By Nancy Ancieto

Advisory Group of the Global Network of Young Opportunity

There is a phrase that I relate to youth incidence: 

“If you want to go fast, walk alone, if you want to go far, go accompanied.” When we begin the process of advocacy, it is important to remember that, like any process, it is a long path where being accompanied and being a multidisciplinary group will help us understand the diversity of every young person opportunity, reflecting on the situation and needs that youth face.

Being heard is a challenge that society faces, but when we talk about youth we discover that there are other barriers that become twice as big to make our voice reach decision makers, to make ourselves present in laws, policies, and the social environment. It is not a simple or easy task to carry out, which is why it is necessary to empower ourselves as the youth social group that demands their rights and assumes the challenges and commitments that advocacy demands. To achieve an impact we must remember that working online reflects the postulation of what the diverse environments and worlds of youth really need.

It is shocking to recognize that as a society we have and continue to move slowly to meet current needs, more and more obstacles are presented to youth and it is sad to understand that the solutions that are presented are to label us as glass people or conflictive for defending our rights. and demand that they not continue to be violated. Participating in the Youth Advocacy Workshop Course helped me visualize how the concern of generating more favorable and safe spaces is not an activity of a certain group of people, listening to the different organizations of civil society, groups, youth participants and a small space of government of how it is actively seeking that the youth does not become disorganized or discouraged from making an impact so that they can be the decision makers of what happens in the world, and understand that despite going slowly we are changing the world for our generations and taking care of the sustainability of the future for youth.

Being an active person in the defense of the human rights of youth and being able to participate in youth advocacy spaces gives me hope that we are managing to be listened to more and more by society and in a future that we hope is not too distant to be listened to. by decision makers to generate a true impact, leaving behind the labels about the crystal generation or that the younger a person is, the less capable they are of making decisions, when we are simply young, we have the opportunity to find, understand and help more young people to be able to truly enjoy youth.