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How it all began

The Youth Democracy Cohort was launched on 15 September 2022 during the European Year of Youth in 2022 as an inclusive platform bringing together governments, civil society and the private sector to advance youth political and civic engagement. Originally, this cohort was designed to take meaningful action toward implementing government commitments from the Summit for Democracy, supported by the European Commission through the Women and Youth in Democracy Engagement (WYDE) initiative. 

The Youth Democracy Cohort (YDC) has since grown beyond the Summit for Democracy, expanding to more than 550 member organisations and advocating for youth political participation globally via a wide range of impactful activities. In 2025, the YDC received new funding from the Digital Democracy Initiative, to focus specifically on the digital rights of young people.

Summit for Democracy 

The Youth Democracy Cohort is one of several multi-stakeholder platforms that have been launched as part of the Year of Action of the Summit for Democracy, initiated by former U.S. President Joe Biden in December 2021 and where President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, also participated. 


The European Commission, the Governments of Nepal and Ghana, the European Partnership for Democracy (EPD), AfricTivistes, the European Democratic Youth Network (EDYN) and International IDEA jointly presented the Youth Democracy Cohort as co-leaders during the International Day of Democracy 2022 in Brussels, with the aim of supporting young people in democracies locally and globally. The Cohort has since actively participated and contributed to both subsequent iterations of the Summit, in Costa Rica 2023 and South Korea 2024.

Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen "The broad engagement and participation of young people at all levels of policymaking is the engine that drives strong and stable democracies forward. The European Commission is committed to advancing youth democratic participation worldwide, as shown equally by the imminent adoption of our first ever Youth Action Plan for EU external action. I am proud that we are joined by so many partners in launching together the Youth Participation Cohort.”

WYDE Civic Engagement 

Under the WYDE Civic Engagement project, launched in 2022 by the European Partnership for Democracy (EPD), the YDC focuses on two main areas: advocating for greater and more meaningful youth inclusion in democratic systems, and advancing global conversations on democratic participation through youth-led research. EPD and its member organisations play a key role in this mission by supporting civil society and youth leaders through targeted capacity-building efforts. Additionally, the Quick Impact Actions mechanism addresses urgent needs at the country level in order to support urgent needs in youth political inclusion and participation.

Digitalise Youth

Since 2025, the YDC is advancing its mission of fostering inclusive democratic participation with the launch of the Digitalise Youth project. This two-year project addresses shrinking civic spaces, disinformation, and digital surveillance in the Sahel and neighbouring regions by equipping youth activists, CSOs, and media organisations with digital skills, civic tech tools, and AI solutions, while fostering collaboration with tech developers to bridge gaps with Human Rights Defenders. The project is part of the Digital Democracy Initiative (DDI) introduced in 2023 by Denmark, the EU Commission, and Norway.

⚡ Powered by the European Union 🇪🇺 & the Digital Democracy Initiative🇩🇰
💭 Composed by the Youth Democracy Cohort