On the occasion of International Youth Day, the Datasphere Initiative spoke to a range of youth activists, and young professionals to ask them why leveraging youth voices is important in efforts to unlock the value of data, and how can education on data governance equip youth globally with the skills they will need to promote a greener future?
Fadumo Faarah, Campaign Officer for the Data Values Project, at the Global Partnership For Sustainable Development Data, writes about educating young people on data and data governance to empower them with knowledge and awareness to navigate today’s digital and data-driven world.
Read more about the campaign and other contributions here.
Young people possess unique perspectives and experiences on opportunities and harms of data that can help rebalance unequal power dynamics within data systems. At the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data, we believe that young people’s voices, insights, and their meaningful engagement, can unlock the true value of data and how it is utilized for everyone, everywhere. Through the Data Values Campaign – a global movement of hundreds of people and organizations engaged in shifting how we design, collect, fund, manage, and use data so that everyone shares in the benefits from data collection and use – we engage young people through consultations, events, workshops, and programs to hear and incorporate their voices, experiences, ideas and actions towards creating a more just and fair data future.
Educating young people on data and data governance empowers them with knowledge and awareness to navigate today’s digital and data-driven world. It helps them understand the implications of data collection and use, gives them agency, and reinforces that their voices matter. Additionally, young people have a long history of being at the forefront of social change movements. By involving them in discussions on data governance, they can become powerful advocates for all things data, but more importantly, use those skills to make well-informed decisions about sustainability, advocate for greener policies, develop innovative and creative solutions, and collaborate across sectors to ensure a more sustainable future for all.
Fadumo is a seasoned professional with extensive experience in communications, digital marketing, advocacy, youth and stakeholder engagement. Throughout her career, she has worked with various public and international development institutions, including the University of Toronto, Digital Opportunity Trust, International Organization for Migration, United Nations Development Programme, and World University Services of Canada. Most recently, she joined the Global Partnership For Sustainable Development Data where she serves as the Campaign Officer for the Data Values Project. Based in Ontario, Canada, Fadumo graduated from the University of Waterloo with a Bachelor of Environmental Studies and International Development and has a Masters of Arts in Immigration and Settlement Studies from the Toronto Metropolitan University.
