Berlin, 28 November 2023

Empowering young voices in international policy-making – OECD and TUI Care Foundation bring together young people in Youthwise workshop

  • Diverse group of 80 young participants discusses policy topics relevant to the young generation at workshop held at German Parliamentarian Society in Berlin
  • OECD’s Youth Advisory Board Youthwise brings together young people from 24 OECD countries to make sure their perspectives and ideas are being heard
  • TUI Care Foundation supports series of Youthwise events in which young people discuss topics that affect their generation

Youthwise, the OECD’s Youth Advisory Board, was established with the mission of fostering a better understanding among young people of international policy-making and to provide a forum for their voices to be heard in this area. For the second time, participants from the 2023 Youthwise cohort came together to discuss topics from the OECD's Youth Action Plan. The workshop involved 80 participants from Youthwise and various organisations who discussed topics covering social inclusion, youth employment, well-being and health. The outcome of the discussions will be incorporated into youth recommendations to the OECD.

In 2021, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) launched Youthwise to recognise the important role of youth in shaping policy. Supported by the TUI Care Foundation, Youthwise conducts interactive workshops offering insights to the younger generation on key policy issues. Members of the Youthwise Board were selected by an inter-generational OECD jury to create a diverse and representative cohort of young people. The average age of the 22 participants is 24.5 years and they represent 24 different OECD countries.

During the workshop in Berlin, participants shared insights into the challenges faced by young people in each thematic area and proposed potential solutions. Their inputs are part of the development of youth recommendations that will be submitted to the OECD. Following the in-person workshop, the initiative plans to continue its outreach through two virtual consultation events, connecting with young people from Latin America and Asia to further enrich the global dialogue on youth-related policy matters. The Youthwise initiative continues to play an important role in amplifying the voices of young people, shaping international policies and fostering positive change.

Thomas Ellerbeck, Chairman of the TUI Care Foundation: “Opening up new perspectives for young people is core to the TUI Care Foundation's mission and our partnership with OECD on Youthwise. More than any other industry, tourism stands for global exchange. Crossing borders – on maps and in minds – is the essence of travel. Now, maybe more than ever, it’s time to broaden our horizons and bridge cultural barriers. Positive change can only be made when we have strong advocates for a better future – young people who identify key challenges and proactively create solutions to them. This is why the TUI Care Foundation is proud to support OECD’s Youthwise initiative. “

The TUI Care Foundation’s participation in Youthwise is part of its commitment to developing skills growth in young people – a key aspect of its TUI Academy and TUI Junior Academy programmes. The TUI Academy offers vocational training for disadvantaged young people to access high quality education, work experience, life skills coaching and a brighter future, and the TUI Junior Academy empowers young children to become eco champions through environmental education and enables learning opportunities for young people from disadvantaged communities.

About TUI Care Foundation

Building on the potential of tourism as a force for good, the TUI Care Foundation supports and initiates partnerships and projects, which create new opportunities for the young generation and contribute to thriving communities all over the world. Connecting holidaymakers to good causes, the TUI Care Foundation fosters education and training initiatives to open up new opportunities and perspectives for young people, the protection of the natural environment in holiday destinations and sustainable livelihoods in thriving destinations where local communities can benefit even more from tourism. TUI Care Foundation works global and acts local – it builds on strong partnerships with local and international organisations to create meaningful and long lasting impact. The charitable foundation values transparency and the efficient use of funds. Therefore 100% of the donations go to destination programmes with all administration costs of the foundation covered by TUI. TUI Care Foundation was founded by TUI, the world’s leading tourism business, and is based in the Netherlands.

About the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is an international organisation that works to build better policies for better lives. Their goal is to shape policies that foster prosperity, equality, opportunity and well-being for all. They draw on 60 years of experience and insights to better prepare the world of tomorrow. Together with governments, policy makers and citizens, they work on establishing evidence-based international standards and finding solutions to a range of social, economic and environmental challenges. From improving economic performance and creating jobs to fostering strong education and fighting international tax evasion, they provide a unique forum and knowledge hub for data and analysis, exchange of experiences, best-practice sharing, and advice on public policies and international standard-setting.