Myanmar’s democratic transition took an unexpected turn in the early morning of Monday, February 1, 2021, when Senior General Min Aung Hlaing of Myanmar’s military (known as Tatmadaw) performed a surprise coup d’état and arrested the country’s leaders Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint just before the first session of the newly elected…

A wave of self-organised youth-led groups across the world has joined the growing momentum behind the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit, which will peak in September. The UN Food Systems Summit was announced by the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, on World Food Day last October as a part of the Decade of Action for delivery…

In the last few months, many young people have shared with us their worries about the future: what hope can give us direction; what things can we trust and rely on when everything is so unstable? And still more deeply: what goal is worth living for? Other voices rise up and say: we must resist…

From Bangkok to Lagos, from Harare to Hong Kong, from Lima to Santiago, young people are fighting for Democracy and Human Rights. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and the imposition of an emergency decree which prohibits mass gatherings, young Thai activists continue to organize massive protests across the country. This student-led pro-democracy movement marks the…

Inspired by St. Francis of Assisi and by Pope Francis, 2,000 young adults met online to discuss making the economy more responsive to human dignity and more respectful of creation. The Economy of Francesco project, sponsored in part by the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, hosted a virtual global meeting Nov. 19-21. Below…

The latest letter of Pope Francis, his Encyclical, Fratelli Tutti “Brothers and Sisters All,” is one that should touch every heart, stimulate our minds, awaken our conscience, warm our emotions and motivate us to do good and make this a happier, just and better world. Can we humans ever unite as one humanity to change…

For over nine years, violence and displacement have devastated opportunities for youth across the country. Here are nine of the most pressing challenges facing young people in Syria today. 1. Damaged schools. School buildings across Syria have not been shielded from the conflict. Many classrooms have been severely damaged and, in some cases, only rubble…

Starting afresh from children to build a peaceful future in Africa. Rely on their energies to transform the continent into a better place. This is the sense of a virtual meeting, the first of a long series, organized online by the Arrupe Jesuit Institute (AJI) in Ghana, awaited by hundreds of young people from various…

More and more young people are joining protests around the world and are playing an increasingly important role to protest against racism, discrimination and social inequality. Is it possible that eight minutes and 46 seconds can change the world? From London to Lisbon, Berlin to Pretoria, as well as Nairobi, Rio de Janeiro, Rome and…

The world is seeing once again the upsurge of a vicious “virus” that has spread to every corner of the world. This time, the “virus” is that of social, cultural, economic, political, institutional, legal and religious discrimination against people of different skin colour, social status and historical origins. Racism is everywhere and people around the…

In the time of Coronavirus, young people have organised to prevent COVID-19 from spreading and supporting their communities. In Cameroon, Achalake Christian, the coordinator of Local Youth Corner, has launched the “One Person, One Sanitizer” operation to prevent the spread of coronavirus, especially among the poor. He’s working with young people to produce and distribute…

A comprehensive survey of Africa’s youth – the African Youth Survey 2020 –has just revealed a rising Afro-Optimism among the continent’s youth driven by a strong sense of individual responsibility, a post-colonial mind set, entrepreneurship, and confidence in a shared African identity. Africa’s youth believe they can solve problems collaboratively, and are hopeful of fighting…