Grace Aguil Garang – South Sudan

I am a 23 year old South Sudanese youth leader, with over four years’ experience working for a youth led, youth focused NGO to build capacities of young people in entrepreneurship, generational equality, peace building and political participation. As the Founder and Managing Director at BEATec Hub, an incubator working to support Youth Led start-ups and enterprises, I am very passionate in advancing youth innovation, economic empowerment, ICT and peace building to contribute to sustainable development of my country and Africa.

Khadija Amahal - Marocco

I design and implement short and long term projects that aim to equip young people with the necessary skills that contribute to their personal and professional growth. I’m passionate about what I do because I’m a young person and I feel the duty to empower other young people who have not had the chance to access opportunities I benefited from. I design and implement projects that aim to equip young people with the necessary skills that contribute to their personal and professional growth. I’m passionate about what I do because I’m a young person and I feel the duty to empower other young people who have not had the chance to access opportunities I benefited from.

Kevin Eustatia – The Netherlands

During my time as a member of the Youth Parliament of Curacao, I experienced first-hand how incredibly important and valuable youth participation is. Decisions we make today will be directly affect young people in the future, so it is crucial for young people to not only have a seat at the table, but to thoroughly be involved!

Daisy Kandole - Uganda

I am very passionate about Meaningful and Inclusive Youth Participation because I believe that it is the key to unlocking a world where we leave no one behind. With (3) years’ experience of working with diverse young people, I have come to embrace that it is only when we give them a platform where they are not only listened to but also looked at not as a problem but as the solution, that we can achieve sustainable development. Nothing for us without us!

Rawan Raad Hassan Elrufai - Sudan

As medical student and women's rights activist Rawan focusses on organising activities with regards to sexual and reproductive health and rights. To that end she works with multiple youth-led and grassroots organisations.

“I look forward to working with and for young people in different themes to incorporate their inputs and lived experiences in the policies of the MFA. Bridging the gap between young people and policymaking has always been one of my greatest interests.”

Sinan Abderrahim Mah'd Assaid - Jordan

My experience in meaningful youth participation has been generally practiced through my social enterprise. As a social entrepreneur, I had the chance to directly coordinate with government policymakers such as the Prime Minister and the Minister of Youth in Jordan on the topics of social entrepreneurship and policies that support young people and lead to job creation. And I am looking forward to democratising meaningful youth participation amongst all youth in Jordan because I strongly believe that young people are able to exactly identify, tackle, and solve the very economic and social challenges they face if they are given the trust and chance.

Kevin Dipama – Burkina Faso

I participated in the development of a document that takes into account the opinions of young people in water management in Burkina Faso. I have always liked to improve the situation of youth in West Africa by expressing the voice of West African youth to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and sharing ideas for the actions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to have a more positive impact on young people.

Pelemo Nyajo - Nigeria

I use the power of art (poetry) to advocate for issues that I am passionate about, especially social justice, disability rights and mental health awareness. I have also been actively volunteering in civil society organizations, alongside other young people to bring about meaningful youth participation. A million little drops form an ocean, and in the same way, I know these efforts will ripple through time to provoke the change we want to see.

Mahmoud Saleh - Egypt

I’m a 27-year-old doctor from Egypt. I have been working with young people for 7 years now with a focus on sexual and reproductive health and rights. I’m passionate about building capacities and raising awareness on sexual and reproductive health for young people through workshops, campaigns, online moderation and counselling. I believe that youth participation is essential in policies and work that target them. This process helps build young people’s capacities along with making the policies and decisions that targets them more informed. I have worked with many networks of young people and seen their passion and insight on topics affecting their lives.

Salim Menaceur - Algeria

For past 3 years while working as an educational activist I experienced how much it is important Meaningful Youth Participation is. Therefore, we should take the advantage of any opportunity to contribute in decision making for a better future for our youth.
I’m so passionate about it because I want to set a road map for Meaningful youth participation as a right, and a pathway to empowerment. And to find more ways to amplify their voices at the frontlines as the driving force in collective action for change.