Giving Compass' Take:

• The United Nations' Global Youth Poll will give kids around the world a chance to describe their experiences and help governments prioritize policy issues. 

• How can philanthropy use the data collected to direct funding? How can countries best learn from each other's successes and failures?

• Learn more about youth issues.

The United Nations wants to gain a much better idea of what young people are thinking - and to stop feeling "paternalistic" and out of touch.

It's going to launch a global, information-gathering poll four times a year, to take the temperature of the opinions of the young on issues such as education, family life, and the internet.

Michael Moller, director-general of the United Nations Office in Geneva, said governments and institutions like the UN have not listened enough to young people.

He says that promises set out by the UN and the international community - like the "sustainable development goals" - need to be informed by the views of young people.

"The paternalistic approach to development does not work any more," said Mr. Moller.

There has been a pilot for this United Nations' Global Youth Poll, which is going to survey more than 25,000 people, aged 10 to 29, in 26 countries.

Prof Cassino hopes the frequency of the poll, and the possibility of direct comparison with other countries, will encourage governments to "act quickly to correct emerging problems, or emulate successful approaches".

Read the full article about the United Nations' Global Youth Poll by Matt Pickles at BBC.