How do we move youth engagement in health from symbolic participation to meaningful partnership?
This is the central question behind the upcoming #EUHPP Live Webinar “From Token to Table: Making Youth Engagement Count”, taking place on 12 March 2026 from 14:30 to 16:00 CET on the EU Health Policy Platform. The webinar is part of the ongoing work of the Thematic Network “Youth Chapter on NCD Prevention” and will bring together speakers and participants to explore how youth engagement in NCD prevention can become more practical, impactful and lasting.
The session will focus on how young people can move from being invited into discussions to being recognised as genuine partners in health policy and practice. It will also look at what is needed to make intergenerational collaboration in public health more structured, inclusive and effective. According to the event invitation, the webinar will combine expert input with audience discussion, helping to inform the broader work of the Thematic Network and the development of its Joint Statement.
This webinar builds on an important milestone reached last year, when a JA PreventNCD-based proposal was selected as one of the European Commission’s EU Health Policy Platform Thematic Networks. That selection marked a significant step forward for the project’s efforts to strengthen youth engagement at European level, creating a dedicated space for young people and stakeholders to work together on NCD prevention policy and practice.
The selection of the Thematic Network helped turn a shared ambition into a concrete European process. It created an opportunity not only to highlight the importance of youth voices, but to explore how those voices can be better embedded in the structures, partnerships and decisions that shape public health action. The upcoming webinar represents a natural next step in that journey: moving from the selection of the network and its vision, toward practical discussion on how meaningful youth engagement can work in reality.
The published agenda features three perspectives on youth engagement in public health and policy. These include lessons from the CO-CREATE Experience, reflections on integrating youth engagement into Joint Actions, and discussion on the role of organised youth spaces in health policy dialogues. The webinar will also include a Q&A and an interactive discussion with participants focused on the creation of the Joint Statement.
For JA PreventNCD, this is closely aligned with the project’s broader commitment to prevention that is not only evidence-based, but also participatory and inclusive. Youth engagement is not a side conversation to NCD prevention. It is part of ensuring that policies and actions are relevant, equitable and sustainable over time.
The webinar is open to those interested in youth participation, public health, and NCD prevention in Europe. Registration takes place via the EU Health Policy Platform, so participants may be asked to sign in or create an account.