Over the centuries, youth have undergone ambiguous constructions that inform their mobilizations in international politics. Between narratives of problem and/or solution, young people have been assimilated and differentiated from adults, passing through perceptions of immaturity, development, naivety, inexperience, a resource for the future, and agents of peace. In light of this, the purpose of this work is to address how the category of youth is constructed in a relational way to other constructions, such as that of adults, and the consequences of this for the maintenance of the social order. With a particular focus on the Youth, Peace, and Security (YPS) agenda, this paper proposes to analyze how young people are mobilized in international politics through debates about the participation of civil society in peace processes. The central argument to be developed is that although on the one hand, the YPS agenda is a normative framework for young people to demand inclusion policies in peace processes, on the other hand, it can be used as a tool of liberal peace, contributing to the maintenance of practices of exclusion and symbolic participation of young people. Based on this and with a post-structuralist and post-colonial approach, the dissertation seeks to engage with critical youth studies, questioning, in light of their contributions, formulations taken as natural and universal that govern international politics.