International Youth Summit: Expand Democracy

Organizing around joy and hope is much more sustainable”, said Londiwe Mntambo at the Youth Summit organized by the Alumni Network of the Fort Hare Activist School (FHAS). The summit took place on Human Rights Day 2025 in Johannesburg and brought together youth representatives from Namibia, Lesotho, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Kenya and South Africa.

Participants agreed that reclaiming and expanding democracy means bridging divides across party lines, class, and ethnicity. Young people must unite around shared struggles and common interests. Engaging non-traditional allies and sympathizers is vital to winning any struggle. Many people are drifting towards conservative politics largely due to a perception that democracy can’t deliver concrete outcomes. If we want to win, we must show that democracy can address socio-economic inequality, exploitation and hunger. Youth must be intentional about making change and bold about claiming space.

“Sometimes we get so stuck in our activism that we forget to imagine what a better world could look like. We need to keep imagining", concluded Peter Olewe from Kenya.