This week, 30 youth leaders are at the European Youth Centre Budapest for a study session ‘Digital citizenship for health: Empowering young people to co-create tools and innovate solutions’ organised by Digital Transformations for Health Lab (DTH-Lab) and Youth Health Organisation (YHO).

 Throughout the week, health advocates, youth activists and digital health enthusiasts will discuss how digital technologies and the digital age affects young people’s health and well-being. They will explore ways to influence public policies using a human rights-based approach, as informed and engaged active digital citizens.

 This study session takes place during the European year of digital citizenship and education  and is part of DTH-Lab’s response to the Lancet and Financial Times Commission,  which concluded that policymakers, technology companies and other stakeholders can no longer ignore the ways that digital transformations—or exclusion from them—are impacting our health and well-being.

 Guest speakers from the World Health Organisation, Council of Europe, DTH-Lab and the University of Munich will share their expertise from the digital, health and civic spaces.

 By the end of the session, participants will develop project proposals that seek to empower young people to become digital citizens for health and to connect them to civic spaces and governance structures to influence public policy.

 They will also draft ‘a call to action’ on Digital Citizenship for Health to highlight their key concerns, priorities and recommendations to policy makers. This initiative is part of DTH-Lab and YHO’s ongoing efforts to equip young people with the knowledge and skills to engage in decision-making that shapes the digital transformations of health.

 The study session is organised under the Youth for Democracy programme to support the priorities of revitalising pluralistic democracy and young people’ access to rights. More information about the study session can be found on the dedicated webpage.