The Digital Transformations for Health Lab (DTH-Lab) is excited to announce our new cohort of Regional Youth Champions. Eleven outstanding young people from around the world are joining the programme from October 2023 to September 2024.
Nearly 600 applications were received from the open call for applications, thirty-five applicants were shortlisted and interviewed, and 11 individuals representing 7 regions were selected.
The regional representatives of this cohort include:
- Sub-Saharan Africa: Lydia Gara and Philip Yauma
- North Africa and Western Asia: Imane Lakbahi and Nojus Saad
- Central and Southern Asia: Gladson Vaghela
- Eastern and Southeast Asia: Connie Man Hei Siu and Soe Yu Naing
- Latin America & Caribbean: Tamoy Campbell
- Europe and Northern America: Maria Ines Francisco Viva, Yifan Zhou and Caroline Knopp
All RYC are between the ages of 18 and 30 years old with experience in working with youth networks at the regional and local level. They share similar passions for achieving Universal Health Coverage in the digital age, strengthening health systems and global health governance as well as creating innovative solutions to close the digital divide and decrease inequities.
As a group, the RYC speak many languages including: Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, French, German, Hindi, Korean, Kurdish, Lupe, Norwegian, Osa, Portuguese, Spanish and Swahili. They come from different disciplinary backgrounds including medicine, biomedical engineering, pharmacy, communications, computer science, international relations, data management, economics, law and public health.
The RYC will join a well-established network of young leaders dedicated to amplifying recommendations and key messages from the research and findings of the Lab. They provide insights, key concerns and proposed solutions to improve the health and well-being of young people at the regional and local levels; support in the co-design and co-creation of youth focused research; and advocate for inclusion of youth voices in external governance processes.
RYC will play a role in supporting the DTH-Lab’s workstream objectives:
- Create and promote adoption of a blueprint for digital first health systems that are responsive to young people’s health needs, and strengthen digital health citizenship.
- Support the design and implementation of a framework for governing health futures that provides governments, technology companies and other stakeholders with guidance on how to build a trusted and inclusive governance architecture based on data solidarity and Health for All values.
- Share research and create a sustainable platform to engage governments, technology companies, youth organisations and other key actors to address the digital determinants of health.
Youth engagement work of the Lab
The Lab brings youth together with policymakers, technology companies and other stakeholders to drive change. It will achieve its goals through a multidisciplinary approach that combines cutting edge research, strengthening youth leadership, driving innovations in policy and practice, and shifting public and political agendas.
Youth will be key partners in all aspects of the DTH-Lab’s work and will have a seat in the Lab’s governance structure. Meaningful youth engagement and supporting them to become informed and enfranchised digital health citizens will be prioritised at every stage of the Lab’s pathway to impact. The Lab will take concerted steps to capture and reflect the diverse views and experiences of young people in its activities and outputs and to champion their inclusion in external governance processes.
If your organisation is interested in connecting with a champion to speak at events or for authorship opportunities please contact us at team@dthlab.org.
