YOUTH INTEGRITY DEVELOPMENT POLICY

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Engaging youth is essential for success in curbing corruption; youth represent a

significant portion of the population and are generally more open to social change and

political transformation.

A significant number of anti-corruption activities to engage youth have been

undertaken by the anti-corruption movement, especially in the last decade. These

initiative range from Integrity/Democracy Camps and Summer Schools to work within

schools and universities, training teachers, developing curricula and setting up Integrity

Clubs. Many civil society organisations (CSOs) have also developed awareness-raising

campaigns and activities targeted at young people.

Engaging youth should not be a box-ticking exercise and many questions are raised

regarding success and sustainability of youth engagement efforts. Generally, projects

designed and led by young people, supported by CSOs, have been more successful with

outreach and sustaining individual engagement. Many CSOs working with youth have

focused the initial phase of their work on education about the concepts, thus paving the

way for further involvement. Moreover, using existing structures and integrating youth

engagement activities into a broader context has proved to be an effective approach in

many settings.
INTRODUCTION

Youth constitutes a sizeable portion of society. The Population Reference Bureau

estimates youth (age 10 to 24) to represent 25% of the world population in 2013 and 32%

of the population in the least developed countries (PRB, 2013). In the Philippines, it

consist of 52% those belonging to age 0-24 years old (indexmundi.com, 2018), a little

more than the total population. These numbers support the argument for the need to

involve youth in the struggle for social change.

In addition to representing a significant part of the population, young people tend to

be more exposed to bribery and therefore particularly vulnerable to corruption, as they

are involved in almost every aspect of society – as students, pupils, workers, customers

and citizens, (Transparency International 2009). According to Transparency

International’s (TI) Global Corruption Barometer (GCB) 2013, 27% of people under the

age of 30 paid a bribe in that last 12 months worldwide. Some country results

demonstrate the vulnerability of youth to corruption in specific country contexts, such as

in Indonesia (44% of youth for 34% of adults), Argentina (20% of youth for 11% of

adults) or Bangladesh (47% of youth for 37% of adults).

This fact tells us that the young generation is not anymore just the future of our

country, they are becoming a force at the present. The power of this age group –

composed mainly of members of the Generation Z or the post-Millennial Generation –

was, in fact, at full display during the recently-concluded election season. Though some

of them are not even of voting age, the young ones actively participated in public

discussions mostly through the use of social media to make the candidates aware of their

interests on certain national issues.

Against this backdrop, youth can play a pivotal role in the fight against corruption.

They tend to be more open to wide-scale socio-political transformation and have less

vested interested in maintaining the status quo (Transparency International 2009). Young

people are an integral element for the success of a cultural change in attitudes and

behaviour towards corruption and in the shaping of the values of tomorrow, since they

represent the future of the country.

ISSUES

There is a study conducted to test how the youth experienced corruption and the

result needs proper attention.

Youths were asked whether or not they had experienced corruption in the 12 months

prior to the survey in six different scenarios: 1) to get a document; 2) to pass an exam; 3)

to get health care service; 4) to avoid a problem with the police; 5) to get a job; and 6) to

get more business for enterprise or company. For each scenario they were given three

options: 1) that they had faced corruption; 2) that they had not faced corruption; or 3) that
they had no contact with that service in the past 12 months.

In the figure above, the highest level of reported corruption was from youth trying to

avoid a problem with the police. Nearly seven-in-ten of those who had contact with the

police in the 12 months prior to the survey faced corruption. This figure indicates that

corruption is a very serious problem within the police force.

Nearly half of those youth who had tried to obtain a document or permit faced

corruption, and almost the same percentage did so while trying to pass an exam (or gain
acceptance into a school programme). Although the survey did not seek to find the

frequency of corruption, the data it uncovered indicates that corruption is a serious

problem youths face in everyday life.

Corruption is prevalent in the country already and needs to be stopped. Can young

people help in the fight against corruption? Are there voices be heard in this present

times?

METHOD CONSIDERATIONS

Across the continent, young people’s strengths, insights, experiences and capabilities

have been grossly underutilized in the fight against corruption. This is partly due to the

fact that youth experiences in combating corruption have not been adequately researched

and documented over the years. This is largely buoyed by the perception of many citizens

who view anti-corruption efforts as a strictly government affair with limited or no room

for citizen’s engagement and participation.

In amplifying youth voices and perspectives on the fight against corruption, young

people, youth networks and youth-led organizations with a focus on transparency and

accountability were urged to ensure systematic documentation and communication of

their experiences.

This will go a long way in shaping the narratives on the role and contributions of
young people in preventing and combating corruption on the Philippines. In addition,

youth networks and organizations were urged to endeavor to partner and collaborate with

other state and non-state actors in the fight against corruption. Through partnerships and

collaboration, youth capacities will be sufficiently leveraged in policy making,

implementation and progress monitoring. Ultimately, such partnerships provide formal

mentorship and inter-generational lessons learning on what works and what does not.

ANALYSIS: PHILIPPINE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT PLAN

A National Youth Commission (NYC) prepared a Philippine Youth Development Plan

(PYDP) 2012-2016. It has three objectives:

• Improved enabling conditions for youth participation in governance, society &

development;

• Increased contribution of and benefit for the youth in the attainment of MDGs

and other goals; and

• Improved access to quality basic services and social protection through enabling

policies.

The Philippines does not have a national youth organization or platform. Rather,

youth organizations are represented within the structure of the National Youth

Commission (NYC). According to the Youth in Nation-Building Act (1994), the NYC
chairman and commissioners are selected by the President of the Philippines among a list

of nominees submitted by national youth organizations and institutions. The NYC also

convenes a Youth Parliament, with delegates under the age of 30 chosen by the NYC in

consideration of geographical and gender representation.

The current PYDP (2017-2022) contributes to the strengthening of our collective

vision for the Filipino Youth as articulated by the NYC:

“Enabled, involved and patriotic youth realizing their aspirations anchored on

integrity and compassion”

Specifically, by 2022, Filipino Youth could be described as follows:

• Filipino Youth are healthy, educated, patriotic, globally mobile, and active in

government and civil society;

• Filipino Youth live in a peaceful, secure, and socially-inclusive society where there

is respect for and equality across genders, faiths, and cultures;

• Filipino Youth engage in gainful economic activity across various locales and

sectors;

• Filipino Youth access, use, and transform technology, information, and services for

the betterment of society.

Both the previous and the present Youth Development Plan are not specific in their

action towards corruption. The present PYDP mentioned about integrity but nothing
about fighting corruption. It is generally presents the vision for the youth and the

country.

STRATEGIES

In order to realise the Youth Integrity Development Policy, the following strategies will

be implemented:-

1. Follow the Money

Governments have vast sums of public money to spend and this can pose a serious

corruption risk. By keeping tabs on government expenditure, youth can help shed light

on how Philippine taxes are being spent and expose any abuses. Young people can also

join the Integrity Circles that are being set up with various LGUs throughout the country,

as a result of the Integrity for Jobs project, financially supported by the European

Commission and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.

2. Count Supplies

Schools receive lots of supplies from government, like textbooks, lab equipment or other

classroom necessities. It’s not rocket science to keep track of this. It just takes

commitment and transparency. Ask to see how many Bunsen burners are supposed to be

in the biology labs and if the numbers don’t add up – ask what’s happened.

3. Tech Solutions
If you're tech-savvy, you can help communities document cases of corruption by

developing reporting platforms on the web or through mobile apps. Social media, in

particular, is an effective way to address corruption in real-time.

4. Comics and Cartoons

Comics are a powerful way of raising awareness about anti-corruption. Through a

combination of images and text, comics can also help spark debate – and they are easy to

produce. All you need is a pen and paper.

5. Sports

What’s your favorite sport? From running against corruption to scoring a goal for

transparency, you can raise your community’s anti-corruption awareness through any

sport you want. It’s time that the Integrity Initiative starts Integrity Runs again!

6. Youth Groups

Youth groups share their disapproval of corruption and are found at local and national

levels. Different groups have different goals, but they have one thing in common: a

willingness to talk openly about their opposition to corruption and raise awareness about

its adverse effects on society. These groups can be formed to take part in a one-off event,
around a single issue – stopping bribery for grades in school, for example –or for longer

term campaigns.

7. Protests

Protest events are a way for citizens and groups to come together in public to show large

scale support for or opposition to a particular issue. Protests, marches, demonstrations

and rallies can be a powerful tool for anti-corruption campaigners.

8. Petitions

A petition is a collection of signatures from people supporting your cause. That petition is

then presented to decision makers – like government or education officials – that have the

power to create the change you want. We have a good example at the Integrity Initiative –

our Integrity Pledge for Organizations and for Individuals.

9. Election Pledges

Politicians may be running for office – but they shouldn’t be able to hide. During the

lead-up to elections, candidates are in the spotlight and this is a good time to hold them

accountable for their campaigning and election promises.

You can ask your local candidates to sign a pledge against corruption (for instance the
Integrity Pledge mentioned under 9. above) and agree to take specific steps to stop

corruption. They can, for example, pledge not to buy or sell votes during the election, a

very common form of corruption. And young voters should definitely not sell their

votes!!

10. Crowd Sourcing Election Monitoring

Tweet. Text. E-mail. From accessing your mobile phone to surfing the web on your

computer, it’s never been easier or quicker to monitor elections in real-time. Through

online crowdsourcing you can let the world know of voting irregularities in your country

with just a few clicks. Some of the information can even be plotted onto an interactive

map online, allowing you also to see what others in your community are reporting.

I hope you find these suggestions useful! If you want specific details on how to make any

of these ideas a reality, I will be glad to assist you with advice. If you have more

suggestions that are not already on this list, I would love to hear from you!

Let me conclude with a note of caution. There is risk in exposing people involved in

corruption. Work in a group rather than alone.

And remember: the youth deserve an end to corruption. Young people are not just our

future. They are key to creating a just, peaceful and prosperous world right now!
4.1. Knowledge Development Efforts will be geared towards enhancing the knowledge

base in various subjects, hence functioning as a foundation for the competence of youth.

4.2. Attitudinal Development As a response and future challenges, effort will focus on the

inculcation of moral values and the development of a positive and creative attitude.

4.3. Vocational and Entrepreneurial Development To equip youth with state-of-art

technical knowledge and vocational skills, as well as involving them in entrepreneurial

activities in line with the demands of nation-building.

4.4. Inculcation of a Healthy Lifestyle Youths are encouraged to engage in social an

voluntary activities that lead to a healthy, active and dynamic lifestyle. This lifestyle will

nurture our youth into responsible leaders of high caliber.

4.5. Facilities for Social Interaction To upgrade relevant facilities that contribute towards

promoting healthy interactions and social activities amongst youth and communities.

4.6. Partnership in Development To utilise partnership and co-operation amongst

governmental agencies, NGOs and the private sector for the benefit of youth

development.
4.7. International Relations and Networking To encourage youth to further promote closer

ties and international networking with international communities.

5. Plan Of Action

The following of action will be used to achieve the National Youth Development Policy:-

5.1. To provide knowledge-based training programmes jointly organized by public

agencies, youth organizations, NGOs and the private sector.

5.2. To strengthen leadership and self development programmes that can further develop

self-resilience, familial, religious and social institutions; thus enhancing the efficiency of

rules played by our youth.

5.3. To upgrade skills developments training and create entrepreneurial and commercial

opportunities that will propel youth to be independent, competent and capable of pursuing

successful careers.

5.4. To empower youth organizations so that they capture the interest, commitment and

enthusiasm of young people and activities planned by the society.

5.5. To provide opportunities and facilities for the self-development of the young people

in social and economic functions.

5.6. To enhance the spirit of volunteerism and patriotism through social, welfare and

voluntary works.

5.7. To ensure the understanding of youth in matters of globalization, the importance of

partnership with governments agencies, NGOs, the private sector and international

networking.

5.8. To provide the necessary infrastructure and mechanism for youth activities relating to

research, assessment and evaluation.

6. Implementation Principles

All programmes and activities will be co-ordinated in accordance with strategies and

action plan founded upon the principles of the Rukun Negara (Pillars of the Nation) and

other relevant national policies.

7. Conclusion

The National Youth Development Policy serves as a guide to enable all parties to plan

and undertake programmes that galvanize efforts in youth development. (Formulated in

1985, conjunction with the first International Youth Year Celebration and revised in 1997

to become the National Youth Development Policy)

REFERENCES:

www.u4.nobest-practices-in-engaging-youth-in-the-fight-against-corruption/

https://www.indexmundi.com/philippines/demographics_profile.html ﾧ

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2014/05/can-young-people-help-us-fight-corruption/ﾧ

Youth integrity camps

The concept of youth democracy camps or youth integrity camps stems from a growing

understanding that involving, informing and educating young people about the benefits of

integrity, transparency and good governance can make a significant difference in the

shaping of future societies and the balance of power within them. The objective of these

camps is to give young people and young leaders from various sectors the tools and

incentives to become strong supporters of open and responsible governance, and to

mobilize their peers. Integrity camps bring together people with very diverse

backgrounds, including journalists, students, artists, civil servants.

Integrity camps usually alternate presentations and training from professionals and

interactive lessons and activities, such as role playing games and simulations. Participants

are taught about their rights, existing legislation and institutions and about the way

government should work. They are also encouraged to come up with creative approaches

to mobilise citizens, raise awareness about corruption and wrong-doings and hold leaders

to account. Some integrity camp organisers use the opportunity to set up a public event

such as a march against corruption.

Example of the Youth Democracy Camps in Papua New Guinea Transparency

International’s chapter in Papua New Guinea (TIPNG) is one of the pioneer organisations

for youth democracy camps. TIPNG’s annual event is

Best practices for engaging youth in the fight against corruption

www.U4.no 3

called the Mike Manning Youth Democracy Camp (MMYDC). TIPNG considers the

summer camps as a long-term strategy. The MMYDC concept was initiated in 2008 as a

way of dealing with the declining faith in democratic processes and the rule of law due to

rampant and unchecked corruption and poor governance in the country. The MMYDC

recruits and targets likely future national leaders and puts them through what is in essence

a first year law, economics, political science and media degree in ten days through an

intensive set of presentations, skill building sessions and leadership scenario simulations.

The organisation relies on schools for the selection of participants.

The first report that was produced, following the 2008 camp, compiles some of the

feedback and follow-up activities. The participants admitted having learnt a lot about the

meaning of corruption, about the fact that everyone, to some extent, contributes, actively

or passively, to corruption and therefore can act to put an end to it. The participants were

encouraged to come up with projects to implement after the camps (organise their own
community monitoring, hold awareness raising events, become role models in their

community/school etc.) and, soon after the camp, an advocacy chain message system had

been initiated and many pupils had organised events to teach their classmates about their

rights and good governance. The organisers stated that using films and government

simulations to educate the participants about corruption was a very efficient technique to

get young people’s attention.

For more information, please click here.

Collaboration with schools and universities A number of organisations have chosen to use

schools and universities as venues for reaching out to young people. Taking advantage of

existing structures requires prior approval of the authorities since it implies adding to

academic programmes or utilising the time young people spend in school. A number of

practitioners identify collaboration with schools and universities as a good practice

because it uses the existing infrastructure and immediate context of a certain group of

young people which facilitates their

engagement. The education system is an influential institution for youth in many

contexts.1

The AI study on good practices to engage youth lists the need to consider the possible

overload of activities offered when trying to engage young people in a cause. Holding

meetings and activities during school is therefore an efficient way to connect with young

people (Amnesty International 2006).

CSOs have used their collaboration with schools to engage students in elections

simulation and debates/discussions on the topic of corruption and ethics, as well as to

develop specific curricula and manuals for stand-alone classes or to integrate the topic of
corruption into various subjects.

Examples of anti-corruption courses can be found here.

Integrity clubs and youth movements Engaging youth in the fight against corruption does

not necessarily mean involving young people in existing “adult-led” structures. It can also

take the form of separate youth-led movements (see next section on governance and

involvement).

The anti-corruption movement can benefit from working with existing youth networks or

from helping interested young people to set up integrity clubs. Such initiatives can be an

efficient way to attract interest from and engage a new and broad audience in the topics of

corruption and good governance. Youth groups can find it easier to act at the local, grass-

root level, outside of “CSO bureaucracy”, but the latter can add significant catalysing

value by providing platforms, resources, knowledge, visibility etc.

A necessary condition for making this approach a success is for CSOs to be in a

supportive role, give up some control and leave the leadership and freedom of choice to

the youth group.

A significant number of such groups already exist, both with a global and a national

mandate, such as the Voices Against Corruption or the UNDP-sponsored Thai Youth Anti-

Corruption Network described below.

1 This information was gathered during an

interview with members of TI Chapters in July 2013.

Best practices for engaging youth in the fight against corruption

www.U4.no 4

Example of the Thai Youth Anti-corruption Network The Thai Youth Anti-corruption

Network is a student-led network that was created in 2012 in partnership with UNDP and

Khon Kaen University’s College of Local Administration. It started off as a group of 36

students with the mission to eliminate corruption from Thai society through the

empowerment of young people. The project was built on the objective to make students

take a pledge to “refuse to be corrupt”. In one year the campaign managed to grow to a

network of 4000 students in 90 Universities.

This initiative is completely “bottom-up”, meaning that the direction given and leadership

arise from the students themselves, with UNDP playing a support role. The students

created their identity, logo and messaging by themselves. The network organises

conferences and camps to raise awareness among students about the negative effects of

corruption and the importance of taking action, as well as campaigns and public events.

The students use Facebook as a platform to exchange information and coordinate their

work. They provide trainings on social media as an advocacy tool to widen the core group

of communicators and partner with more universities to promote integrity.

The significant growth of the network as well as the quality of the activities undertaken

has attracted the attention of other institutions and networks in the country, such as the

private sector Anti-Corruption Network led by Thai businessmen and industry

associations, including the Thai Chamber of Commerce, the Thai Bankers’ Association,
the Federation of Thai Industries, and the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET), with which

the youth network signed a partnership.

For more information, please click here.

Awareness-raising through arts and sport As mentioned, festivals and concerts are seen by

young people themselves as appropriate settings to engage youth. Cultural and sport

events are avenues with enormous potential for outreach and awarenessraising, thanks to

their popularity and the diverse audiences they attract. Many organisations use such

events to communicate their message to youth.

CSOs increasingly use public events, such as flash mobs, marches or street campaigns, to

get young

people involved in the fight against corruption. Similarly to cultural and sport events, this

approach combines entertainment with the use of social media, both to mobilise people

and to disseminate images and videos afterwards.

Arts can also serve as a way to involve youth in the fight against corruption by

collaborating with artist groups to organise public events. For example, Transparency

International’s chapter in Morocco is associated with a young artists’ collective (many

members coming from the art faculty of the University of Casablanca) called Paroles

Urgentes that uses street theatre, breakdancing, slam poetry and music to raise public and

youth’s awareness about social issues such as corruption.

Civil society organisations, including those working in the field of anti-corruption, have

started to partner with sports associations to educate young people on ethical values,

democracy and solidarity. Transparency International Italy has used sport clubs to inform

youth about the importance to resist corruption through the values of sports and fair-play
(more here). On a different topic, Never Again, a Polish CSO, effectively works with

football clubs and football stars to raise awareness among young people about the

destructive effects of racism and neo-fascism on the Polish society (Amnesty

International 2006).

Competitions and training Reaching out to a young audience can also be done through

innovative approaches. One way to facilitate the development of new youth-oriented

activities is to give young people the opportunity to raise their voice, using the networks

and visibility of existing CSOs, and implement their ideas through competitions and seed

grants.

A common way is to use writing and essay competitions. These have been organised by

many organisations and they allow young people to communicate how they perceive

corruption, how it affects their lives and what they think should be done to stop it.

Writing competitions are not only a way to encourage youth to think about the issue, they

also serve as a method for CSOs to learn about other perspectives and to understand how

young people could get involved.

Best practices for engaging youth in the fight against corruption

www.U4.no 5

Recently, other forms of competitions have been organised such as art competitions or
project design competitions.

CSOs increasingly turn to new means of communication to try to reach a younger

audience, and use the need for innovative ideas to engage youth in the fight against

corruption by providing them with the means to deepen their knowledge in the use of

multimedia, traditional and social media. CSOs offer more and more training to young

people in film-making, journalistic writing, photography, etc., to allow young people to

become a relay to disseminate the values of transparency, integrity and good governance.

Example

Youth integrity camps The concept of youth democracy camps or youth integrity camps

stems from a growing understanding that involving, informing and educating young

people about the benefits of integrity, transparency and good governance can make a

significant difference in the shaping of future societies and the balance of power within

them. The objective of these camps is to give young people and young leaders from

various sectors the tools and incentives to become strong supporters of open and

responsible governance, and to mobilise their peers. Integrity camps bring together

people with very diverse backgrounds, including journalists, students, artists, civil

servants.

Integrity camps usually alternate presentations and training from professionals and

interactive lessons and activities, such as role playing games and simulations. Participants

are taught about their rights, existing legislation and institutions and about the way

government should work. They are also encouraged to come up with creative approaches

to mobilise citizens, raise awareness about corruption and wrong-doings and hold leaders
to account. Some integrity camp organisers use the opportunity to set up a public event

such as a march against corruption.

Example of the Youth Democracy Camps in Papua New Guinea Transparency

International’s chapter in Papua New Guinea (TIPNG) is one of the pioneer organisations

for youth democracy camps. TIPNG’s annual event is

Best practices for engaging youth in the fight against corruption

www.U4.no 3

called the Mike Manning Youth Democracy Camp (MMYDC). TIPNG considers the

summer camps as a long-term strategy. The MMYDC concept was initiated in 2008 as a

way of dealing with the declining faith in democratic processes and the rule of law due to

rampant and unchecked corruption and poor governance in the country. The MMYDC

recruits and targets likely future national leaders and puts them through what is in essence

a first year law, economics, political science and media degree in ten days through an

intensive set of presentations, skill building sessions and leadership scenario simulations.

The organisation relies on schools for the selection of participants.

The first report that was produced, following the 2008 camp, compiles some of the

feedback and follow-up activities. The participants admitted having learnt a lot about the

meaning of corruption, about the fact that everyone, to some extent, contributes, actively
or passively, to corruption and therefore can act to put an end to it. The participants were

encouraged to come up with projects to implement after the camps (organise their own

community monitoring, hold awareness raising events, become role models in their

community/school etc.) and, soon after the camp, an advocacy chain message system had

been initiated and many pupils had organised events to teach their classmates about their

rights and good governance. The organisers stated that using films and government

simulations to educate the participants about corruption was a very efficient technique to

get young people’s attention.

For more information, please click here.

Collaboration with schools and universities A number of organisations have chosen to use

schools and universities as venues for reaching out to young people. Taking advantage of

existing structures requires prior approval of the authorities since it implies adding to

academic programmes or utilising the time young people spend in school. A number of

practitioners identify collaboration with schools and universities as a good practice

because it uses the existing infrastructure and immediate context of a certain group of

young people which facilitates their

engagement. The education system is an influential institution for youth in many

contexts.1

The AI study on good practices to engage youth lists the need to consider the possible

overload of activities offered when trying to engage young people in a cause. Holding

meetings and activities during school is therefore an efficient way to connect with young

people (Amnesty International 2006).

CSOs have used their collaboration with schools to engage students in elections
simulation and debates/discussions on the topic of corruption and ethics, as well as to

develop specific curricula and manuals for stand-alone classes or to integrate the topic of

corruption into various subjects.

Examples of anti-corruption courses can be found here.

Integrity clubs and youth movements Engaging youth in the fight against corruption does

not necessarily mean involving young people in existing “adult-led” structures. It can also

take the form of separate youth-led movements (see next section on governance and

involvement).

The anti-corruption movement can benefit from working with existing youth networks or

from helping interested young people to set up integrity clubs. Such initiatives can be an

efficient way to attract interest from and engage a new and broad audience in the topics of

corruption and good governance. Youth groups can find it easier to act at the local, grass-

root level, outside of “CSO bureaucracy”, but the latter can add significant catalysing

value by providing platforms, resources, knowledge, visibility etc.

A necessary condition for making this approach a success is for CSOs to be in a

supportive role, give up some control and leave the leadership and freedom of choice to

the youth group.

A significant number of such groups already exist, both with a global and a national

mandate, such as the Voices Against Corruption or the UNDP-sponsored Thai Youth Anti-

Corruption Network described below.

1 This information was gathered during an

interview with members of TI Chapters in July 2013.

Best practices for engaging youth in the fight against corruption

www.U4.no 4

Example of the Thai Youth Anti-corruption Network The Thai Youth Anti-corruption

Network is a student-led network that was created in 2012 in partnership with UNDP and

Khon Kaen University’s College of Local Administration. It started off as a group of 36

students with the mission to eliminate corruption from Thai society through the

empowerment of young people. The project was built on the objective to make students

take a pledge to “refuse to be corrupt”. In one year the campaign managed to grow to a

network of 4000 students in 90 Universities.

This initiative is completely “bottom-up”, meaning that the direction given and leadership

arise from the students themselves, with UNDP playing a support role. The students

created their identity, logo and messaging by themselves. The network organises

conferences and camps to raise awareness among students about the negative effects of

corruption and the importance of taking action, as well as campaigns and public events.

The students use Facebook as a platform to exchange information and coordinate their

work. They provide trainings on social media as an advocacy tool to widen the core group

of communicators and partner with more universities to promote integrity.

The significant growth of the network as well as the quality of the activities undertaken

has attracted the attention of other institutions and networks in the country, such as the
private sector Anti-Corruption Network led by Thai businessmen and industry

associations, including the Thai Chamber of Commerce, the Thai Bankers’ Association,

the Federation of Thai Industries, and the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET), with which

the youth network signed a partnership.

For more information, please click here.

Awareness-raising through arts and sport As mentioned, festivals and concerts are seen by

young people themselves as appropriate settings to engage youth. Cultural and sport

events are avenues with enormous potential for outreach and awarenessraising, thanks to

their popularity and the diverse audiences they attract. Many organisations use such

events to communicate their message to youth.

CSOs increasingly use public events, such as flash mobs, marches or street campaigns, to

get young

people involved in the fight against corruption. Similarly to cultural and sport events, this

approach combines entertainment with the use of social media, both to mobilise people

and to disseminate images and videos afterwards.

Arts can also serve as a way to involve youth in the fight against corruption by

collaborating with artist groups to organise public events. For example, Transparency

International’s chapter in Morocco is associated with a young artists’ collective (many

members coming from the art faculty of the University of Casablanca) called Paroles

Urgentes that uses street theatre, breakdancing, slam poetry and music to raise public and

youth’s awareness about social issues such as corruption.

Civil society organisations, including those working in the field of anti-corruption, have

started to partner with sports associations to educate young people on ethical values,
democracy and solidarity. Transparency International Italy has used sport clubs to inform

youth about the importance to resist corruption through the values of sports and fair-play

(more here). On a different topic, Never Again, a Polish CSO, effectively works with

football clubs and football stars to raise awareness among young people about the

destructive effects of racism and neo-fascism on the Polish society (Amnesty

International 2006).

Competitions and training Reaching out to a young audience can also be done through

innovative approaches. One way to facilitate the development of new youth-oriented

activities is to give young people the opportunity to raise their voice, using the networks

and visibility of existing CSOs, and implement their ideas through competitions and seed

grants.

A common way is to use writing and essay competitions. These have been organised by

many organisations and they allow young people to communicate how they perceive

corruption, how it affects their lives and what they think should be done to stop it.

Writing competitions are not only a way to encourage youth to think about the issue, they

also serve as a method for CSOs to learn about other perspectives and to understand how

young people could get involved.

Best practices for engaging youth in the fight against corruption

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Recently, other forms of competitions have been organised such as art competitions or

project design competitions.

CSOs increasingly turn to new means of communication to try to reach a younger

audience, and use the need for innovative ideas to engage youth in the fight against

corruption by providing them with the means to deepen their knowledge in the use of

multimedia, traditional and social media. CSOs offer more and more training to young

people in film-making, journalistic writing, photography, etc., to allow young people to

become a relay to disseminate the values of transparency, integrity and good governance.

Example