By Margaux de Foy, Intern at the Euro-Mena initiative
In an era defined by rapid digital transformation, young people across Europe and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) are emerging as powerful civic actors. Their activism increasingly flows through digital spaces, platforms where they connect, organize, debate, and build new forms of solidarity, beyond the reach of traditional institutions. Yet despite this growing influence, youth from both regions rarely have structured opportunities to speak directly to one another and to understand the reality of the situation without any filters. This gap matters, as European and MENA youth today share a common challenge: navigating an overwhelming flow of information, conflicting narratives, and competing perspectives about the crises shaping the region.
A Generation Drowning in Information, Hungry for Truth
Across Europe, young people are becoming increasingly discerning about the sources of information they rely on. Events in the MENA region are often portrayed through narrow frames, stripped of local context, nuance, and human stories. As a result, European youth are developing a growing interest in MENA issues, seeking to understand the realities behind headlines and forming critical perspectives on oppression, violence, and global inequalities. Yet, access to authentic voices remains limited, leaving gaps in knowledge and understanding.
Dialogue with MENA youth offers a powerful means to bridge this gap. Young people living directly within or near contexts of displacement, conflict, or political transition provide lived experiences that go beyond what mainstream reporting can convey. Their stories, analyses, and reflections humanize complex situations, challenge one-dimensional narratives, and foster empathy. Facilitating structured exchanges, through digital platforms, youth networks, or collaborative projects, enables the creation of shared knowledge, promotes mutual understanding, and equips both European and MENA youth to engage critically, advocate effectively, and contribute to long-term solutions. By supporting these youth-to-youth initiatives, we invest in a generation capable of shaping informed, nuanced perspectives that will strengthen civic engagement, transnational dialogue, and resilient partnerships across regions.
Building Bridges Today to Strengthen Tomorrow’s Decision-Makers
Fostering Euro–MENA youth dialogue is essential, as this generation will soon inherit key decision-making responsibilities. Geopolitical tensions,from displacement crises in Syria and Palestine to instability in Sudan, will not dissipate overnight, and future leaders will require a nuanced understanding of these complex challenges in order to develop sustainable solutions.
Strengthening dialogue between the two regions allows young people to access accurate knowledge, engage constructively, and contribute to reshaping public discourse. By promoting exchanges between youth, civil society, and expert networks, we can help ensure that the next generation remains at the forefront of political and social innovation, fostering understanding, collaboration, and a more connected, resilient future.
Young people from both regions are already eager to engage. They debate, mobilize, and imagine new futures through digital tools, yet structured spaces to meet, share experiences, and collaborate on common strategies remain limited. Creating these opportunities will equip the next generation with fresh perspectives and the collaborative skills needed to address shared challenges effectively.
Challenging Institutions and Embracing Modern Civic Tools
Institutions in both Europe and MENA are evolving more slowly than the societies they serve. Many structures were designed for a previous era, limiting their ability to innovate or incorporate new ideas. Youth activism, particularly through digital channels, introduces creative forms of engagement,online campaigns, cross-border collaborations, hackathons for public policy, and digital storytelling, that can reinvigorate civic space.
For this renewal to be effective, it must be international. The crises that shape the Euro–MENA sphere, migration, climate change, disinformation, and conflict, transcend borders. Solutions require the insights of youth who understand their local realities and can articulate them with clarity and urgency.
Toward a New Model of Euro–MENA Youth Dialogue
New bridges must therefore be built between European and MENA youth to promote knowledge exchange, counter narrow narratives, and develop long-term solutions. These initiatives will not only enhance civic engagement but also cultivate mutual understanding at a moment when new perspectives and alliances are essential.
Possible approaches include:
- EU-supported youth dialogue platforms connecting activists, students, researchers, and creators across both regions.
- Digital storytelling exchanges to share authentic experiences and counter misinformation.
- Youth advisory councils integrating voices from both Europe and MENA into discussions on migration, development, security, and climate.
- Collaborative civic-tech initiatives where youth design solutions together, fostering shared ownership of ideas.