This week, YOURS is in Bangkok, Thailand, taking part in the ASEAN Youth United for Road Safety Conference, convened by the Thailand Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, with support from WHO Thailand. Bringing together youth leaders, government representatives and regional partners from across ASEAN and the Asia-Pacific, the conference is creating an important platform for young people to contribute to the future of road safety in the region.
At the heart of the conference is the development of the ASEAN Youth Recommendations for Road Safety, a youth-led document that will be presented to the ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Youth, within the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Youth, and later at the UN High Level Forum on Road Safety. More than a set of recommendations, this is an opportunity for young people to help shape regional road safety priorities and influence decision-making beyond the conference itself.
Representing YOURS, Molly Stoneman, Partnerships & Business Development Director, joined the panel discussion “Road Traffic Accident Situation Among Youth”, where she shared practical experiences on meaningful youth participation and highlighted how young people can move from lived experience to evidence-based advocacy. Drawing on YOURS’ work across the region, the session reinforced the importance of equipping young people with the knowledge, networks and opportunities to influence safer and more sustainable mobility systems.
Molly offered lessons from the 2025 Global Youth Statement for Road Safety [LINK] as a practical example of youth consultations informing evidenced recommendations, which can be used as a lobbying tool to explain youth needs and outline solutions. This model applies to the forthcoming ASEAN Youth Recommendations, which can launch new conversations between youth and their representatives.
Alongside the panel discussion, YOURS also held bilateral meetings with representatives from Thailand’s Department of Children and Youth to strengthen relationships and explore opportunities for continued collaboration in advancing youth leadership for road safety across the region.
Bilateral conversations with the Thailand Department of Disease Control of the Ministry of Health, and with WHO Thailand, demonstrated Thailand’s commitment to youth participatory programming. We heard clever examples of inclusive mobility programmes from Thailand, such as car seat donation centres and student data mapping initiatives, and shared ideas from across ASEAN.
The conference also provides an opportunity for experienced youth advocates to exchange ideas, explore evidence-based solutions that respond to the Asia-Pacific context, and collaborate on approaches to securing stronger commitments from governments, civil society and the private sector. Through these conversations, YOURS is contributing not only to developing the recommendations but also to ensuring young people are supported in turning those recommendations into meaningful action.
As the ASEAN Youth Recommendations continue their journey towards regional and global decision-making spaces, YOURS remains committed to supporting the ASEAN Youth Network through training, networking opportunities and expert guidance, helping transform youth-led ideas into lasting impact for safer roads across the region.
YOURS – Youth for Road Safety and Mapfre Foundation are proud to announce a new global research initiative in partnership with The George Institute for Public Health. The project, Reimagining Driver Education: How Artificial Intelligence Can Shape the Next Generation, will explore how AI and emerging technologies could strengthen driver education, testing and licensing systems while contributing to safer roads for future generations.
Over the next nine months, the initiative will bring together young people, researchers, policymakers, driver licensing authorities and technology innovators to examine how emerging technologies are already being used across driver education and licensing systems, what opportunities and risks they present, and how they could shape safer mobility systems by 2035.
Road traffic injuries remain the leading cause of death among young people worldwide. At the same time, artificial intelligence, virtual reality and digital learning tools are transforming how people learn, make decisions and interact with technology. As these innovations continue to evolve, there is growing interest in understanding how they can be applied responsibly, ethically and effectively to improve road safety outcomes.
The project will explore existing and emerging applications of AI and digital technologies across the driver education and licensing journey. Through global research, expert engagement and youth-centred consultations, the initiative will identify promising use cases, analyse potential challenges and develop practical recommendations for policymakers, licensing authorities, driver education providers and technology developers.
A defining feature of the project is its commitment to meaningful youth participation. Through a Youth Steering Committee and regional consultations, young people will help shape the research process, identify priority areas and contribute perspectives on how technology can support safer roads and stronger licensing systems.
As Raquel Barrios, Executive Director of YOURS, explains: “Young people are not only the most affected by road traffic injuries, but they are also the earliest adopters and initiators of new technologies. As AI and emerging innovations transform how we learn, drive, and move, their leadership is essential. This research allows us to understand the evolving landscape of driver education, testing, and licensing, while demonstrating how youth‑driven insight and technological fluency can strengthen road safety systems. It is a natural extension of our mission at YOURS to ensure that young people shape the future of mobility, and that innovation is harnessed responsibly to save lives.”
“IA is changing all aspects of our lives, and driver education, in particular risk awareness, are not exceptions. By partnering with YOURS, we bring both technical expertise and fresh perspectives to this topic. Our aim with this research, and the invaluable participation of The George Institute, is to explore opportunities and identify limitation of IA-powered driver education and transfer this learning to driver education systems and schools around the worl”, says Jesús Monclús, Expert Director of Safe Mobility at Mapfre Foundation.
Mapfre Foundation joins the initiative as project donor, participating also in the research and strategic guidance, dissemination and building on its longstanding commitment to road safety, prevention and innovation.
The George Institute for Global Health bring its global research expertise to this initiative, working alongside YOURS, MAPFRE Foundation, and young people to ensure that AI and emerging innovations are applied equitably and responsibly across diverse licensing systems and communities -and grounded in robust evidence. – Jagnoor Jagnoor, Program Lead, Injury, The George Institute for Global Health
As research partner, The George Institute for Global Health will contribute expertise to help ensure the study is grounded in robust evidence and informed by global perspectives.
This initiative also reflects YOURS’ growing role in connecting youth engagement, advocacy and evidence generation to influence policy and practice. Building on previous publications, policy briefs and toolkits, the project seeks to generate practical recommendations that can support decision-makers, strengthen driver education systems and ultimately contribute to reducing road traffic injuries.
As the research progresses, the project team will engage with stakeholders across sectors and regions, creating opportunities for dialogue, collaboration and shared learning.
For more information or to explore collaboration opportunities, please contact Sana’a Ramez Khasawneh at sanaa@youthforroadsafety.org
Creating safer roads requires more than awareness. It requires people who understand the challenges, can speak about them with confidence and are ready to advocate for change in their communities. That is the vision behind Youth Advocacy in Action for Safer Roads, a new initiative being implemented under the iDrive4Life programme.
Under the iDrive4Life programme, the Jamaica Automobile Association (JAA) and JN Foundation, in collaboration with YOURS – Youth for Road Safety, is implementing the project “Youth Advocacy in Action for Safer Roads”, which aims to equip 150 secondary school students in Jamaica with road safety knowledge and leadership skills, enabling them to design and lead their own advocacy campaigns while contributing to a scalable model for youth-led action across FIA Region III.
Through advocacy and communications training, access to online learning opportunities and hands-on campaign development, participants will gain the tools needed to turn ideas into action. The project will also contribute to the development of a Youth Pilot Toolkit, capturing lessons learned and creating a model that can support youth-led road safety initiatives.
For Montel Hill, Lead, Driving Academy, iDrive4Life Initiative, the project is about creating opportunities for young people to take an active role in making their communities safer. “This Youth Advocacy in Action for Safer Roads project is about equipping young people with the knowledge, confidence, and conviction to be agents of change in their own communities. Through this collaboration with YOURS, and the support of FIA Region III, iDrive4Life, powered by the Jamaica Automobile Association and JN Foundation, is proud to bring this initiative to 150 Jamaican secondary school students across five schools. By grounding this work in the Safe Systems approach, we are not simply training better drivers of the future, we are building a generation of road safety advocates who will make Jamaica’s roads safer for everyone.”
Grounded in the Safe Systems approach, the initiative recognises that safer roads are created through shared responsibility. While policies, infrastructure and enforcement all play an important role, communities also have a voice in shaping safer mobility systems. Young people experience these systems every day, and their perspectives can help identify challenges, influence conversations and inspire action.
Over the coming months, students will explore road safety issues affecting their daily lives, learn how advocacy can drive change and develop communications skills that help them engage their peers and communities. They will then apply these skills through youth-led campaigns designed around issues they care about most.
The project also builds on a growing commitment across FIA Region III to strengthen youth participation in road safety initiatives and create opportunities for young people to contribute to safer communities.
Reflecting on the recent FIA Region III Meeting in Quebec City, Omar Wright, Programme Lead at the JN Foundation and FIA Club Correspondence for Jamaica Automobile Association, highlighted how regional collaboration helped reinforce the vision behind the initiative. “The FIA Region III meeting in Quebec City was a grounding experience. Seeing how clubs across the region are tackling road safety challenges that mirror our own reminded me that we are not working in isolation. What stood out to me was how closely the regional conversation aligned with what we are already building through the iDrive4Life programme. This partnership with YOURS takes that vision further by putting advocacy tools directly in the hands of Jamaican youth. These students won’t just learn about road safety, they will become the voices championing it in their schools and communities, a model we hope to share with the wider FIA Region III clubs.”
Often, young people are seen as beneficiaries of road safety initiatives rather than as partners in creating solutions. “At YOURS, we believe that by building advocacy skills and creating opportunities for action, we support young people in addressing their issues, engaging their communities and helping to make roads safer. Meaningful participation is not only about giving young people a seat at the table; it is about ensuring they have the tools, confidence and opportunities to influence change,” said Iván Víquez S, Global Programmes Director, YOURS
By bringing together local expertise, regional collaboration and youth leadership, Youth Advocacy in Action for Safer Roads aims to create lasting impact in Jamaica while contributing to a model that can be adapted and replicated across FIA Region III.
As the project unfolds, 150 students will have the opportunity to move from learning about road safety to actively shaping conversations around it. In doing so, they will help demonstrate what is possible when young people are trusted with the tools, knowledge and opportunities to lead change in their communities.
Development projects shape cities and systems for decades, defining how people move, where they can live and work, and how they experience public space. Yet, the people most affected by these decisions are often not part of how they are made, creating gaps that directly influence how infrastructure performs, how communities engage with it, and how sustainable outcomes can be over time.
On 3 May 2026, at the Asian Development Bank’s Annual Meeting in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, YOURS – Youth for Road Safety facilitated a panel discussion on how youth and community engagement can strengthen the design and delivery of development projects. The conversation brought together Ulfi Puarada from Transportologi and Shivani Khurana from Raahgiri Foundation, both members of the Global Youth Coalition for Road Safety’s leadership teams representing the voice of the youth movement behind YOURS. Youth advocates spoke alongside Director General Hideaki Iwasaki from the Asian Development Bank, Sectors Department 1 (Energy and Transport Sectors) as well as Mohamed Manssouri, Assistant Director-General and Director of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Investment Centre, connecting perspectives from young leaders and communities with institutional experience in development and investment.
Invest the time up front, see the returns long-term
Across the discussion, a consistent idea emerged around the role of participation in shaping more effective and sustainable outcomes. Development processes that integrate communities from the earliest stages tend to deliver stronger results across implementation, performance and long term sustainability. When communities understand projects, contribute to their design and see their priorities reflected in decisions, they are more likely to support implementation, strengthen local ownership and sustain outcomes over time.
When asked about measuring return-on-investment from community inclusion, Mr. Iwasaki explained, “There are returns, but those returns take time. In my experience, there is no doubt that high community engagement gives better results. It takes more time and money in the beginning, but investing in communities over the long run is a more sustainable investment.”
Community consultation can look different
Meaningful participation becomes visible in how engagement evolves within project cycles, moving from listening through surveys and focus groups, into co-creation, and at its strongest, into shared roles in decision making, implementation and accountability.
Ms. Ulfi Puarada spoke clearly, “Start with consulting youth, but then bring us in to co-create, and then to lead.”
The panel shared examples of how to listen to the community’s feedback in their own way, including through creative exercises like drawing, music, poetry, and mural making.
One audience member asked about consulting youth and women in particular, when every citizen would be affected by a project. Ms. Shivani Khurana explained that projects should consider which identity groups are most affected by the decisions made — students, wheelchair users, elderly — and to design around the people most vulnerable. “In general, with young people and women, these are the voices that are often left out of the decision process, so we do need to prioritise including them,” she explained.
Rely on data and evidence
Evidence shared during the session reinforced how this approach translates into tangible results in practice.
Mr. Iwasaki shared his experiences from India’s Rural Road Programme in partnership with the Asian Development Bank, where strong community listening activities made the ADB-supported sections of road upgrades more effective and long-lasting. “If you do it right the first time by really listening to the community, your money goes further. Otherwise you will pay to revise and upgrade later.”
In India’s Rural Road Programme, community engagement frameworks were initially perceived as a potential constraint on delivery timelines. In practice, the sections of road that included structured community consultation progressed more efficiently into procurement, supported by stronger local alignment and ownership throughout the process.
This pattern can be observed across sectors, where projects that are co-designed with communities tend to benefit from stronger adoption, wider dissemination through local networks and greater long term sustainability. These outcomes are reflected in improved performance indicators and more resilient impact beyond initial investment periods.
Participatory practices fit into every part of the project lifecycle
YOURS continues to integrate youth and community participation across its work, embedding these approaches into project design, implementation and evaluation through participatory methodologies and community led processes. Across different contexts, these experiences demonstrate how participation can be embedded as a core component of development practice and contribute consistently to stronger results.
This approach also responds to existing gaps in representation across sectors. Decision making spaces in transport, energy and urban development remain limited in diversity, while young people, women and vulnerable communities continue to experience the direct impact of infrastructure and policy decisions over longer time horizons.
As Mr. Mohamed Manssouri shared: “Investing in the human and social capital of youth and women is essential for building strong community-based organizations, creating more and better jobs, and achieving greater impact across agrifood systems.”
Development institutions can build community criteria into loan frameworks, while civil society can reinforce benefits of opting in to governments.
Advancing this model requires integrating participation into development frameworks from the earliest stages, ensuring it is planned, resourced and implemented as part of standard processes across institutions and governments.
Community consultation is not a ‘nice to have,’ but a strategic return on investment
As global development agendas continue to evolve, this conversation reflects a broader shift already taking place across multiple platforms, where youth participation and road safety are increasingly recognised as essential to building sustainable and effective systems.
La seguridad vial forma parte de la vida cotidiana de miles de jóvenes en Chimalhuacán, especialmente de quienes utilizan la motocicleta como medio de transporte. Frente a esta realidad, el programa Seguro Es Cool busca acercar herramientas de liderazgo, reflexión y acción comunitaria a las juventudes, con el objetivo de fortalecer su participación en la construcción de entornos de movilidad más seguros.
Como parte de esta iniciativa, los días 22, 23 y 24 de abril, 16 jóvenes participaron en una capacitación presencial enfocada en liderazgo juvenil, seguridad vial y acción comunitaria.Durante las sesiones, las y los participantes compartieron experiencias personales y reflexionaron sobre los retos que enfrentan a diario en sus comunidades. Las conversaciones se centraron especialmente en la seguridad de quienes se desplazan en motocicleta, el uso del espacio público y la necesidad de crear entornos más seguros para todas las personas.
“Un elemento muy inspirador de esta experiencia fue ver a jóvenes buscando alternativas para cambiar las realidades que viven todos los días en Chimalhuacán. La seguridad vial se ha convertido en una conversación sobre sus propias calles, sus rutinas y su futuro. Seguro Es Cool busca darles herramientas y confianza para liderar ese cambio desde sus comunidades”, destacó Daniela Gómez, Capacity Development Manager en YOURS y facilitadora de la capacitación.
Además de promover el diálogo, la capacitación estuvo enfocada en el fortalecimiento de habilidades de integración y liderazgo. Durante el segundo día, las y los participantes pusieron en práctica lo aprendido y comenzaron a prepararse para moderar sus propias sesiones y compartir el mensaje de la seguridad vial con más jóvenes en sus comunidades.
Juventudes como agentes de cambio
Uno de los pilares de la iniciativa Seguro Es Cool es reconocer a las juventudes no sólo como beneficiarias de las iniciativas de seguridad vial, sino como actores clave para impulsar transformaciones comunitarias y promover sistemas de movilidad más seguros.A través de espacios de participación activa, el programa impulsa liderazgos locales y promueve conversaciones sobre seguridad vial más cercanas a las experiencias cotidianas de la población.
“Lo más valioso de este proceso fue escuchar a las y los jóvenes de Chimalhuacán compartir cómo viven la movilidad y la seguridad vial en su día a día. Muchos utilizan la motocicleta como medio de transporte y nunca habían tenido acceso a espacios de reflexión sobre estos riesgos. Ver cómo se apropiaron del tema y decidieron compartir este conocimiento con otras personas nos confirma que el cambio puede construirse desde las comunidades. En Fundación Aleatica creemos en el potencial de las juventudes para impulsar transformaciones positivas y acercar la seguridad vial a su realidad cotidiana.” — Rodrigo Rosas-Osuna, Fundación Aleatica.
La capacitación presencial representa un paso importante dentro de un proceso continuo y constante, cuando las y los participantes comiencen a liderar actividades, compartir conocimientos con otras personas y amplificar la conversación sobre movilidad segura en sus comunidades.
Porque construir calles más seguras no depende únicamente de cambios en infraestructura o políticas públicas. También comienza cuando las juventudes encuentran espacios para participar, proponer, compartir ideas y trazar futuros distintos para sus ciudades.
Seguro Es Cool cuenta con el respaldo de Fundación Aleatica y se desarrolla en colaboración con YOURS (Youth for Road Safety), con la participación de la Liga Peatonal y el Circuito Exterior Mexiquense como aliados estratégicos, en el marco de la Child Health Initiative de FIA Foundation.
Attending the World Urban Forum for the first time as a representative of YOURS – Youth for Road Safetywas both energising and affirming. We were there with a clear mission: to speak up and position the fact that cities cannot be truly sustainable if young people are not safe moving through them. Road traffic injuries remain one of the leading threats to young people’s lives, and no city can claim to be livable or resilient while its youngest residents face daily danger on their streets. If we are designing the cities of tomorrow, young people must be in the room today. And yes… the full programme and venue corridors were full of youth, which was inspiring and motivating.
One of the most striking insights from #WUF was how deeply the housing sector has embraced community engagement compared to the transport field. Housing actors have normalised participatory processes that centre residents’ voices, while transport and road‑safety planning still often operate at a distance from the communities most affected. There is so much to learn from the housing agenda: the methodologies, the co‑creation practices, and the recognition that people are experts in their own environments. These approaches can and should be adapted to mobility planning, where young people, the most frequent users of urban transport, bring creativity, digital fluency, and a sense of urgency that cities desperately need.
Throughout the forum, one theme kept resurfacing: urban resilience is not only about infrastructure; it is about protecting people. Cities that invest in road safety see gains in health, productivity, equity, and long‑term resilience. Safe streets unlock access to education, jobs, and opportunities, especially for young people, women, and vulnerable groups. Road safety is not just a transport issue; it is a public‑health, equity, and development priority that must be embedded in every urban agenda.
I leave #WUF more convinced than ever that safer transport and safer housing are two deeply interrelated components shaping the urban environments we all depend on. You cannot build a safe home in an unsafe neighbourhood, and you cannot build a thriving mobility system when people do not feel secure where they live, walk, or travel. These systems reinforce each other: safe streets support stable communities, and stable communities demand safer streets. If we want to see a truly holistic, safe society, both sectors must receive equal attention, investment, and political will. Urban transformation will only be real when mobility and housing are treated not as parallel agendas, but as interconnected foundations of human dignity and collective well‑being.
