A future in the hands of youth: combining EU youth dialogue and local activism to initiate change

In the current world of uncertainty and crisis, I believe that we, the young generation, face a massive challenge to “fix things”. And when, as the result of this chaos, we find ourselves overwhelmed by a feeling of doubt, we fail to see that we actually have the potential to be a driving force of change!

Youth participation is on the rise in Europe

The topic of active youth participation has been gaining popularity over the past few years, which has made it a plentiful research area. In 2025, for the second time, the Allianz Foundation conducted a Next Generations Study based on data collected from five European countries – France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Spain – from respondents between the ages of 16 and 39.

We can read interesting insights about civic engagement among young people from this study. Civic engagement, according to the New Generations Study researchers, includes actions such as petitions, protests, or sharing content on social media. According to the study’s results, 31% of respondents have taken part in citizens’ initiatives. Youth are the most active in topics such as human rights (44%), education (43%) and climate (36%). The high voting rate among Europeans aged 16-39 (the study reports that an average of 75% of young people have voted in recent years, ranging from 67% in France to 83% in Poland) paints a picture of a determined civil society that doesn’t want to back down. This might indicate that young people care about what’s happening around them! It might also indicate a possible trend of young citizens voicing their need for opportunities to grow as leaders and an open space for dialogue, consultations, and collaborative decision-making.

How does youth engagement create change beyond borders?

To make use of this potential among young activists, people in authority must provide the tools and mechanisms that amplify the efforts of their citizens. Luckily, we have the possibility to bring the actions of youth to a whole new level across Europe. And it goes by the name of the EU Youth Dialogue (EUYD)!

Over the past year, I had a unique opportunity to learn about the EUYD and get involved in promoting it as one of 20 EU Youth Dialogue Ambassadors in Poland. To explain it simply, EUYD is a participatory mechanism started in 2010 to encourage direct conversations and debates between young citizens and policymakers. Thanks to EUYD, documents like the EU Youth Strategy, which highlights themes such as the Youth Goals, have been implemented. These processes take into account the interests of young citizens, in the form of an official statement from the European institutions. 

Additionally, three times in each 18-month cycle of Council of the European Union presidencies, during the so-called “EU Youth Conferences”, national youth representatives can suggest tangible recommendations for decision-makers to take into account on a national and regional level. I have had the pleasure to attend two such conferences; one in Lublin (Poland) as a volunteer and, more recently, as a participant in the conference that the Cyprus Presidency organised online. Being a youth representative at such an event was a perfect mix of advocacy, meaningful discussions, and hands-on tasks. Beforehand, I was able to choose one out of eight working groups where each had a topic connected to the first Youth Goal of “Connecting EU with Youth”. We were divided into smaller groups to focus on different aspects of youth participation and EU-citizen relations to create eight final recommendations. I decided to participate in a group working on the topic, “From Dialogue to Decision: Decision-making with Young People”, that we addressed in the span of five workshop sessions across two days.

My group, with the help of a facilitator and a harvester (a person responsible for documenting the topics mentioned in discussions and the main results from the sessions), went from sharing experiences from each of our communities, to diagnosing core issues and creating proposals for recommendations. At the end, we settled on one suggestion that would be presented to other groups, and it was related to creating a cohesive communication and feedback mechanism to ensure that policymakers respond to submitted recommendations and are receptive towards citizens’ initiatives. Between workshops, we participated in panels and plenary sessions that also brought meaningful reflections. For example, we learned about new concepts for Youth Goals with the current EU Youth Strategy coming to an end. Even with the limitations of joining online, participating in an EU Youth Conference allowed me to contribute to ongoing affairs concerning youth participation on a scale I would have never thought possible. And so did over 200 other young people. Even though this number might seem small in the grand scheme of things, it is a sign of a worldwide movement and the change that the rising generation is bringing to the table. 

To those wondering ‘do we still have a future worth looking forward to?’

Yes! Because we are the ones creating it. Even if it doesn’t seem like it, every day we undertake small (and big!) actions to shape a better tomorrow. We, young people all over Europe, are in our local communities studying, working, or volunteering not only to achieve personal goals, but to contribute to a bigger mission – full of participation and social engagement. Not only that, with initiatives such as the EU Youth Dialogue, policymakers get to hear about our intentions and wishes directly, and get to consider a direction for future policies. The only thing left for us to do is prioritise cooperation, not competition or conflict, because we all strive for peace, happiness, and fulfillment.

Sources:

Allianz Foundation. (2025). Second Allianz Foundation: Next Generations Study. Between Nostalgia and New Horizons. How Young Europeans Imagine and Shape the Future. 

Allianz Foundation. (2025). Myth Busted: Gen Z isn’t Lazy but Actively Shaping Society. 

European Youth Portal. (2025). What is the EU Youth Dialogue? 

European Youth Portal. (2026). EU Youth Strategy. 

Youth Goals. (n.d.). The 11 European Youth Goals.