The French have a saying: "Si jeunesse savait, si vieillesse pouvait" which roughly translates as "If only youth knew, if only age could". It's a take on the world which is definitely on the side of "glass half-empty". If I've translated it correctly, it's saying that the young know nothing and the old can't do anything, so we're all doomed. Which is rubbish.

At the end of September, I enjoyed one of the most invigorating gatherings in my career at IPPF. Summits, conventions and conferences often offer participants little more than an extended near-death experience, but to my delight this was lively, dynamic, challenging, provocative, positive and full of hope.

It was staged by IPPF and its member association in Norway (Sex og Politikk) with support of the Norwegian government. It was titled the Emerging Leaders' Summit and it brought together 40 people, all under 30.

Together, they set out the biggest challenges limiting the lives of young people in the 21st century. Together, they agreed on the action they would take and formulated a "Roadmap for the 21st Century".

They weren't focusing solely to a sexual and reproductive health and rights agenda. It's long been IPPF's contention that ensuring that young people are informed about sex and sexuality and have open access to the services they need is about far more than personal health.

Knowing about one's body, understanding about one's rights, learning about how relationships work, discovering that sex is about shared pleasure, and becoming aware that sex – in the profoundest way – is based on respect and tolerance. These lessons have ramifications far beyond any individual relationships. They are lessons which, once learned, turn young people into mature and active citizens.

Though many of those involved were not connected with the sexual and reproductive health and rights movement (participants included an artist from Cameroon, a media producer from Macedonia, a film actor from Egypt, journalists from Australia and Bangladesh, an Austrian magistrate, a doctor from the UK, an entrepreneur from Tanzania, and an engineer from Panama) they were unanimous in backing this position. They clearly stated that comprehensive sexuality information and services are fundamental to improving young people's lives and promoting citizenship.

Their roadmap bullet-pointed their perception of society's needs for the 21st century: universal education, economic justice, equal access to health, legal reforms, the environment, gender equality, peace and security, corruption, and media.

To achieve the reforms they sought, they stated that they required resources, and youth participation in political and social processes. And it was clear that participation didn't mean having older people in positions of power and influence listening to them and going away and not really doing that much about it, or saying "yes, we'd love to, but …". They didn't want any tokenism. They wanted to be involved in making the decisions, in framing the policy, and in implementing it.

And why not? It's their future, and they need to be involved in shaping it. Their parents' generation has achieved many significant things. But it's also been responsible for some disasters. Disasters which might have been avoided if young people had been listened to and not patronised.

I'm not saying we place all decision-making in the hands of young people. That would be ridiculous. What I am saying is that we need to forge active partnerships with young people. We tend to consult with young people, and then go off and try to deliver a solution. Young people should be – and are ready to be – involved in the delivery. We should embrace that wholeheartedly, because it has the potential to quicken the pace of change.

Contrary to the French saying, many young people do know, and they can do, and if the mechanisms are there, they will do. Ally that energy to older people's wisdom gained through experience, make no claim on the primacy of one over the other, and see what happens.

These reflections are prompted in part by the fact that 29 November is the 60th birthday of IPPF, the organisation I work for. For 60 years, it has fought for people's sexual and reproductive health and rights, and it has delivered services all round the world. The founders characterised themselves as "brave and angry" – they showed the bravery and anger of youth. The organisation's longevity is testament to the power of youth and energy, and that power is one which we continue to treasure and nurture.

We nurture voices like 21-year-old Isabelita (from Colombia) who says "don't stick with what you have. Push for more. Don't be happy with what you are given," and Lima (from Egypt) who says: "When the rules are silly: break them." You can hear them talking on the accompanying videos. They're inspiring. I urge you to listen and – like me – I hope that you will want to make sure that these young leaders become empowered, now, to work with the social and political establishment, to directly decide upon and implement change.

Doortje Braeken is IPPF's senior adviser on adolescents and young people, responsible for co-ordinating programmes in 26 countries