In this episode of the Thank You Democracy Podcast, the Global Democracy Coalition sat down with Gina Romero, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association, to discuss why the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association are fundamental to a thriving democracy, some global trends that are particularly alarming, how young people are shaping the current and future landscape of these rights, current gaps in educational efforts, and more.

Gina brings vast experience and insight as the co-founder and former Executive Director of the Latin American and Caribbean Network for Democracy, one of our coalition partners, and the Leading/Senior Researcher for the Youth Violence Assessment in Colombia for Democracy International. For more on Gina’s unique perspective and inspiring journey, listen in to this episode!

In this episode of the Thank You Democracy Podcast, the Global Democracy Coalition sat down with Dr. Kevin Casas Zamora, Secretary General of International IDEA, to discuss his path in public service, the advice he would give to his younger self, effective ways to increase youth engagement in today’s political processes, and his personal story as to why he has dedicated most of his life to promoting and protecting democracy.

Kevin brings vast experience and insight as the former Vice President of Costa Rica, a distinguished political scientist, and a globally recognized advocate for democratic governance. For more on Kevin’s unique perspective and personal stories, listen in to this episode!

In this episode of the Thank You Democracy Podcast, the European Democracy Youth Network sat down with Jakub Rychlý, Veronika Šustrová, and Jakub Šuster to discuss the realities of living under socialism and how it shaped people’s understanding of freedom, the transition from socialism to democracy, how democracy evolves with new generations, how youth is included in democratic processes and more.

These three speakers brings vast experience and insight. Jakub Rychlý is the founder and COO of Nekrachni, an organization dedicated to helping young people achieve financial maturity, as well as an ambassador for EDYN Czechia. He currently acts as the Spokesperson for the Republic Youth Forum, which operates under the Czech Council of Children and Youth. Veronika Šustrová is an internationally certified coach (ACC) and business mentor with over 25 years of experience in fields such as finance, banking, healthcare, and telecommunications. Jakub Šuster is the co-founder and CEO of Elv.ai, a Slovak startup using AI to fight online misinformation and hate speech. For more on their thoughts and experienced insights, listen in to this episode!

In this episode of the Thank You Democracy Podcast, the Global Democracy Coalition sat down with Colombe Cahen-Salvador, distinguished political activist, co-founder of the Atlas Movement, and a candidate for Secretary-General of the United Nations, to discuss her candidacy for UN Secretary General, challenges from rising authoritarianism, the importance of youth engagement in strengthening democratic processes, Atlas’s successes in furthering democratic development, and more.

Colombe brings vast experience and insight as the co-founder of the first pan-European political party, Volt Europa, which elected representatives at the 2019 European Elections and local elections on a vision of a more united and progressive EU, and as a trustee of the United Nations Association – UK, working to improve knowledge of transnational organisations and reform. For more on Colombe’s thoughts, listen in to this episode!

In the third episode of the Thank You Democracy Podcast, our Coalition Partner, The Youth Cafe sat down with Samuel Komu and Joshua Muteti Munyoki, both are Project Officers at Transparency International Kenya. Samuel is a lawyer by profession with more than 8 years experience in governance, project management, policy formulation, partner and community engagement, movement building and fundraising. Samuel also coordinates local, regional and international advocacy efforts to promote good governance in the land sector. Joshua Muteti is a Political Economist with vast experience in good governance and tax justice work. He currently leads in the development of strategies and interventions aligned to the successful implementation of programs, monitoring and documentation, and providing overall programme leadership to the Public Finance Management Programme in Transparency International Kenya.

In this episode, Samuel and Joshua discuss the impact and success of Integrity Walkathons, how young people are getting involved in anti-corruption efforts, and more. This episode has been adapted to align with the content of our Advocacy Campaign. To learn about the impact of corruption in Kenya and for more on Samuel and Joshua’s thoughts, listen to this episode! #ThankYouDemocracy

For the full episode, please visit the Youth Cafe’s podcast: ⁠https://www.theyouthcafe.com/the-youth-cafe-podcast⁠

In the second episode of the Thank You Democracy Podcast, the Asia Centre sat down with Prim Maneechot, Thai advocate for human rights and civil society, to discuss the enduring impact of Thailand’s youth movements in democratic initiatives such an the push for free and fair elections, education system reform, a more democratic constitution and challenging traditional structures like monarchy, all crucial issues in today’s global democracy.

Prim brings vast experience and insight as a community organizer for Article Group, a volunteer project coordinator for the project “Freedom of Expression”, a freelance content creator, law tutor and passionate human rights defender. For more on Prim’s thoughts, listen in to this episode!

We're thrilled to kick off the "Thank You Democracy Podcast" with special guest, Felipe Paullier, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs. From his early days in medicine to his pivotal role at the UN, Paullier embodies the spirit of active, impactful youth engagement in democracy.

In this episode, Felipe dives into the transformative role of young leaders in today's political arena and shares inspiring insights on how the youth can and are reshaping democracy. Join us for a journey through the challenges and triumphs of advocating for youth participation at a global scale.