On 6, 7, and 8 December 2025, the seventh in-person meeting of the Youth Advisory Board (YAB) took place in Bari. The YAB is a group of around twenty adolescents and young people aged 14 to 21 that gathers the voices of new generations to contribute to the planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of the actions outlined by the Child Guarantee. The YAB was established by UNICEF as part of the pilot phase of the Child Guarantee, funded by the European Commission in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour and Social Policies and the Department for Family Policies of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, with technical support from the Istituto degli Innocenti.

During the three-day meeting, the young participants continued the work started in previous months, exploring topics central to the wellbeing of new generations and consolidating a structured framework for their participation. The meeting began with a visit to the construction site of the future DesTEENazione - Desideri in azione (DesTEENation – Desires in Action) centre, one of 92 projects funded under the initiative promoted by the Ministry of Labour and Social Policies, and included discussions on non-discrimination, psychosocial activities, and the educational role of institutions. The insights gathered will be compiled into video recommendations to be presented at the final TSI programme event scheduled for January 2026. The agenda also included the development of the document Giovani Connessi. CostruIAmo il nostro benessere digitale (Connected Youth. Let’s Build Our Digital Wellbeing) dedicated to the conscious use of social media and artificial intelligence, as well as the planning of priorities for 2026.

Additional materials and news can be found on this website under “Child participation and leadership”, accessible from the “Topics” navigation menu.