Bolivian youth prepare to present their agenda of proposals for public politics with greater role

International IDEA published the Agenda of Proposals for Public Politics (APPP) in 2018, a vision for national development in Bolivia guided by the issues that challenge and motivate the younger generations. The Agenda was crafted with the support of over 200 youth organizations across the country, and it contains 42 proposals.

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These proposals urge the country towards seeing life in greater harmony with nature, increasing the inclusion of youth, creating greater equity and equal opportunities, ending discrimination, and promoting greater democracy and transparency in the performance of State bodies, under the logic of Open Government.

From 10-14 June 2019, International IDEA’s field office in Bolivia hosted a 5-day conference, in which 18 young representatives of the larger group that produced the Agenda came together to prepare for how to deliver the Agenda to the public and to the political parties that will be active in the country’s October 2019 national elections. The 18 youth in attendance came from La Paz, Tarija, Cochabamba, Santa Cruz and Beni. Additionally, they represented a diverse array of organizations and they each had unique backgrounds, passions and political viewpoints. What unified them was the sense of duty they feel towards the need for young people in Bolivia to play a greater role in the nation’s public politics and to stand as a united force that strengthens democracy and aids national development.

The conference comprised of workshops on effective message delivery, presentations, group discussions, interviews, and ultimately meetings with political organizations that will be active in the coming October elections.

The Agenda, along with its proposals, are bold, yet it holds the potential to serve as a guide for the future development of public politics in Bolivia. Therefore, as spokespeople for the Agenda, these young people hold a great amount of responsibility in clearly and effectively presenting the Agenda, as the way that it is presented and thus understood is imperative to its successful implementation.

Workshops and presentations, led by Gabriela Orozco and Adalid Contreras, covered an array of topics such as, the clear and effective delivery of a message, political incidence, interview preparation and practice, and what the development process of a proposal looks like. All sessions were designed in a way to spark discussion among the participants. In these discussions, the young people had the opportunity to give feedback to their peers and bring their unique insights and backgrounds to the discourse.

On 12-14 June, International IDEA hosted political party representatives of MNR, PANBOL, MTS, PDC, UCS, FPV and Bolivia Dice No for meetings. These meetings provided the group the opportunity to present the Agenda, engage in a discussion with these political party representatives and ask questions regarding the proposals. In these meetings, the youth were able to use the tools that they had acquired in the workshops and presentations of the previous days to begin to effectively lay the foundation for the introduction of the APPP to the country and to the political arena.

As the country heads into the October 2019 national elections, the APPP serves as an opportunity for the youth in Bolivia to take a more active role in the country’s public politics, since it contributes to enriching the reflection and debate about public politics in Bolivia and can serve as a guide towards healthy and sustainable national development.