How can we support the voice of youth in local policy making?

More and more young people are getting the right to vote every year and they have quickly become the largest contingency of voters in Nepal. They face a completely new political system but with the same social inequalities and little economic prospects as their parents. Without youth engagement in government and vice versa, millions of young people have continued to be left frustrated by Nepal’s government.

The Promotion of Youth Engagement in Local Government Processes (PROYEL) aims to support youth education on local governance, increase youth engagement mechanisms and working opportunities for young citizens in local government. It works with young people, as well as youth who are unemployed, youth with disabilities and other marginalized communities to equip them with the skills to develop policies, organize policy dialogues, make their voices heard in governmental affairs and hold the government accountable.

With the advancement of the federalization process in Nepal, the municipalities have been on the frontline of public service delivery, and they are uniquely positioned to design and deliver a holistic response to local development and humanitarian issues. In this situation, the project is to create a space to build a new set of relationships to give youth a voice and an opportunity in shaping and engaging in the local governance and development process.

Through the program, local governments will be accountable for youth mobilization, policy development that address youth, gender and social inclusion issues, and overall good governance methods. It will also create working opportunities in government for the trained youth to be involved in local government.

By engaging both the youth and government offices, the community will begin to see better coordination with the government and see that their issues are at the forefront of government interests, which will slowly increase the trust in government and democratic processes.