The Challenge

Young refugees are directly affected by decisions concerning education, employment, protection, healthcare and their futures, yet their perspectives are often underrepresented in the programmes and policies designed to support them.

The Bangkok Refugee Youth Consultation was organised to create a structured and participatory space where refugee and Thai youth could identify the challenges affecting their lives, examine their causes, develop practical solutions and communicate their priorities directly to organisations and decision-makers.

The consultation was conducted as part of the wider Global Refugee Youth Consultations initiative, enabling recommendations developed by young people in Bangkok to contribute to broader international discussions on refugee youth policy and programming.

It was delivered in partnership with Asylum Access Thailand, Jesuit Refugee Service Thailand and Amnesty International Thailand.

My Role

As Community Outreach Coordinator at the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN), I served as one of five facilitators responsible for planning and delivering the four-day consultation.

My role combined facilitation, stakeholder engagement, participatory research and project coordination. I facilitated workshops that helped participants identify and prioritise their needs and challenges, explore the role of young people in addressing those issues, and move from problem identification towards practical solutions and recommendations.

This required creating an environment in which participants from different national, linguistic and personal backgrounds could contribute confidently and work collaboratively.

The Approach

The consultation used a strongly participatory approach rather than treating young refugees simply as recipients of humanitarian assistance.

Through facilitated workshops, group discussions and problem-analysis exercises, participants explored issues affecting refugee youth and considered their causes and consequences. They then developed solutions, action plans and advocacy recommendations aimed at different stakeholders, including NGOs, UN agencies and government institutions.

The programme moved deliberately from team building and identifying needs, through problem analysis and advocacy, to developing solutions and presenting recommendations.

The consultation concluded with a stakeholder meeting where young participants presented their priorities and proposed solutions directly to representatives from government, civil society, academia, humanitarian organisations and UNHCR.

Results

The consultation brought together 30+ young people, including refugee and Thai youth, and created a structured platform for them to influence discussions affecting their lives.

Their work culminated in a stakeholder session attended by 25 representatives from 17 organisations, giving participants an opportunity to communicate their recommendations directly to organisations capable of influencing policy, programmes and services.

The findings from Bangkok were also channelled into the wider Global Refugee Youth Consultations, contributing youth perspectives from Thailand to an international process focused on improving humanitarian engagement with young refugees.

Importantly, the consultation also helped generate practical follow-up initiatives. One of these was the Bangkok Intercultural Bazaar, which created a further platform for refugee communities to showcase their skills, cultures and enterprise.

For me, the project demonstrated how structured facilitation, inclusive stakeholder engagement and participatory project design can turn community experience into practical recommendations and action.

Key outcomes

  • 30+ youth participants engaged
  • 25 stakeholders involved
  • 17 organisations represented
  • Recommendations contributed to a global refugee youth process