Let Us In: Why America Needs Youth at the Foreign Policy Table

Wars, a rising climate crisis, pandemics, cyber threats, AI governance. These few examples are defining challenges we face in the 21st century, rooted not just in the U.S government, but internationally. Yet the people who will live longest with unchecked actions and consequences are today’s youth—people who are shut out of the rooms where foreign policy is decided. Decisions on international aid, war, and diplomacy impact our current and future generations the most. If America truly wants a future of good diplomacy, it’s time to give young people a seat at the table. 

American foreign policy doesn’t just impact foreign lands in its regulations, but rather, it shapes our generation’s density and identities. Young people often are not burdened with the consequences that result from foreign policy measures with no voice in the matter. Our youth bear the burden of military service, pay taxes used to bankroll defense budgets, and inherit a world that is shaped by decisions on our climate, cybersecurity, and migration. Most importantly, foreign policy decisions that are made today will consistently unfold far beyond the life spans of the current lawmakers and decision-makers. Giving a seat at the table for our youth isn’t just ethical; it’s paramount to create generational equity.

Even then, youth voices remain marginalized when it comes to making foreign policy decisions on war, the climate, cyber-security threats, and pandemics. In the United States, foreign policy is driven by career diplomats, security experts, and policymakers who often view American youth as naive, disengaged, and uninformed. Despite this mindset, young people are actively leading global movements, from climate strikes and reformations to digital rights advocacy, being the change makers our society demands. However, institutional channels for youth influence continue to remain scarce. 

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The United States Already has models for Meaningful Youth Inclusion

The State Department’s Office of Global Youth Issues and Youth Advisory Councils at U.S embassies represent a promising start to including youth voices in government decision-making standards; however, they remain limited in mandate and scope. We can see in the status quo how providing forums and a platform for our youth amplifies issues we often see get pushed to the bottom of the barrel. Denmark’s Youth Delegates to the United Nations have consistently participated in climate negotiations and briefed their Prime Ministers during COP meetings. Meanwhile, youth delegates at Climate Conferences like COP24 have “spoken truth and passion to power,” where they demand accountability measures in governments. When our youth hold our governments accountable for their decisions and actions, a precedent is formed of smarter policy development and passage that benefits everyone in our society. Here on the American continent, we can see Panama’s youth-led COP pushing delegations to act sooner. This shows the precedent our youth are setting on the world stage to take action now instead of consistently delaying actions, as we have seen be repeated throughout international governance on pressing societal issues.

Here in the United States, we see diverse youth advisory models existing and working, having fundamental benefits to the functions of our government and its efficiencies. For example, in the U.S. states of Washington and Maine, which have legislated Youth Advisory Councils to advise their legislatures, we have seen how formal Youth Advisory Councils and youth inclusion deliver real results. In Washington, the Youth Advisory Council aided in the passage of laws that expanded healthcare access, enabled teen voter pre-registration drives, and improved access and quality of sex education. This elicits how youth voices in our government structures and functions can successfully shape legislation when given the chance. Maine’s Youth Advisory Council even holds statutory authority to submit bills directly to the Legislature. This ensures that the voices of our youth help set policy priorities and precedents, not just comment or edit them. These two models we have seen successfully implemented here in the United States show how giving youth real power leads to a smarter and more representative future for policymaking. The National Governors Association offers a blueprint showcasing how states can embed youth into policy leadership and development, particularly around mental health. 

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What America Can Do

Here in the United States, we can set up a Federal Level Youth Advisory Council following the precedents we see assisting Prime Ministers in European countries like Denmark to U.S. state Legislatures like Washington. The State and Defense Departments are two departments that are usually the most undemocratic areas in our government due to constituent voices not being heard when it comes to Defense policymaking. In order to tackle this, the State and Defense Departments should establish a formal, diverse, and funded Youth Advisory Council. This council should have the ability to not only comment on and edit decisions made but have the ability to contribute to strategy and policymaking decisions in their earliest stages. This would mirror the State Department initiatives at U.S Embassies as we see in Brisbane, Australia. Foreign policy committees should also invite youth council voices to testify regularly on issues they face in their individualized communities across the nation. Appointing non-voting youth members to amplify their voices on the issues they see ensures a continuous and cross-generational platform of perspectives, ensuring that policymaking decisions made today won’t have extensive negative consequences for future generations after the lifetimes of current lawmakers. In areas like Climate Mitigation, the Defense Sector, and AI Governance, integration of a youth council, for example, a Youth-Peace-and-Security (YPS) lens into policymaking, would aid in addressing the long-term consequences that certain policies may have on future U.S generations. 

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Why It Matters

Our current youth and future generations bring a unique blend of long-term critical thinking measures, are more globally connected compared to older generations, and have a moral urgency to issues that impact their individual lives and communities. Youth inclusion delivers better outcomes in State and Federal legislatures, ensuring critical policy decisions, especially on Foreign Affairs, keep the next U.S generations in mind with morality and empathy. Research has shown that youth-led diplomacy contributes to more efficient governance structures and a stronger, more informed climate with development and peace agreements. Youth-led diplomacy has also allowed those outside of the government fields, your regular Americans, to understand how their lives may be impacted by decisions made in our government. 

Our youth aren’t asking for token representation; they are demanding real influence over decisions that define our Foreign Relations, our lives, and our planet. If the United States of America wants its foreign policies to be democratically informed, strategic, and resilient, it must institutionalize youth voices. Inviting the generation that will live with the consequences policy measures will have on our future lives is essential to ensure that those voices who are impacted the most are not left in the dust. 

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