FLO Kanpur, under the leadership of Chairperson Ankita Garg, hosted the Youth Policy Conclave 2026, a structured, participatory research and co-creation event for college students. It is organised by One Future Collective in collaboration with FICCI FLO, and it runs at the same time across the chapters in different cities. It asks one central question: what contributes to the gender gap in young people’s participation in paid work, especially the lower participation of young women, and what policy, institutional, household and social changes could help close it?
The day begins with a shared opening session, then participants move into small discussion rooms, each with a trained student facilitator and rapporteur. Over three rounds, they examine:
- Skills and employability, using the Iceberg method
- Safety and mobility, using a fictional vignette
- Gender norms across life phases, using the River of Life method
Participants then pull their findings together and form groups to develop practical recommendations for government, employers, education providers, families and communities, and young people. The day ends with a public conclave where selected students present their findings and recommendations to guests and policymakers, followed by awards for the strongest recommendations and certificates for all participants.
Discussions are voluntary and anonymised, and participants speak about society in general rather than their own experiences. What they say is documented in a common format. The results from all cities will be combined into a national white paper on young people’s views on work, education, aspirations and gender roles.