(40) Why Youth Resilience Councils are essential to Resilience Councils
By Onno Hansen-Staszyński | Last Updated: 1 April 2025
What are the unique contributions Youth Resilience Councils (YRCs) can bring to Resilience Councils (RCs) in terms of enhancing the effectiveness, legitimacy, and long-term resilience of the broader FIMI response strategy?
Closing the generational vulnerability gap
Argument: Adolescents and young adults are prime targets of FIMI campaigns, yet they are often absent from decision-making.
• Why it matters:
o Adolescents spend more time in digital environments than any other demographic.
o They are disproportionately exposed to disinformation, algorithm-driven radicalization, and social pressure dynamics.
o Without their input, RCs risk missing key insights on how FIMI actually affects digital-native generations.
• What YRCs add:
o Provide direct, experience-based insights into how disinformation spreads within youth networks.
o Identify new, youth-specific manipulation tactics that older experts might overlook.
o Help adapt RC recommendations to real-world digital behaviors.
Strengthening societal resilience by reducing dislocation
Argument: Adolescents experience “partial dislocation” (isolation from public life), which increases their vulnerability to FIMI. YRCs counteract this.
• Why it matters:
o Many young people withdraw into small, trusted “islands” (peer groups, online spaces) and avoid broader engagement.
o Dislocation weakens resilience, making youth more susceptible to polarization, echo chambers, and extremist narratives.
o If we don’t connect young people to real democratic decision-making, FIMI actors will fill that gap.
• What YRCs add:
o They offer structured participation in national resilience strategies, reducing feelings of detachment.
o They ensure that youth develop critical thinking and agency in public discourse.
o They bridge the gap between their personal experiences and national policymaking.
Enhancing the legitimacy of RC decisions
Argument: For RCs to be broadly accepted, their decisions must reflect society as a whole—including youth perspectives.
• Why it matters:
o Youth make up a large and increasingly vocal part of society—but their views are often sidelined.
o Policies crafted without youth input risk facing pushback, disengagement, or even rejection by younger generations.
o Disinformation actors often exploit youth distrust in institutions to spread anti-democratic narratives.
• What YRCs add:
o Their presence signals inclusivity, ensuring RC recommendations resonate across generations.
o They increase public trust in RC outcomes, making policies harder to dismiss as “out of touch.”
o They provide peer-to-peer influence—youth are more likely to trust messages when they come from other youth.
Future-proofing dealing with FIMI
Argument: FIMI threats evolve rapidly, and the most effective long-term strategy is ensuring that future generations are equipped to counter them.
• Why it matters:
o Long-term resilience requires building a generation that instinctively recognizes and resists FIMI tactics.
o Many countries in the EU implement educational responses to disinformation—but resilience must extend beyond media literacy to active civic participation.
• What YRCs add:
o Create a pipeline of engaged, critical citizens who will lead future resilience efforts.
o Ensure that counter-FIMI strategies are not just top-down but organically embedded in youth culture.
o Provide a feedback loop—as FIMI tactics evolve, new youth participants continue updating RC strategies.
Operational benefits: youth as early warning sensors
Argument: YRCs act as real-time monitoring networks, detecting emerging FIMI trends faster than traditional RC structures.
• Why it matters:
o Many FIMI narratives spread first in youth spaces (TikTok, Discord, gaming platforms) before reaching mainstream media.
o Traditional RC structures may not catch these threats until they are already widespread.
o Youth are more adaptable to digital shifts than many policy experts.
• What YRCs add:
o Act as early warning systems, flagging new threats before they escalate.
o Offer real-time feedback on the effectiveness of RC strategies in countering youth-targeted FIMI.
o Help tailor interventions for maximum impact in digital-native communities.
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