“Youth as accessories”: Stakeholder Perspectives on Youth Participation in Mental Health Policymaking [Part II]

Abstract

Indeed, policymaking is one of the most challenging areas in which children's participation rights are implemented (Perry-Hazan, 2016).The global movement for youth mental health is gaining momentum. Worldwide, one in seven adolescents is estimated to experience mental health problems (UNI-CEF, 2019). About 50% of these problems start by the age of 14 and 75% start by the age of 24 (Fusar-Poli, 2019). Depressive disorders are the third cause of adolescent disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) lost globally, while anxiety disorders are the fifth cause of DALYs lost among adolescent girls (World Health Organization, 2017). The COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing social, economic, and BackgroundYoung people's participation in making decisions that affect their life has been recognized as a human right since the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in 1989 (UNGA, 1989). Despite the advancement of child and youth participation in the past 30 years, challenges persist, ranging from concerns about tokenism and the lack of impact on decision-making to the lack of sustainability of participation (McMellon & Tisdall, 2020). A lack of diversity when children and young people participate is an ongoing familiar challenge in the Extended author information available on the last page of the article

Amplifying Youth Voices Using Digital Technology: A Case Study in Collaborative Research With Youth Service Organizations

“…In addition, the participatory process should address the power adults hold in the relationship and how that power impacts youth participation (Tisdall, 2017). While involving youth in processes that are not authentic in leading from participation to change, youth may perceive themselves as "accessories" (Yamaguchi et al, 2023). However, the risk of the negative impacts of tokenism should not prohibit attempting to engage young people in participation and decision-making, as some engagement may be better than none (Lundy, 2018).…”