Youth Voices for Digital Rights
The Youth Voices for Digital Rights programme is designed to bring young people into the discussions that shape today’s digital environment. Younger generations live in a world where most aspects of their lives are recorded as data. They use digital platforms more than any other age group and feel the impact of emerging technologies most directly. Yet, their perspectives are often overlooked in internet governance debates, and their rights are not always considered. The programme seeks to address this gap.
This new initiative by the CADE consortium, led by Forus with support from Karisma, brings together a group of 15 young advocates from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Europe. They work on issues such as digital rights, equality, countering misinformation, language preservation, mental health, and youth participation.
The programme offers participants the opportunity to develop skills in policy engagement, digital communications, and multimedia production. They learn how internet governance processes function and how to contribute to policy discussions in an informed and structured way. They also build connections with peers and mentors from different regions.
By the end of the programme, the group will have produced a Youth Manifesto on Digital Rights and presented multimedia and multilingual projects that reflect their priorities and observations on digital governance.
A team of experienced facilitators and media professionals supports the programme.
Multimedia Projects
As part of the programme, participants engage in youth-led multimedia and multilingual storytelling activities, through which they develop and publish audio, video, and written outputs. These projects document how digital governance issues intersect with lived experiences and civic action, and are shared through platforms such as Global Voices, SoundCloud, and YouTube, addressing themes including youth mobilisation, digital activism, and intergenerational participation in social and political movements.
