Session
Organizer 1: Lorrayne Porciuncula, The Datasphere Initiative
Organizer 2: Sophie Tomlinson, 🔒
Organizer 3: Mariana Rozo-Paz, WEF Global Shapers Bogotá Hub
Organizer 4: Lilian Olivia Orero, 🔒
Speaker 1: Lorrayne Porciuncula, Civil Society, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Speaker 2: Mariana Rozo-Paz, Intergovernmental Organization, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Speaker 3: Lilian Olivia Orero, Civil Society, African Group
Speaker 4: João Moreno Falcão, Civil Society, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Speaker 5: Yazid Mikail, Civil Society, African Group
Speaker 6: Celiane Pochon, Government, Western Europe and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 7: Laura Reyna, Private Sector, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC) Public Affairs Manager, TikTok Latin America (Female Latin America and the Caribbean, Private Sector)
Speaker 8: Dunola Oladapo, International Organization
Lorrayne Porciuncula, Civil Society, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Sophie Tomlinson, Private Sector, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Mariana Rozo-Paz, Intergovernmental Organization, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Roundtable
Duration (minutes): 90
Format description: The 90-minute roundtable workshop will allow participants to interact in groups, engage in the discussion, and exchange insights and experiences. The organizers will explore using interactive tools to encourage online and onsite participation.
A. What issues related to the data economy are youth across the globe most concerned about (e.g. AI and GenAI, climate change, education, mental health, reskilling for the future.)? B. How are youth engaging to effectively advocate for their perspectives on the data economy, and what examples of good practices to engage youth exist and could be implemented by different types of stakeholders? C. What incentives are needed to raise awareness among the “adult community” (policymakers, governments, private companies, etc.) on the importance of youth’s voices and to enhance their participation in policies and the design of data-driven technologies?
What will participants gain from attending this session? The session will bring participants into a conversation on the importance of leveraging youth’s voices to reshape the data economy and the ways in which different stakeholders are working towards including youth in the data governance discussions. Participants will be invited to join the discussion and share their own best practices on how to design effective participatory approaches to data policies and technologies, and the valuable perspectives that youth can bring to the table for the future of the data economy. Learnings and good practices on how to effectively engage youth in policies and technologies around data will be shared across sectors and stakeholders, so participants will be able to diversify their perspectives and work towards a youth-inclusive data economy.
Description:
Including youth’s voices in discussions and decision-making is crucial to ensuring that the data economy is truly equitable and that the value of data is unlocked for all. This panel will explore how youth voices can reshape and transform data policy and data-driven technological innovations to effectively unlock the value of data for all. Join us to share insights on the most pressing issues youth care about in the digital era (e.g. AI, genAI, climate change, education, mental health, reskilling for the future), and how to effectively engage young people from all regions of the world in data and digital policy. Youth are more connected than ever and are key in shaping the future of the data economy and thus its governance. They are the most connected to digital technologies, yet the most disconnected from policy discussions on how to govern those technologies. Youth are the most vulnerable, be it for known risks of social media use and internet dependency, as victims of online abuses, or as disenfranchised data subjects. Meanwhile, decisions that impact youth’s future remain monopolized by adults - either through corporations that develop technologies targeting them as users or through governments shaping the frameworks and rules that will dictate their relation with those technologies. Youth are rarely represented in either of those spaces and the gap between decision-makers and youth is particularly pronounced in the data realm. To effectively unlock the value of data and digital technologies for all, it is fundamental to design bold solutions and creative avenues to engage young voices in data and digital policy.
- Learnings and highlights from the session will inform a report on the impact of the data economy on young people with key recommendations for policymakers to include youth in data and digital policy discussions. - A community of partners and practitioners committed to leveraging the voices of youth in the data economy that stays connected through follow-up processes and future events. - Opportunity to participate in the youth Labs organized by the Datasphere Initiative in the US in 2024-2025. - Learnings will also serve as input to the Datasphere Initiative Dialogues and expand the Youth Dialogues to other regions.
Hybrid Format: The remote moderator will actively solicit comments and questions from online participants throughout the session. Organizers will also actively promote the session on social media. The moderator of the workshop will give the floor to participants by the order they raise their hands, to avoid giving preference to those who are attending onsite. Onsite participants will be encouraged to interact in the chat in order to engage with the online audience. The session will be an interactive discussion, weaving contributions from online and in the room. Online participants will be encouraged to turn on their videos and introduce themselves so all attendees can see who has joined the session. The organizers will explore using Mentimeter, an online polling tool to encourage online and onsite participants to answer questions and spark discussion and reactions.
Report
The workshop discussed the importance of leveraging youth’s voices to reshape the data economy and the ways in which different stakeholders are working towards including youth in the data governance discussions. Participants shared their own best practices on how to design effective participatory approaches to data policies and technologies, and the valuable perspectives that youth can bring to the table for the future of the data economy. Learnings and good practices on how to effectively engage youth in policies and technologies around data were shared and discussion highlighted the ongoing need to make the case for youth involvement in data policy efforts.
Issues related to the data economy impact youth across the globe and many are concerned about AI and GenAI, climate change, education, mental health, and reskilling for the future.
Including youth’s voices in discussions and decision-making is crucial to ensuring that the data economy is truly equitable and that the value of data is unlocked for all. Speakers shared how youth voices can reshape and transform data policy and data-driven technological innovations to effectively unlock the value of data for all. Participants highlighted the most pressing issues they care about in the digital era (e.g. AI, genAI, climate change, education, mental health, reskilling for the future), and how to effectively engage young people from all regions of the world in data and digital policy.
Youth are more connected than ever and are key in shaping the future of the data economy and thus its governance.
Youth are the most connected to digital technologies, yet the most disconnected from policy discussions on how to govern those technologies. Youth are the most vulnerable, be it for known risks of social media use and internet dependency, as victims of online abuses, or as disenfranchised data subjects. Meanwhile, decisions that impact youth’s future remain monopolized by adults - either through corporations that develop technologies targeting them as users or through governments shaping the frameworks and rules that will dictate their relation with those technologies. Youth are rarely represented in either of those spaces and the gap between decision-makers and youth is particularly pronounced in the data realm. The insights from participants illustrated that to effectively unlock the value of data and digital technologies for all, it is fundamental to design bold solutions and creative avenues to engage young voices in data and digital policy.
Youth are engaging in efforts to effectively advocate for their perspectives on the data economy, and there are many examples of good practices to engage youth
Participants highlighted the importance of creating context-specific data solutions that reflect the unique challenges and needs of diverse youth communities across regions like Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean. Examples included integrating nonbinary gender perspectives into datasets, leveraging citizen-generated data for local climate solutions, and promoting data literacy to improve education and skills development globally. Participants also underscored the importance of factoring intersectionality into youth engagement as many vulnerable groups continue to be marginalized.
Rural communities in Africa and Latin America often face barriers to digital inclusion and data access. Participants proposed strategies such as developing tailored communication methods, digitally connecting remote areas, and designing data tools that are easy to use and understand for people with limited technological
exposure.
Incentives are needed to raise awareness among the “adult community” (policymakers, governments, private companies, etc.) on the importance of youth’s voices and to enhance their participation in policies and the design of data-driven technologies.
Participants emphasized the need to include young people not only in data collection but also in the broader policy and governance processes of data-driven technologies. Addressing funding gaps, fostering partnerships, and creating opportunities for information exchange were identified as key steps to ensure youth play a meaningful role throughout the data lifecycle and in the development of equitable data systems.
Unfortunately, at many international conferences that involve youth, youth-led sessions are scheduled on the final days of conferences at times which often see low participation. This was the case for this workshop at the IGF 2024. Prioritizing youth discussions in policy agendas would be an important first step to ensuring voices and issues are included in wider policy debates on data governance and AI.