The Benefits and Pitfalls of Engaging Youth in Diplomatic Affairs: A Case Study of the Junior Diplomat Initiative

Štěpánka Zemanová

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Chapter 10 The Benefits and Pitfalls of Engaging Youth in Diplomatic Affairs: A Case Study of the Junior Diplomat Initiative

In: Home Engagement in Diplomacy

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Štěpánka Zemanová

Štěpánka Zemanová
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Type:: Chapter

Pages:: 288–324

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004738324_012

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Summary

The democratisation of diplomacy in recent years opened new opportunities for non-state actors’ engagement and activities in the public interest or on behalf of governments. A wide variety of practices emerged at the domestic and international levels of how the non-state actors involved in national and global policy-making conduct and shape international affairs worldwide. The scholarly literature has extensively reflected the inclusion of civil society into governance frameworks, non-state public diplomacy, non-governmental institutions and so forth. Nevertheless, due to the complexity of these issues, their dynamics and rapid innovations, many blind spots remain.

The chapter explores the potential of youth grassroots initiatives to assist in shaping various national and international agendas through interactions with political and diplomatic elites. Drawing on the concepts of deliberative engagement and ‘coupling’ of public and diplomatic elites, it examines the Junior Diplomacy Initiative (jdi) activities of Prague, Geneva, Paris and Tbilisi. The chapter aims to analyse how an initially modest student activity translates into an international grassroots diplomacy project and what the benefits and pitfalls of such youth initiatives are. Lessons for diplomatic practice and incentives for future research are also addressed.

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Home Engagement in Diplomacy

Global Affairs and Domestic Publics

Series: Diplomatic Studies, Volume: 23

E-Book ISBN:: 9789004738324

Publisher:: Brill | Nijhoff

Print Publication Date:: 05 Feb 2026

Subjects
- International Relations
  - International Relations
  - Diplomatic Studies
- Social Sciences
  - Economics & Political Science
  - Global Studies

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Chapter 10 The Benefits and Pitfalls of Engaging Youth in Diplomatic Affairs: A Case Study of the Junior Diplomat Initiative

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Home Engagement in Diplomacy

Global Affairs and Domestic Publics

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