Blog: Building bridges for democracy 

Last month, from 7-9 November, the 10^th World Forum for Democracy took place at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg. The forum brings together political decision-makers and activists to debate solutions to key challenges for democracies worldwide. Some experimental initiatives and practices are presented as best practices to learn from, and democratic innovations are promoted in order to strengthen the foundations of democratic principles in societies.

One essential part of the Forum is the Youth Delegation of the Council of Europe. Forty-eight young people from all over the world, drawn from different socio-economic backgrounds and living under diverse regimes, were selected out of over 1,400 applications worldwide and met in Strasbourg to give the youth perspective on the issue of democratic backsliding. I was part of that delegation, and it was truly an amazing experience that changed my viewpoint and broadened my horizons.

Having 48 young people from all over the world at the Youth Delegation of the World Forum for Democracy has given me food for thought for the rest of my life. Having conversations with people from the African, Asian and South American continents made me realise that we all live in our little bubbles, whether America-centered, West-European or East-European-centered. We don’t realise how entrenched we are in our routines and how deeply the way we perceive things is configured by our environment.

Meeting with people from all over the world showed me that there is still so much to see and to consider. It made me realise that some of the human rights and democratic principles that we live in and operate under are not a given for all and that many have to fight for them. It also showed me that despite coming from so many different geographical and personal backgrounds, all youth delegates were supportive of each other and had the common goal of making their communities and the world better in some way, be that with smaller contributions or by bringing fundamental changes to their regimes. It was touching to see how much we cheered for each other and identified with one another. It made me wonder how our world would look if the people making the political decisions came into the field of politics with an open mindset and unbiased, with the goal of having constructive discussions and learning from each other, instead of having a fixed and unflinching perspective on the world.

This week in Strasbourg showed me why we need more initiatives such as the Young European Ambassadors network. To build bridges and learn from each other, to break down biases and to create strong bonds with people from all around the world, which can give a new perspective on things. Five Young European Ambassadors were chosen to be part of the Youth Delegation at the World Forum for Democracy and those five people felt like a family I did not know before. Our connection was not by kinship, but through the YEAs network and our common goal of connecting and empowering youth in the EaP and the EU and the UK.

Making the changes that we want in the world, such as giving youth a louder and more binding voice in the political arena, or empowering women and the LGBTQ community, are not easy tasks. Sometimes I find myself feeling quite lost in the ocean of steps that need to be taken to achieve those goals. But seeing that I have so many other young people by my side, motivated to make a change and putting an effort towards that, makes me confident that we can provide our own contribution to those challenges. The YEAs motto #strongertogether is more applicable than ever, be that in the EU and the EaP or the whole world.