Young voices pushing for change

#OurVoiceOurFuture ambassadors Andja (22, Serbia), Gevio (25, Albania), Teodora (21, Moldova), Tornike (27, Georgia) and Vladen (19, Ukraine) travelled to Geneva for a two-day visit to learn more about the multilateral system and to bring their perspectives to exchanges with a range of UN representatives. In meetings with the UN Human Rights Office, the Vice-President of the Human Rights Council, and representatives of the ICRC and the International Telecommunications Union, they raised issues of concern to them and to their countries.

“I truly believe that young voices matter and these are the ones that should be shaping policy and the world we live in. All the greatest things were started by young people, so why not trust us.” - Teodora, 21, Moldova

The OVOF members also met colleagues from the EU Delegation to the United Nations in Geneva to learn more about the EU’s active role in multilateral fora. EU Ambassador Deike Potzel encouraged them to continue advocating for their right to be heard in global conversations.

“Your presence here matters. You’re not here just to ‘observe’ Geneva. You’re here to contribute, to bring your perspectives into the discussion. I hope you’ll learn a lot from what you see, but I also hope you’ll challenge us. Diplomacy only evolves when it listens.” - EU Ambassador Deike Potzel

 A highlight of the visit was participating in the Young Activist Summit itself. In a room filled with over 1,000 young people, the five 2025 YAS laureates presented their initiatives and shared their vision of activism with the audience.

• Aminata Savané (25, Côte d’Ivoire) is working to make the digital world more inclusive and safer for women, youth and children in underserved communities. Through digital skills and leadership training, she has already supported over 600 women and 200 adolescents.
• Dev Karan (17, India) co-founded Pondora, a youth-led initiative that combines community engagement with low-cost technologies. Dev and his team train students as “Pond Ambassadors” and support village committees in monitoring water quality and cleaning local ponds using sustainable methods.
• Marina El Khawand (24, Lebanon) founded Medonations at just 18, following the 2020 Beirut explosion. What began as a single social media post has grown into a global network with collection points in more than 65 countries, providing free medication and medical consultations to over 25,000 people.
• Salvino Oliveira (27, Brazil) grew up in Rio de Janeiro’s Cidade de Deus favela. He co-founded PerifaConnection to amplify the voices of favela youth and coordinated AfroEducando, helping dozens of first-generation students enter university. As Rio’s first Secretary of Youth, he created the “Youth Spaces”—self-sustaining tech hubs built from repurposed containers, each training 250 young people per month.
• Rena Kawasaki (20, Japan) co-founded Earth Guardians Japan, connecting students with policymakers through online sessions to strengthen youth participation in politics. She has advised Tokyo’s government on the Tokyo Bay sustainability project and, drawing on her own experience of cyberbullying, now advocates for online safety and mental health awareness in schools.

 “There are far more people fighting for a better world than there are those who are trying to tear it down. We just need to mobilise them and mobilise all of us.”
- Melissa Fleming, UN Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, YAS25

The OVOF members later met the Young Activist Summit laureates at the EU Delegation, where they exchanged views on their projects, their motivation to engage in global issues, and ways to create synergies in their efforts.

 “It was very inspirational for me to attend the Young Activists Summit because we had the opportunity to meet so many bright-minded young people from different countries. Exchanges with them gave me the impression that yes, we young people can bring positive changes to our own communities.” - Tornike, Georgia

This encounter forms part of a broader youth policy dialogue launched by EU High Representative Kaja Kallas in 2025, reaffirming the EU’s commitment to empowering young people in EU’s Foreign Policy and ensuring their meaningful participation in shaping the future of a stronger Europe in the world.