The launch event bringing various actors together

The project was officially launched on 16 July 2025 with an online event, which gathered about 230 actors – from partners, youth representatives and relevant stakeholders - involved in raising awareness, fostering collaboration, and collectively promoting an enabling civic environment where young people can freely and safely organise and express themselves, and shape their society. The event marked the beginning of the 36-months journey, which is expected to directly benefit over 3,000 youth activists and reach out to over half a million people worldwide through awareness raising campaigns and cross-border solidarity actions.

The launching event was opened by Carlos Cárdenas Ángel, the Regional Manager for Latin America and the Caribbean of the ForumCiv and Chiara ADAMO from the European Commission, followed by a introductory presentation by all country focal points of the project. Youth representatives from 7 countries - Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia, Palestine, Senegal, Sri Lanka and Tunisia - shared their achievements and struggles for the freedom of association and peaceful assembly. Basic data collected by the initial activity of the project was presented followed by an interactive mentimeter survey among participants. Using three key questions, breakroom discussions were organised in 8 groups discussing about main challenges young people face in organizing or expressing themselves in each context, initiatives to counteract and respond to such challenges and how to support each other more effectively across countries. The event was closed with remarks from Maria Marti, a representative from the Office of the European Union for the West Bank and Gaza.

The way forward

The project overall aims to: train 600 youth activists especially women and those from marginalized groups to promote their leadership in society; protect the freedom of peaceful assembly and association in shrinking civic space; facilitate more than 100 grassroots and national initiatives for the protection of human rights; support 30 national, regional and global networks that promote youth-led civic participation and advocacy; and expand access to international human rights mechanisms for activists and civil society.

Several initial and preparatory activities have been already carried out before the launch event, such as mapping of youth-led and youth oriented civil society actors at grassroots, national, regional and international levels as well as analysis of national context and risk assessment in 9 target countries. The project will soon start its capacity building component with youth participants from all regions followed by facilitation of project development by selected youth groups combined with financial support.

Watch our country focal points introducing the project here!