National Youth Congress - Peru

Event organized by Peru's National Secretariat for Youth (SENAJU)

Description:

The purpose of the National Youth Congress is to integrate, institutionalize, and strengthen youth participation aimed at promoting inclusion and social welfare initiatives among young people in the different regions of the country,

The idea is to bring together young Peruvian representatives of a wide range of organizations to discuss key issues and propose solutions to problems in areas that matter to young people,  such as health, work, education, citizen participation, the environment, human rights, and so on.

Over two days, round table discussions are held to discuss problems relating to sexual and reproductive health, health care coverage and services, decent work and employability, political and civic participation, inclusive education and university reform, or other topics proposed by the participants.

Participants also discuss government initiatives at the national and regional level, like the well-known "Beca 18" and "Jóvenes a la Obra" programs for youth,

• In 2011, 500 youths attended the First National Youth Congress.
• In 2012, 800 youths attended the Second National Youth Congress, held in the town of Moyobamba (in San Martín).
• In 2013, 1,000 youths attended the Third National Youth Congress in Cusco.
• This year, 2014, more than 1,000 representatives of youth organizations are expected to congregate in Huamanga (Ayacucho).

The youth congresses typically convene a wide range of participants.  The participating youth organizations represent, among others,  young people in political parties, young elected political leaders, Afro-descendant youth, young people from rural areas and native peoples, TLGBI youth, young people belonging to religious groups, young environmental activists, young women engaged in politics, young people's associations, university students, and so on from every region in the country.

The fact that these congresses are convened openly and in every part of the country guarantees demographic, social, cultural, and economic diversity among participants. In fact, the Youth Congresses were explicitly intended to reflect the social and demographic heterogeneity of Peruvian youth. 

Activities:

The National Secretariat for Youth (SENAJU) is conducting a series of activities to promote youth participation. One of its most recent activities in Cusco was the International Youth Forum - Cusco 2013, which was held on September 11 and 12, 2013. The idea was to provide an opportunity for high-level dialogue and communication among the main youth networks in the region, with the support of major international organizations and cooperation agencies and the participation of ministers and other high-level officials responsible for youth affairs in 21 Ibero-American countries.

"Youth and Politics at Peruvian Universities" is another project currently under way at state universities. Its purpose is to strengthen a democratic political culture and discredit the language of violence found in some Peruvian state universities. One of the principal outcomes of the project has been increased study of political culture at state universities: "Youth and Politics at State Universities. San Marcos University from the Inside" and the "Youth Politics:  No to violence and dogmatism" campaign at the same university. 

Outcomes:

The national youth congresses have led to major outcomes: the drafting of the National Strategic Youth Plan, the convocation and participation of hundreds of young people from all over Peru, and attendance by congressmen and women, ministers, vice-ministers, the First Lady, international guests, distinguished intellectuals, the representatives of national and international cooperation agencies, and so on. 

These forums have also become a kind of benchmark for Peruvian youth organizations, because they channel and strengthen youth participation in efforts to boost social inclusion efforts for youth in the various parts of the country. 

Challenges:

The challenges still facing the national congresses, going forward, are:-ensuring pluralism in the convocation, - and the ability to institutionalize youth demands and channel them through the various ministries.

The National Youth Congresses themselves need to be further institutionalized, with the participation of organized youth from every region in Peru.

Lessons learned

The National Congresses with representatives of Peru's youth organizations perform an important function, because they bring youth needs and demands home to government authorities.

They also facilitate:

• the transmission of proposals and points of view regarding public policies directed at young people;
• ties with youth organizations and cooperation agencies, as well as with public and private actors involved with young people's day-to-day affairs.

Many aspirations of the young are discussed at the National Youth Congress inasmuch as they have to do with the formulation and implementation of public policies.

The establishment of the National Commission for Implementing the National Strategic Youth Plan (CONIPENJ) is another notable achievement. It comprises 52 youths, two for each region, plus Lima and Callao. CONIPENJ's job is to monitor implementation of national policies in all the ministries, at both the regional and national levels.  The CONIPENJ also listens to and channels youth demands with respect to the implementation of this or that public policy in the regions. 

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Contact person data:

Edson Alberto Baldeón Gutierrez, Specialist in Projects and Programs of the Research and Development Directorate, SENAJU Peru.  E-mail address: ebaldeon@juventud.gob.pe