Breaking barriers: stories of youth activism and inclusive participation
by Anna Lavizzari
Introduction
When we think of political participation, we often imagine parliaments and ballot boxes. However, a powerful movement is spreading among young people around the world, away from the spotlight of traditional institutions. It is a movement of meaningful political participation and activism that originates in the streets, in schools and online. Among these young people are women, LGBTI individuals, and racially marginalised youth who, despite the challenges, are redefining the concept of active citizenship. This is the story of how they are changing the world, one small action at a time.
We are witnessing a “democratic paradox” in European politics today. Young citizens, despite being likely to disengage from institutional politics, often hold idealistic notions about democratic participation and have high aspirations for political involvement. The absence of democratic debate on their preferred issues and the widespread challenges in enacting meaningful policy changes drive young people towards alternative forms of political engagement.
Alternative forms of participation encompass a range of activities such as social media activism, grass-roots movements, protests and community organisation. Today’s youth are often focused on individual values of self-determination and self-expression, reflected in lifestyle choices such as political consumerism and artistic performances. This engagement is often issue-oriented, informal and spontaneous. The shift towards informal avenues of political influence reflects the desire of young people for more inclusive, responsive and dynamic political processes.
Contemporary social movements often have a vital youth component, even when not youth-led. Young people are involved in multiple movements with different and cross-cutting causes, such as Occupy movements against austerity, climate change movements like Fridays for Future, gender equality movements like #MeToo and racial justice movements like Black Lives Matter. These movements are increasingly transnational, leveraging social media to connect young activists across countries, inspiring action through virtual encounters.
When discussing youth participation in social movements, it is crucial to emphasise intersectionality, which acknowledges that individuals have multiple, layered identities and experience discrimination in intersecting ways. This means focusing on the diverse experiences of marginalised young people and ensuring their inclusion.
Recent movements have increasingly adopted an intersectional approach, recognising how different inequalities are connected. Young activists mobilise across multiple issues, with movements like climate justice and feminism linking gender inequalities to sexual orientation, migration and ecological justice. They support each other, aiming to transform the status quo.
The participation of marginalised youth, such as young women, LGBTI youth and racially marginalised young people, is crucial for the vitality and inclusivity of social movements. These groups often face unique challenges and barriers to participation, including systemic discrimination, social stigma and lack of access to resources. Despite these obstacles, marginalised youth have been at the forefront of many contemporary movements, bringing essential perspectives and experiences that enrich the collective struggle for justice and equality. Their participation ensures that the voices of those most affected by various forms of oppression are heard and considered in the development of strategies and solutions.
Voices of resilience: stories of youth activism and unconventional participation
(NB: all names used in the article have been changed. Any resemblance to actual persons is purely coincidental)
The story of Marta: a young woman activist in Poland’s feminist movement
Marta Kowalski, a 23-year-old university student from Warsaw, has long been passionate about gender equality, witnessing the systemic challenges women face in Poland, from workplace discrimination to societal expectations. However, it wasn’t until the government’s renewed attacks on abortion rights in recent years that Marta’s activism truly ignited. She was just a child during the 2016 women’s protests but vividly recalls the black river of protestors with open umbrellas, symbolising perseverance and struggle. Women and allies, from trade unions to civil-society organisations, protested Poland’s strict 1993 abortion law, which imposed a near-total ban on this medical practice. People from many countries were expressing their solidarity on social media using hashtags which became popular worldwide: #BlackMonday, #CzarnyPoniedzialek, #CzarnyProtest and #StrajkKobiet. The Women’s Strike took place simultaneously in over 60 Polish cities in 2016, causing the reform to be voted down. She can clearly recall her sister’s words: Marta we have to fight, protect our freedom, have each other’s back.
In October 2020, Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal ruled to further restrict the country’s already stringent abortion laws, effectively banning nearly all abortions. The decision sparked nationwide protests with hundreds of thousands of people taking to the streets. This time, Marta found herself at the heart of the Strajk Kobiet (Women’s Strike) fighting for women’s rights, directly participating in demonstrations and sit-ins, and also contributing to the new tactics the movement was experimenting with in the 2020-2021 protests. One tactic was collecting signatures for the Legal Abortion Without Compromise law, promoted by feminist groups and opposition MPs. Collecting signatures in public helped connect with people, explain the movement’s goals and encourage action. Moreover, protests became more and more performative, directly targeting one of the organisations fuelling the attacks on women’s right to abortion: the Catholic church. During the 2020 protests, Marta participated in direct actions she could never have imagined: sit-ins at Sunday mass, shouting matches with priests, putting cards with illustrations of lightning bolts in offering baskets, and chanting “this is war” in front of cathedrals.
Despite the enthusiasm of being part of this movement and the powerful feeling of belonging to lively feminist groups, Marta came to experience quite early on what it means to be a politically active young woman in a patriarchal society. The Polish Government’s crackdown on protests and dissent created a hostile environment for activists. The police authorities violently responded to the demonstrations: Marta was personally gassed and beaten during one of the sit-ins in front of a church in Warsaw. Despite the numerous challenges and the inability of the movement to overturn the ban, Marta’s involvement in the feminist movement has seen significant successes. The massive protests and international pressure led to increased public awareness and support for women’s rights in Poland. For instance, in early 2021, the European Parliament passed a resolution condemning Poland’s abortion laws and calling for the protection of women’s rights.
And this is why Marta and her comrades will not give up the fight, despite the promises made during the electoral campaign: the feminist and women’s movements contributed to the victory of the Civic Coalition and will not allow the new government to indulge and mediate on women’s reproductive rights.
The story of András: a young LGBTI activist in Hungary
Over 30 000 people marched together in the heat: the 2024 Budapest Pride defied government attempts to ban advertising the event.
András Nagy, a 21-year-old university student from Budapest, felt relieved as he marched with his partner. Having grown up in a conservative Hungary, András was well-aware of the struggles the LGBTI community faced – no same-sex marriages, no gender identity affirmation for trans people, and adoption rights restricted to heterosexual couples. The surge in anti-LGBTI rhetoric and legislation spurred András into activism, becoming a key figure in Hungary’s LGBTI and student movements.
In 2021, the Hungarian Government passed a law banning content promoting homosexuality or gender change among children. This law, widely criticised as discriminatory, created a hostile environment, with books and art censored. András, along with many other activists, faced increased scrutiny and threats. The government’s efforts to silence dissent and marginalise the LGBTI community created a hostile environment for activism.
András encountered numerous obstacles on his journey. Police harassment and the threat of legal repercussions were constant. He was often followed, his communications monitored, and his public actions disrupted by authorities. During peaceful protests, András and his fellow activists were met with violence and arrests. András was one of the 17 students fined by the police for protesting at Budapest’s Museum of Ethnography where a photo exhibition was cordoned off to prevent children from seeing some pictures depicting homosexuality.[J1]
Despite police harassment and social alienation, András remained steadfast in his fight for equality, even facing violence and arrests during peaceful protests.
Given the repressive environment, András adopted unconventional methods to continue his activism. Social media became a vital tool for organising and spreading awareness. He used platforms like Facebook and Instagram to mobilise support, share information and connect with international LGBTI organisations. Through digital activism, he was able to circumvent state censorship and amplify the voices of Hungary’s LGBTI community on a global scale. Being a member of one of the largest community-building NGOs for young LGBTI in Hungary, András is actively committed to organising bi-monthly get-togethers for LGBTI young people, and personally runs a popular YouTube channel on LGBTI issues.
András also engaged in creative forms of protest. One of the most impactful actions was the organisation of “flash protests” where small groups would gather unexpectedly in public places to display rainbow flags, distribute pamphlets and perform symbolic acts of defiance. These spontaneous demonstrations were designed to attract public attention and quickly disband before the police could intervene. Together with other LGBTI activists, András also started the so-called “plastic protest” where they organised demonstrations in front of many bookshops in Budapest. Due to the 2021 law, many books containing LGBTI characters or themes were removed from bookstores or could only be displayed if wrapped in plastic. They covered themselves in cling film shouting: “Are you going to wrap me in plastic, too?”.
Despite the numerous challenges, András’s activism yielded significant successes. His efforts, alongside other activists, drew international attention to Hungary’s human rights violations, prompting global condemnation of the country’s anti-LGBTI laws. The EU Commission launched infringement proceedings, froze funds and referred Hungary to the Court of Justice. LGBTI activism, with pride parades and protests, helped raise awareness and resist the government’s attacks. András played a key role in the 2022 boycott of a government referendum aimed at affirming anti-LGBTI legislation. Together with his comrades, András travelled the country to explain to people, activists and students the importance of the referendum’s failure, since its aim was to socially confirm the government’s regressive agenda on LGBTI rights. The campaign was a success: only 1.6 million people spoiled their ballots, and the referendum was declared invalid, with fewer than 50% of eligible voters participating. András still gets emotional recalling this experience: he describes this as an unprecedented act of public protest against a nonsensical referendum. The government propaganda had been blocked. There is still a long road ahead, but András is not alone, he feels part of a wider movement fighting for equality and freedom. They will succeed, they will be free.
The story of Sofia: a young racially marginalised activist in Italy’s migrant rights movement
On 12 March 2023, Sofia Ibrahim, a student from Milan, finally turned 18 and applied for Italian citizenship – a moment she had been waiting for her entire life. Born in Italy to Moroccan parents, Sofia always felt both Italian and foreign, facing systemic barriers like visa delays and residence permit renewals, which set her apart from her peers. Being a young woman of African descent, she also experienced first-hand racism and xenophobia.
The oppression of being a young person belonging to an ethnic, religious and racial minority in Italy did not break her. On the contrary, she has dedicated her life to advocating for the rights of migrants and people of foreign descent living in Italy. Her commitment to the anti-racist movement became even stronger in 2022, when the right-wing government took office and the country’s political climate became increasingly hostile towards migrants. One incident in 2023, involving racist remarks by a political candidate, triggered widespread debate. Shortly after, Sofia, during a soccer match, was told by spectators that she wasn’t Italian when she scored a goal – episodes like this became increasingly common during the 2023 European election period.
In this increasingly hostile political and social environment, Sofia encountered numerous obstacles in her activism. The Italian Government’s crackdown on migrant aid organisations and volunteers meant that Sofia frequently faced police harassment and legal threats. During peaceful demonstrations, she and her fellow activists were often met with hostility from law enforcement and anti-migrant protestors. Additionally, Sofia’s ethnic and religious identity subjected her to frequent racial slurs, threats and physical intimidation. Despite these dangers, Sofia’s resolve to fight for migrant rights remained unshaken.
To resist repression against protests and demonstrations, Sofia and her fellow activists adopted unconventional methods to advance their cause. Sofia used social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter to raise awareness of migrant issues and launched a series of videos highlighting the challenges faced by second-generation migrants in Italy. She also organised “pop-up” aid stations offering food, clothing and legal advice to migrants, avoiding detection by authorities while providing essential services.
Several activities and events were also organised in schools and social spaces for young people in her neighbourhood. For example, Sofia organised with a friend a series of workshops and interactive labs for young students at the local secondary school, where Italian and migrant adolescents were encouraged to exchange experiences of discrimination or bullying on several grounds (race, ethnic origin, gender, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, etc.) and to imagine together ways to respond to these situations. The result of this initiative was a fanzine designed and drafted by the students which was distributed to other students in the school, to the local library and the social spaces within the neighbourhood.
Sofia also became involved with an informal legal team of volunteers and legal professionals co‑operating with several NGOs in providing support and guidance to migrants and asylum seekers dealing with administrative procedures in Italy. This experience deeply impacted her and solidified her decision to pursue law school to fight for migrant rights. Soon to be officially recognised as an Italian citizen, Sofia represents the future of a more inclusive Italy.
