Urban youth engagement platform

This solution was shared by PRE-LAUNCH RESEARCH TEAM , 14 May 2021

Print date: 12 April 2024 17:00

Description of the innovative solution

Community building Education - youth Women empowerment Advertising restriction Education - adult Food literacy Behavior change Accountability mechanism Public-awareness campaign Consumer choice Tuft's Innovation Lab

Urban youth are a fast-growing population group which strive to have a healthy future. This demographic has the ability to use platforms, tools and knowledge in ways previously inaccessible or unimagined by their parents’ generation. This innovation proposes to develop a platform designed BY urban youth FOR urban youth. This platform should be fully supported by both the government and the private sector, and will allow the development of common long-term solutions that engages and incentivises multiple actors - stimulating the private sector to develop healthy and sustainable products, encouraging youth to purchase and use these products, sparking the government to invest in, and take actions to, introduce programs in schools. The goal is to build up a change in knowledge, perceptions and behaviours that are transformative - lasting a lifetime and becoming the new intergenerational normal for engaging in food production and consumption in a more sustainable way.

Primary users

Small & medium commercial farmers
Children & youth
Urban consumers
Local government (municipalities)

Dietary impact

Food and nutrition “literacy” improvements in youth who engage with the platform will have a direct positive impact on their consumption choices, favoring healthy diets. By empowering and involving youth in the process of identifying the challenges with dietary and planetary health related to the food system, they will become more invested in identifying solutions and driving positive changes in society to impact parents behaviour for food choices at home, as well as eventually in changing food production patterns, value addition along the supply chain and marketing approaches to consumers.

Planetary impact

Using the dynamic platform, youth will themselves identify and learn about critical environmental issues related to food systems. They will reach an understanding of the links between dietary health and planetary health - with respect to the problems, the solutions and the approaches - and they will be able to deduce the trade-offs. As youth begin to drive consumption patterns, they will ensure national stability, minimize deforestation, minimize migration, and reduce conflicts and crimes. They will become advocates to use eco-friendly cultivation practices.

Equity impact

It’s critical to ensure that all groups of youth are included in the platform, all voices need to be heard. The platform should be designed with youth taking the lead to ensure the process truly reflects their needs and interests. As children and youth are often vulnerable populations for both dietary and environmental health risks, this is a high priority group to focus on.

Main concerns

Isolated initiatives are emerging - try to engage across initiatives to share and collaborate, building a stronger, larger youth community; Policy and institutional arrangements - need innovations in loans and credits to help launch these platforms and support over time; Most “platform projects” are short-term so sustainability may be a challenge - find a long term strategy of keeping youth engaged in this platform and champions for support and good leadership - with full engagement of youth

Supply chain segment

Consumers

Maturity level

Gaining traction

Criteria

Food affordability Food desirability Climate mitigation Water use Soil health Reducing biodiversity loss Increasing agrobiodiversity

SDG target

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being SDG 10: Reduced Inequality

Context

Urban

Examples and additional resources

Real-world examples

See this solution in action in different contexts and settings around the world

U-Report

Project information

Digital platform introduced by UNICEF and run by on-the-ground partners which uses polls answered by youth to inform government decisions.

worldwide Uzbekistan

unicef.org/innovati.../U-Report

ureport.in/.../

unicef.org/innovati...zbekistan

Shared by IFSS Research Team

CO-CREATE Dialogue Forum Tool

Project information

An intergenerational tool designed to connect youth and decisionmakers to co-create solutions for a healthier future.

worldwide

eatforum.org/initiat...-create/

Shared by Glocolearinng

Additional resources

Learn more about this solution through studies, articles, business cases, and other information

Teen Food Literacy Curriculum

Other

Facilitator's materials and curriculum to host a 12-session program to teach urban teens about nutrition, food insecurity, and activism.

urban.org/sites/def...ulum_0.pdf

Shared by IFSS Research Team

Dialogue Forum Guidebook

Report

This Guidebook has been written for anyone who wants to organize or learn about a Dialogue Forum. It provides practical guidance on planning, executing, and follow-up on a Dialogue. The Guidebook contains three chapters – Plan, Discuss, Act – corresponding to the three stages of a Dialogue Forum.

eatforum.org/initiat...idebook/

Shared by Glocolearning

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