Comment
Listening to youth voices: a call for essays by young people
As we mark the 200th anniversary of The Lancet in
2023, we are using this opportunity to draw attention
to health issues that we see as critical priorities
(“Spotlights”) for the present century.1 One of the
five Spotlights is on child and adolescent health,
which has the following key asks. 1) Children must be
immediately prioritised in health and social policies—
children and young people deserve attention in
their own right, and not only because they are an
indispensable foundation for a sustainable future.
2) Governments and health providers should prioritise
health equity for children and young people, within and
between countries.
Our advocacy work would not be complete without
young people’s perspectives and lived experiences.
We thank The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health’s Youth
Advisory Panel for their ideas and contributions towards
the Spotlight’s work, and the young people who were
involved in our podcasts and webinar. Now, we would
like to widen the participation and invite young people
worldwide to share with us what the two asks above
mean to you.
In your view, what are the key issues in health
facing children and young people now? What issues
are important to you and your peers, but neglected
by those in positions of power? Are young people’s
priorities and voices reflected in your country’s health
and social policies, whether at the local level or national
level? Are there particular groups of young people
who are overlooked, and what can be done to advance
equity? We would also love to hear about examples
and reflections of adolescent participation in decision
making and civic engagement done in a respectful
and meaningful way—what are the key ingredients of
success, and how can the experience improve further?
What resources do young people need in their leadership
www.thelancet.com/child-adolescent Published online May 17, 2023 https://doi.org/10.1016/S2352-4642(23)00131-1 1
efforts in order to be included in decision-making Lancet Child Adolesc Health 2023
processes on a national and global level? What can be Published Online
May 17, 2023
done to ensure meaningful engagement from diverse https://doi.org/10.1016/
backgrounds and to address the barriers to inclusive S2352-4642(23)00131-1
For the Child and adolescent
participation?
health Spotlight see https://
The essays should be truthful, thought provoking, www.thelancet.com/lancet-200/
child-adolescent-health
and original. They should not have been previously
For the Youth Advisory Panel
published, including on social media, and should not see Reflections
contain any information that might identify other Lancet Child Adolesc Health 2021;
9: 613–15
individuals. Anyone aged 18–25 years can submit an
For The Lancet Regional Health
essay, and we will also consider contributions from initiative see https://www.
those a little over this age range; each essay can have thelancet.com/regional-health
up to five authors. The length of the essay should be
1000–1500 words, with no references. In addition to
English, essays can also be written in Chinese, Hindi,
Spanish, and Portuguese, which will be considered for
publication by the relevant titles of The Lancet Regional
Health initiative. At least two Lancet editors will assess
the essays for originality, independence of thought, and
prose, and we might consult our Youth Advisory Panel or
editorial board members for additional input on local or
contextual knowledge.
We will consider the essays on a rolling basis from
now until Nov 1, 2023. Please send your essay to
child-adolescent@lancet.com, stating in your email
that the submission is in response to this call. We look
forward to reading your essays.
We declare no competing interests.
*Esther Lau, Sabine Kleinert, Philippa Harris, Jie Cai,
Taissa Vila, Shalini Garg
child-adolescent@lancet.com
The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health (EL) and The Lancet Healthy Longevity,
London, EC2Y 5AS, UK; The Lancet, Munich, Germany (SK); The Lancet Regional
Health—Western Pacific, Beijing, China (JC); The Lancet Regional Health—Americas,
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (TV); The Lancet Regional Health—Southeast Asia, Chennai,
India (SG)
1 The Lancet. The Lancet at 200: a start, but more to do. Lancet 2023; 401: 1.