How far have we come with youth governance?

Children have agency. Recognising this, those promoting children’s rights advocate for their participation in the governance of their communities. How children and youth are engaged in governance activities takes different forms – with various degrees of success. Programmes and projects that promote children’s and youth’s engagement in governance (or CYEG) often come from a commitment to enact children’s rights to participate, and the conviction that duty bearers (especially governments) must use governance structures, systems and processes that best respond to the needs and challenges of all citizens. An analytical framework that draws out the many inte- grated and – in some cases – mutually reinforcing factors that promote children’s participation and good governance would be useful for ensuring that commitments are implemented thoroughly. My aim is to develop such a framework.