Conference: Inclusive Futures – Strengthening Meaningful Youth Participation
On 21st March 2026, Youth Power Germany e.V. took part in the final session of the Inclusive Futures series, held in Frankfurt. The event gathered over 100 participants, including youth leaders, NGO representatives, activists, and policymakers, creating a dynamic space for dialogue on inclusive societies and meaningful youth participation. The day was characterised by a rich program of activities, workshops, exchange, and collaboration, fostering meaningful interactions and shared learning among participants.
The Conference
The Inclusive Futures series was organized by the International Peace Youth Forum (IPYF) , as part of the International Peace Youth Group (IPYG), a global youth network dedicated to promoting peace, dialogue, and active citizenship among young people. With members and activities spanning numerous countries, IPYG works to empower youth as key actors in building more peaceful and inclusive societies through education, workshops, and international cooperation initiatives.
Its activities focus on fostering youth engagement, encouraging intercultural dialogue, and supporting young people in taking an active role in addressing global challenges and shaping their communities.
The initiative was strongly rooted in a collaborative approach and co-created in close partnership with the organizations Lomahn, NaturKultur, and Iranische Hilfe. This collaboration represented a key pillar of the project, bringing together diverse expertise, perspectives, and resources in a shared effort to promote inclusive and participatory approaches, and highlighting the importance of joint action and mutual support in addressing complex societal challenges.
The Inclusive Futures initiative addresses a critical global challenge: despite representing a significant proportion of the population, young people remain underrepresented in decision-making processes. The forum responded to this gap by fostering spaces where youth are not only included symbolically, but actively engaged in shaping discussions and contributing to solutions.
As part of the program, Youth Power Germany e.V. contributed through both a workshop and participation in the panel discussion.
The workshop introduced the topic of inclusion through a creative and participatory approach.
By focusing on shared experiences rather than theoretical definitions, the session aimed to promote connections among participants and encourage critical reflection on inclusive practices. Through interactive exercises, movement based activities and visual art, participants explored how inclusion can be translated into concrete actions within their communities and professional contexts.
In addition, Youth Power Germany e.V. was represented in the panel discussion, contributing to a broader exchange on inclusive futures. The discussion focused on identifying current challenges, proposing new approaches, and sharing practical tools to enhance inclusion within youth work and civil society.
To contribute in a practical way and to propose concrete tools and solutions, Youth Power Germany e.V. presented the project Beyond Tokenism: Youth Leading Inclusion (BETYLI), together with the materials and resources developed within the initiative. The project was introduced as both an awareness-raising framework and a practical tool for organizations and young people aiming to move beyond symbolic forms of inclusion.
BETYLI promotes a shift from mere representation towards shared ownership, ensuring that young people are not only present, but actively engaged in shaping processes, decisions, and outcomes. Through tools such as the Inclusion Index Calculator, as well as educational resources and participatory training formats, the initiative provides concrete methodologies to identify, assess, and transform tokenistic practices into authentic, youth-led inclusion.
The conference also created space for active youth engagement through the “Open Chair” format, allowing participants to directly intervene, ask questions, and contribute to the discussion. This interactive element reinforced the core objective of the event: ensuring that youth voices are not only heard, but integrated into ongoing dialogue and action.
Overall, the event provided a valuable platform for exchange, reflection, and collaboration, highlighting the importance of moving from tokenistic approaches to genuine inclusion and shared responsibility in shaping the future.
