Youth Participation
Preparation Material
Youth Participation
Workshop Facilitators
Andrea Rói Sigurbjörns (They/Them)
Andrea Rói is a queer activist dedicated to advancing the rights and voices of marginalized youth. Currently working at the Ombudsman for Children in Iceland, Andrea Rói specializes in youth participation, advocating for inclusive policies and initiatives that empower young people to shape their communities. They are the head of a summer camp in Iceland for children with disabilities and oversee a social house for 16-17 y/o queer youth at The Natational Queer Organisation. With a background in leisure and gender studies from the University of Iceland, they bring a nuanced understanding of intersectionality to their work, recognizing the diverse experiences and needs of youth from different backgrounds. Andrea Rói loves meeting new people, playing tennis and spending time in nature with family, friends and animals.
Unnur Lárusdóttir (She/Her)
Unnur Lárusdóttir is a 26 years old master student of International Relations at the University of Iceland. Prior to her MA studies, Unnur completed a diploma in Gender and Equality studies from the University of Iceland, and holds a BSc degree in Politics, Psychology, Law and Economics from the University of Amsterdam where she specialised in Political Science.
Currently, Unnur is writing her MA thesis on the security challenges faced by women in the Arctic, specifically women in Greenland. Unnur has extensive experience working with the matters of youth, through her professional work at the Department of Education and Youth at the City of Reykjavík and through her work for UNICEF in Iceland. Moreover, Unnur has significant experience working with youth participation, for example through being a board member of UN Women's Youth Council, a current board member of the United Nations Association in Iceland, and latest, as Iceland's UN Youth Delegate for Human Rights.
Throughout her work, Unnur has emphasized the importance of Children's rights and their rights to be heard and included in policy making that concerns the issues of youth. Unnur has been vocal on the matters concerning human rights and equality and wants to continue to shed light on the importance of youth voices and participation.
Unnur's participation at the U-LYNC conference will be a mixture of her personal journey attending youth participation-related forums, working with the matters of children and youth, and emphasizing the importance of youth participation and potential ways for youth to participate in global projects.