Mission
Young people bring perspectives that matter.
Two sides of the same idea: decision-makers need to take young people seriously, and young people need to take themselves seriously.
Decision-makers,
Take young people seriously.
All of my work is grounded in one simple conviction: young people bring perspectives that matter. Their unique experiences, issues and ideas are enrich discussions, and have to be taken into account in order to make policy work. Not because young people know it better, but because their perspective is different. They know how it is to be young in the 21st century. And while they might not have all the knowledge yet, this allows them to come up with new, creative ideas, that others might overlook.
Youth participation is more then merely consultations. Institutions must open up to young people, with the intention to work together with them, in an equal partnership. Youth must be involved during the whole process, not just to tick a box or ask their opinion when everything is done already. Because youth participation only works if young people feel taken seriously. Them feeling heard and seen not only improves policy, it also contribute to trust in organisations and institutions, and peace. Because societies can only be peaceful when everyone has the opportunity to contribute to them.
Meaningful participation starts before a young person enters the room: it starts with the belief that their perspective is genuinely needed.
Young people,
Take yourself seriously.
Young people must trust their own perspectives. Young people are often scared they are too young, to inexperienced or too dumb to join serious conversations. And it is true, we are young, we don’t have years of experience and we have a lot to learn, but that is our strength. Young people know how it is to be young in 2026. We can come up with different ideas, because we are not stuck in ‘let’s do it how we always have done it’. And we have the ability to dream and believe in things that might seem impossible. That makes our vision not better than the one of experienced political, diplomats or policy-makers, but it is a valuable addition to conversations that will impact our lives.
Besides this, I see that many young people dream of going to the United Nations, or speaking at institutions as the European or African Union. However, this is a means, it should not be their goal. I try to encourage young people to find out what they care about, what impact they want to make in the world around them, and only then look where they can make this impact. If it is an international institution or conference, then that is where they should be. But very often it is easier to make a change at their university, city council or community centre, and then that is the place they should focus on.
It is not about you, or about me. It is about what we stand for
Dream as you dreamed.
Believe as you believed.
Be the hero you wanted to be.
What I do
Public Speaker
I deliver speeches, join panels and give interviews for both young people and decision-makers, focusing on youth participation and youth agency. With decision-makers, I try to both convince them to work with young people and help them understand where to start and how to make participation most effective. At youth conferences, I encourage young people to trust their own voice, speak their mind and stand up for what they believe in. At the same time, I emphasise that their beliefs should guide their work, rather than their ambitions: first find out what you care about, then where you can make the most impact.
In my speeches, remarks and statements, I connect my own experiences to the message I want to bring. Sometimes I tell the story of how we delivered messages from young people around the world to one of the highest UN officials... on a football. Other times, I might focus on what young people have taught me in conversations around the world: in large conference halls, at informal pizza parties, or when we created a safe space for young people to tell their real stories in a country where freedom of expression was limited.
Youth Advocate
Working towards genuine partnership between generations and stronger youth agency.
Storyteller
Making perspectives travel to the rooms where they are needed most.
Principles into practice