Empowering voices: Youth Parliamentary Academy in Zambia
National Assembly of Zambia officials and staff pictured during a visit with representatives of the Austrian Parliament, the Irish Parliament, the Youth Parliamentary Academy and International IDEA in Lusaka, Zambia, 21 November 2024. Credit: National Assembly of Zambia
Over four days, the participants deepened their understanding of representative democracy and improved their public-speaking and message-crafting skills.
What set the Academy apart from many other parliamentary initiatives for young people is that it empowered young adults who do not usually engage with parliament to take an active role in shaping their democracy. In addition to offering practical knowledge, international experiences, and context-specific exercises to help them express and defend their ideas, the Academy gave participants an opportunity to provide input into the Zambian Parliament’s planned educational materials and youth strategy.
The National Assembly plans to create a youth participation strategy and a suite of educational materials, drawing on insights from the Youth Parliamentary Academy. Additionally, Inter Pares | Parliaments in Partnership, a global project to strengthen the capacity of parliaments, will make an Academy toolkit available that will serve as an open-source guide for other parliaments.
‘We want to know if the issues concerning youth are being sufficiently considered. We want to increase their public participation beyond participating in events.’
| Funding | European Union |
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