises. However, youth engagement must be more than a checkbox exercise; it requires creating structures and opportunities where young people are not merely present but are able to influence outcomes that affect their lives.
The views in this blog are those of the author only and do not necessarily represent those of the WPSN-C or its membership.
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