The Canadian Coalition for Youth, Peace & Security (CCYPS) is proud to announce the release of the “Beyond Tokenism” toolkit, a resource aimed at transforming youth engagement in decision-making spaces. Built on the findings of our 2021 “More Than Tokens” research, which revealed that 90% of opportunities for youth in civic spaces remain unpaid, this toolkit addresses the need for genuine youth leadership and participation.
Tokenism continues to be a pervasive issue. Our research highlighted that 33% of youth experienced bias due to language fluency, and many reported feeling sidelined, with their contributions treated as symbolic rather than substantive. This toolkit offers practical solutions to overcome these barriers and create spaces where youth are not just participants but key decision-makers.
Key Features of the Toolkit:
Self-Assessment Framework: A tool for organizations to identify and address tokenistic practices.
Youth-Led Initiatives: Strategies to support youth-driven projects and leadership roles.
Youth-Adult Partnerships: Fostering equitable collaboration between generations.
CCYPS has been working on this toolkit since 2021, and it reflects the voices of young leaders who have faced these challenges. To showcase the importance of this work, we have also created a promotional video [link] featuring members of the CCYPS community sharing their perspectives on youth engagement and leadership. We invite you to watch and share this video to help spread the message!
Download the toolkit here: https://www.canadayps.org/more-than-tokens
The research and data for this toolkit were made possible thanks to the financial support of TakingITGlobal’s Rising Youth grants and UN Women. The CCYPS extends its thanks for their generous commitment to young people.
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