"United in diversity" is the official motto of the European Union. The underlying promise: a pluralistic Europe offering everyone equal opportunities, visibility, acceptance, and participation. But despite much that has been achieved, it has always been and still is more of a vision than a lived reality which is now increasingly under attack by populist and nationalist tendencies.

As a matter of fact, not everyone has the same access or right to participation in Europe, not everyone is equally represented, not everyone’s voice is equally heard but demands ever more to be taken seriously.

Our four guests all have different backgrounds and biographies living across Europe. What unites them? They are all in their twenties, not satisfied with the status quo and, like many of their peers, they actively shape the Europe they want to live in with their projects, their activism and engagement striving for justice and equality in Europe. These changemakers break through the roles ascribed to them in public discourse and decision-making and move into white spaces where rules of the game are not made with and for them – as young European, as woman, as queer, as migrant, as Roma, as BIPoC (Black, Indigenous and People of Colour), as refugee.

Our guests will talk about and address the deficits in political participation and their strategies on how young people and marginalised voices can better reach decision-makers, build inclusive political spaces and shape the civic debate. And they will share with us their ideas on concrete steps for a strong European society where everyone feels included.

A joint event between the Schwarzkopf Foundation Young Europe and Futurium.

Guests of the evening:

Farah Abdi (24) is an author, LGBTIQ+ activist, advisor for refugee youth policy and refugee from Somalia, living in Berlin. She is fighting that everybody can fully contribute to shaping Europe.

Maria Atanasova (23) is a Roma activist from Bulgaria working for more visibility, equal opportunities, and participation of young Roma people - the largest minority in Europe.

Nozizwe Dube (25) is a Black Zimbabwean-Belgian law student and human rights advocate engaging to make the voice of young people more present in decision making.

Yasmine Ouirhrane (24) is an Italian-Moroccan activist committing to equality for women and equal participation opportunities for migrants in Europe.

Moderator: Anna Saraste. She is a Finnish television news producer with Deutsche Welle and a free-lance journalist based in Berlin. She is interested in disinformation stories, European affairs, and human rights.

Languages: English