An intersectional perspective shifts the focus away from consensus as the end goal of deliberative democracy. Instead, deliberation becomes the process of questioning the existing social order. It requires those who are privileged to unlearn their privileges by learning to listen to those who are marginalized and democratizes democracy itself. Given that young people are underrepresented and lack the full range of rights in deliberative democracy, young people, and particularly those experiencing multiple and intersecting forms of exclusion, should be included and recognized as crucial political actors who should be listened to.

Young people are not a homogenous category. An intersectional perspective asks us to pay attention to how identity categories of race, gender, sexuality class, and able-bodiedness shape young people’s experiences of inclusion and exclusion from deliberative democracy.
However, we must resist the tendency to see these identity categories as fixed. For instance, young people’s experiences of gender might vary, even for two people of similar marginalized or minoritized identities. For some youth, such marginalized identities might also serve as a source of pride and power, enabling them to build solidarities with others.

An intersectional perspective recognizes the specific potential of marginalized youth to bring issues and problems into deliberative processes that would otherwise remain invisible or depoliticized. An intersectional perspective highlights how marginalized political actors have a deeper insight into society, and thus, challenges politics ‘from above’.

An intersectional perspective recognizes the specific potential of marginalized An intersectional lens addresses the formal and informal racialized, classed, gendered, heteronormative, ability-centred and age-centred barriers: Who can afford to take part in youth parliaments? Who has physical access to public deliberation formats? Who is able to participate without being afraid of being bullied or silenced in school politics? Who is considered eligible for political participation?

We must recognize that democracy does not only take place in institutional settings, but also in the informal settings of youth’s every-day life. Because youth are formally excluded from many political processes such as voting, democratic processes with youth are not and cannot solely be found in the formal space of politics. Deliberative democracy with and by youth can occur in multiple locations including the streets, in youth organizations, and at schools. An intersectional lens broadens the scope of deliberation by including a plurality and diversity of political spaces, but at the same time, it keeps in mind that these spaces have to be built and are not free of power.

Rather than demand that young people express themselves in ways that are considered “rational”, “objective” or “neutral”, we must hear and honour the political potential of embodied and emotional modes of communication. Emotions like anger should be seen as a political response to exclusion and marginalization, and should not be silenced. Counter-narratives and counter-storytelling, including the telling of personal stories, can be tools that question and disrupt power.

Young people’s participation in deliberative democracy can shift its boundaries, however, this would be incomplete without the transformation of structures of power. Rather than including young people in existing political structures, we need to transform institutions, including those of schools, homes and families.