IGF 2024 WS #32 Harnessing Youth Voices to Transform the Data Economy

    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

    Moderator

    Lorrayne Porciuncula, Civil Society, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)

    Online Moderator

    Sophie Tomlinson, Private Sector, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)

    Rapporteur

    Mariana Rozo-Paz, Intergovernmental Organization, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)

    Format

    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.

    Policy Question(s)

    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.

    Expected Outcomes

    - 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.