“Youth possess a great capacity to reimagine society and therefore play an irreplaceable role in bringing diverse people together.” With these words Sophia Massrouri from the Baha’i International Community’s (BIC) Brussels Office opened the roundtable discussion titled ‘Youth as protagonists in bringing diverse populations together’. The event was hosted in light of the European Youth Week and gathered together youth working in various fields, at the grassroots level, and also civil society representatives. Key themes which arose during the event included the role of youth in overcoming prejudice within their communities and also the role institutions and municipalities play in encouraging and supporting the contributions of youth. 

Participants explored the role of youth in enacting positive social change, especially in efforts to overcome racism, due to their ability to create spaces where people from different backgrounds, cultures, and beliefs can come together.

While sharing on the role of young people in helping to overcome prejudice and therefore helping to facilitate meaningful changes in a community, the BIC’s Benjamin Mesbah said that “Bringing people together is really a daily, simple thing that youth can do that doesn't require many resources, but offering that moment of friendship, of understanding, to that one other person is something every youth can do.” 

Deep-seated prejudice, the group discussed, cannot be overcome at either the individual or institutional level through anti-racism policies alone. Nicolas Hamer, a youth activist from Brussels, shared that youth possess a “deep sense of justice” and that “support structures are needed which allow these young people to be able to express their vision.” 

While sharing on the role of schools, sports and cultural institutions in fostering an enabling environment that can help to overcome prejudice , Guyroger Zoïzo, a primary school teacher in Brussels, said that sports is “a very simple example of how to bring people together united for one goal” which allows young people to “come to the realization that it's possible to gather people from different backgrounds, so it could be implemented in other spheres of society.” 

Participants emphasized the unique contributions of youth, driven by their curiosity and eagerness to learn and shape society. They discussed how societal perceptions of youth and their self-perception translate into action, underscoring the importance of embracing a positive view to empower youth in actively shaping society.

In exploring the complementary role of institutions in creating spaces and effectively encouraging the unique contributions of youth, Neysan Khabirpour, an economist focused on EU policy-making, said “There must be opportunities in society for youth to reflect on their own lives, on the constructive and destructive forces in society. In this process, institutions play an indispensable role in supporting and creating spaces where these questions are not only asked, but where insights are also translated into action.” It was emphasized that youth should be supported in a sustainable way from the local environment up to the national and EU level, while recognising the crucial role of institutions and municipalities in creating spaces where young people can bring together diverse populations and actively shape their communities.