We were honoured to attend the WeProtect Global Alliance’s 2024 Global Summit in Abu Dhabi at the beginning of December. This momentous event gathered global leaders, tech experts, civil society organizations, and policymakers to work towards a shared goal: creating “a safer digital world, free from child sexual exploitation and abuse for future generations.”
Amplifying Youth Voices at the Summit
As a part of WeProtect’s aim to include youth representation in critical discussions, they commissioned us to help increase youth voice at the summit with a collection of original content from our international network of young creators. The project consisted of 10 pieces of a variety of forms of content from young people from 8 different countries worldwide. The participants shared their concerns and experiences of their online environments as well as their ideas for solutions regarding the future of a safer online world.
We intentionally left the prompt open-ended to allow these young creators to express their authentic perspectives. This approach enabled us to gather valuable insights directly from them, reflecting their lived experiences and aspirations for a safer digital environment. As with all of our work the participants were compensated for their time and efforts.
Snippets from the various pieces of content were featured on two large display boards at the summit which allowed attendees to take in perspectives from young people directly and reflect on what action is needed to create a safer online world for them. The full collective works are also currently featured on our site here.
Key Concerns and Insights
A significant concern raised by the creators was the increasing threat posed by AI and deepfakes. This issue resonated strongly throughout the summit as many experts also highlighted it as a critical challenge they were facing in their online safety work. The alignment between the concerns presented by our young people and expert discussions underscored the need for collaborative solutions.
Youth Participation in Action
Our Director, Natalie, had the privilege of speaking on a panel titled #MyVoice#MySay – participation in practice, alongside Luisa Sotomayor (Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence Against Children) and Dr Mustafa Yusuf Ali (Secretary General Global Network of Religions for Children; Director, Arigatou International). The panel was focused on positive examples of youth participation, during which Natalie emphasised:
“Making sure young people are actually given power to influence decisions as well as appropriate compensation for their work is so important when you’re thinking about youth engagement. It’s not enough to have young people in the room as a token.”
This message reflects our ongoing commitment to meaningful and equitable youth involvement in shaping policies and solutions.
We appreciate the partnership with WeProtect Global Alliance in amplifying youth voices at this significant event. If you are interested in gathering insights from our ambassadors on specific topics or commissioning content from our young creators, please reach to us here. We look forward to collaborating on initiatives that amplify youth perspectives in important discussions!
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