UNICEF Innocenti engaged over 200 young people in a foresight research process to explore the futures of democracy and governance. Through workshops, surveys, and interviews using the Three Horizons framework, youth identified challenges in current democratic systems and imagined innovations for more resilient future governance, contributing to UNICEF’s 2024 Global Outlook report.
Summary of Use:
Lead Organization/Sponsor: UNICEF Innocenti – Global Office of Research and Foresight
Purpose: The purpose was to engage an intergenerational group of individuals through a mixed methods foresight research process including a virtual workshop, survey, and interview series to explore the futures of democracy and governance. In a world where trust in democratic institutions is declining and dissatisfaction with democracy is rising, this initiative aimed to foster a collaborative environment where youth could surface what aspects of democratic systems are no longer fit for purpose, their preferred futures of governance, and what innovations and disruptions could bring about those preferred futures.
Participants: 57 young people joined an online foresight workshop and over 180 from our global youth network responded through a survey. The research later expanded to include 18 interviewees of various backgrounds and expertise related to democracy. The interviews were structured using the Three Horizons framework.
Context: The workshop was organized to gather youth insights for the 2024 UNICEF Global Outlook report that highlights key trends relevant to child rights. The report touched upon several topics, which were then presented to the UNICEF Innocenti Youth Network to select one that they would like UNICEF to prioritise. Of more than 650 responses, over 60% selected democracy as their topic of priority. With this, democracy became the central topic, and participants were introduced to the Three Horizons framework to guide discussions. The insights from this workshop were featured as a separate section to elevate youth perspectives in the Global Outlook report itself. There was substantial interest in the topic, and with additional literature review and interviews, the research was published as a standalone piece.
Use Experience:
Democracy can be a tricky topic to discuss due to varying definitions and national contexts. Luckily, the participants found that the Three Horizons framework played a pivotal role in guiding conversations to be more focused, forward-looking, and effective. The framework provided a clear structure with which they could analyse democratic systems from multiple perspectives, which allowed for participants to contribute their thoughts based on their lived experiences and aspirations.
In Horizon 1, they reflected on things they heard, saw and experienced to point out characteristics of the current system that are no longer fit for purpose. Some were surprised by the prompt to identify parts of the present system that they wish to carry forward, perhaps because they were accustomed to hearing so many criticisms about current models of governance. This pushed them to explore areas of democracy that they did not consider before, further enriching the conversation.
The participants enjoyed Horizon 3 because they had the opportunity to share visions of what they believe democracy should look like. Many found common ground in values such as transparency, accountability and inclusion, which added to a sense of community. It was interesting to observe that visions of the preferred future did not vary greatly, and participants across different breakout groups identified more or less the same core democratic values.
Horizon 2 was a bit more challenging. The participants eagerly shared innovations, such as the application of new technologies to strengthen transparency or alternative models of civic engagement like youth councils and citizen assemblies. However, it was difficult for them to identify disruptions that could either be captured or harnessed, with most choosing to focus on innovations. This could have been improved upon if participants had more time to explore what “disruption” means and engage in discussions based on a stronger understanding of the definition or scope.
Impact:
The application of the Three Horizons Framework during the futures of democracy youth foresight workshop had several impacts:
- Enhanced Strategic Thinking: The framework facilitated a structured exploration of current democratic systems and future possibilities. This helped participants develop a nuanced understanding of democracy in the present, identify shortcomings or challenges that need to be addressed, and build visions of democratic systems that better reflect their needs and values.
- Empowerment and Agency: By envisioning a desired future and strategizing how to achieve it, participants felt more empowered and capable of advocating for and driving change. The collaborative and participatory nature of the workshop reinforced their sense of agency.
- Research Topics and Agenda: The insights and ideas from the workshop contributed to elevating youth perspectives on democracy in the 2024 Global Outlook report and later informed a separate body of research to explore intergenerational perspectives on democracy and governance.
Find out more:
Link to the full report is here
