When Asaad (name changed to protect identity) heard that he was invited to a Madania (civilian-led) forum with other citizens in his town, Kassala, Sudan, he had to stop and think carefully about whether it would be wise to attend. Kassala, the capital of the state and a border trade hub known for its views of the Taka Mountains, was filled with intergroup tension. To Asaad, attending a forum with members of other ethnic groups sounded dangerous.

Under the Speak Youth To Power campaign, NDI has emphasized the importance of young people translating their power to sustained action and influence over political decision-making and democratic processes. In support of NDI’s commitment to strengthening young people’s impact, influence and leadership, we spoke to some of our youth-led partners around the world. They shared their stories about expanding civic space and strengthening youth voices, dialogue and debate, advocacy, civic education and political parties.

With the second anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine coming soon, Ukrainian young people are being called upon and shaping the present and future of Ukraine. Some serve their country through their military service, while others, like Kateryna Hlushchenko, support Ukrainian civil society and are beginning to plan what the future of a free Ukraine would look like. Kateryna is a Board member of “Community of Active Youth”, a National Endowment for Democracy-funded civil society organization that promotes youth activism and supports youth amid war.

In collaboration with Foreign Policy, the National Democratic Institute celebrated the power of youth voices in a Defending Democracy “game changer” event, featuring U.S. Representative Sara Jacobs and U.S. Special Envoy for Global Youth Issues Abby Finkenauer, and three young leaders, Lu Argueta, Eliud Luutsa and Marina Csikós.

In support of NDI’s commitment to strengthening young people’s impact, influence and leadership, we are highlighting the essential work of our youth-led partners. These leaders are fighting at the forefront for the inclusion of young people in decision-making processes and the elimination of barriers to political participation for young people in all their diversity.

For decades, party international organizations have mobilized like-minded political parties from around the world to share knowledge and organize a joint agenda. However, democratically-minded party networks have historically lacked a dedicated international space to collaborate with each other in the defense of democratic institutions globally. In order to answer the rise of authoritarians around the world, party internationals can work together to leverage their powerful party networks to enact and protect new democratic norms.