250605 WEXFO25 + 2023 2024 (1) by ChildPress.org

CHILDREN’S 500

2025

LILLEHAMMER, NORWAY

CATALOGUE WEXFO 2025 YOUTH PARTICIPATION

An Invitation to Listen, Connect and Act

This 2025 edition of the Children’s 500 highlights inspiring individuals connected to WEXFO, and builds on our presence at the conferences in 2023 and 2024 — where we met people deeply committed to youth participation and children’s rights.

At ChildPress, we believe in the power of young people — and in those who stand beside them. That’s why we share stories of changemakers: young voices and the adults who support them. People who speak up, who listen, and who help create real change.

These are not just names. They are people to learn from, connect with, and be inspired by. Because too often, essential voices — especially those of children and youth — go unheard.

The Children’s 500 wants to change that. Let this be more than a magazine.

Let it be an invitation — to discover, to connect, and to take part.

We cover each one of you!

WEXFO 2025

Childpress

KRISTENN EINARSSON

AUTHOR & MANAGING DIRECTOR OF WEXFO

It is difﬁcult to have intergenerational meeting places if generation number two, the adults, doesn’t show up.

Many young people want more dialogue with adults. We have to ﬁnd ways to make that happen.

We have to stop seeing young people just as young voices, they are experts. They are here because of their competence.

“I'manoldmantryingtodo somegoodfortheyoung.”

CHILDPRESS AT WEXFO

2025

In a world that too often listens only to the loudest or most powerful voices, young people around the globe are speaking up — with conviction, with courage, with hope. Not to ask if they may speak, but to show they already are. Everywhere. Every day.

What you will read in this magazine is not a collection of polite interviews. It’s testimony. It’s declaration. It’s a call — from Ukraine, Poland, Thailand, Norway, Palestine, Sub-Saharan Africa and beyond. These are voices of youth who know what it feels like not to be heard. Who don’t just study radicalization — they live next to it, and live in it. Who understand that freedom of expression is not a given, but a responsibility. They speak of censorship. Of safety. Of hope as strategy. Of action, not just conversation — because while words can inspire, it’s action that reshapes the world. These young people don’t want a symbolic seat at the table — they want to help design the table itself. With others. Across difference. Across borders.

And as outdated systems struggle with mistrust, they say: give us space. Give us each other. Give us the chance to share stories, to build platforms, and to rebuild trust.

This magazine doesn’t aim for smooth, polished slogans. What you’ll ﬁnd are words that challenge, touch, and wake us up. Every quote, every thought, every voice is a building block. For tomorrow. For now. For those who are ready to listen.

NATIONAL

LOCAL

Youth engagement starts local. Trust them, include them, and they will lead the way — especially where trust in authority is fragile.

NATIONAL

LOCAL

I believe in the power of people who share the same values — defending press freedom, freedom of speech, and freedom of expression. My name is Karina, and as a writer and human rights advocate, I stand for these rights every day.

NATIONAL

LOCAL

In my country, speaking the truth can be treated as a crime. Calling the war a war is forbidden — the government sees it as spreading fakes. For that, people risk up to 15 years in prison. This is what military censorship looks like.

NATIONAL

LOCAL

What we learned here doesn’t stop at the conference. We want to take this energy back home — to speak up, take action, and create spaces where others can do the same.

Everything begins with a conversation. When we talk and listen, we learn. And once we understand, we start to care — and act.

NATIONAL

LOCAL

We must hold power to account — not with anger, but with conversation and pressure. Real youth participation starts when decision-makers commit to listening.

NATIONAL

LOCAL

Critical thinking is our superpower — our best defense against manipulation and fake news. But in a world full of opinions and blurred facts, real truth begins with listening, questioning, and respecting one another.

NATIONAL

LOCAL

Hope is built through action. We can use it as a strategy to mobilize people and create real commitment through solidarity.

NATIONAL

LOCAL

Expression helps us evolve — alone and together. That’s why our most powerful action is standing in solidarity.

NATIONAL

LOCAL

Remember how you made each other feel — because in a world that forgets too easily, remembering is resistance. Let memory be your lesson, your challenge, and your call to action.

NATIONAL

LOCAL

We don’t just want to talk — we want to act. Give us the tools, the skills, and the space to make a real impact.

NATIONAL

LOCAL

Real change starts with practical steps — even the ones you take home today. Authoritarian regimes count on our silence and division. But we’re strongest when we stand together. You don’t have to think big to make an impact — just believe you’re here for a reason.

NATIONAL

LOCAL

NATIONAL

Youth radicalization is a threat — but silence is part of the cause. Young people deserve real spaces to speak, not just symbolic seats at the table. Diversity begins when every voice is heard, especially the ones we’re not used to hearing.

LOCAL

Young people have the right to be taken seriously — not just sometimes, not just when it’s convenient. We may still be growing, uncertain at times, but we show up. That courage deserves to be met with respect.

NATIONAL

LOCAL

We don’t need power to speak for us — we need it to step aside and listen. True allyship means using your privilege to make space. A real forum for expression must reﬂect the whole world — not just the voices of Western Europe.

NATIONAL

LOCAL

Representation is not enough. True inclusion means listening — especially when the voices come from outside the spotlight.

NATIONAL

LOCAL

True inclusion means more than inviting voices — it means giving the mic, the stage, and the space to lead. If we want to understand global realities, we must listen to those who live them — and give them what they need to be heard.

NATIONAL

LOCAL

Your story matters. When we share it, we build community — across borders, across struggles. That’s how change grows.

NATIONAL

LOCAL

Tomorrow isn’t just a name — it’s a space where ideas from 54 countries meet. By sharing what we have, we unlock the power to fund, build, and rally. Real change starts when we centralize our creativity and act together.

NATIONAL

LOCAL

Freedom of expression is tested in crisis — but that’s also when we learn not to judge too quickly. We need the courage to speak, the humility to listen, and the will to stay open. Every system has limits — but every person has a voice.

NATIONAL

LOCAL

CHILDREN’S 500

LILLEHAMMER, NORWAY

CHILDPRESS AT WEXFO 2024

This is more than a collection of interviews.

It’s a record of resistance, reﬂection, and rising voices — from Ghana to Gaza, Norway to the Philippines.

Voices that carry pain, pride, poetry, and protest. Voices that don’t just speak — they demand to be heard. In these pages, you’ll meet young people who refused silence.

Some found their voice through poetry, others through activism, theater, or simply by saying: enough. They ﬂed war, challenged stigma, built new paths — and chose courage.

They speak of unsafe classrooms, of social media that spreads hate, of communities afraid to talk. But they also speak of building something new — together.

These stories are not distant or abstract. They are urgent. They show us broken systems, and those brave enough to push back.

Above all, they afﬁrm a shared truth: Freedom of expression is not optional. It is the foundation of dignity, democracy, and development.

This magazine begins there. Not just with interviews — but with invitations. To listen. To learn. To stand alongside.

There is so much pain — and still, we don’t feel safe to speak in our classrooms. We need safe spaces where feelings can be expressed, even if just in writing. Silence hurts too.

INTERNATIONAL WEXFO 2024

NATIONAL WEXFO 2024

LOCAL WEXFO 2024

Every young person deserves to be heard — no matter where they come from or what they've been through.

INTERNATIONAL WEXFO 2024

NATIONAL WEXFO 2024

LOCAL WEXFO 2024

INTERNATIONAL WEXFO 2024

NATIONAL WEXFO 2024

Youth expression and community leadership come together powerfully in the arts — especially in the kind of theater that transforms both stage and society.

LOCAL WEXFO 2024

Freedom of expression touches everything — our identity, our rights, our dignity. Nothing is untouched by it.

INTERNATIONAL WEXFO 2024

NATIONAL WEXFO 2024

LOCAL WEXFO 2024

INTERNATIONAL WEXFO 2024

NATIONAL WEXFO 2024

My concern is the youngsters — they’re exposed to tremendous fear and streams of real bullshit information every day. I’m Palestinian, and I will never accept that another minority is attacked in the name of Palestine. That hate only feeds the conﬂict.

LOCAL WEXFO 2024

Extremists speak the language of young people. They use emotion, drama, and the algorithm. We need to do the same — not with fear, but with creativity and truth. We know how TikTok works. Talk to us.

INTERNATIONAL WEXFO 2024

NATIONAL WEXFO 2024

LOCAL WEXFO 2024

We expect youth to study, work, be active, speak up — and do it all for free. But freedom of expression only works if young people have the space and support to actually live and speak safely.

INTERNATIONAL WEXFO 2024

NATIONAL WEXFO 2024

LOCAL WEXFO 2024

Let’s not wait for policy to change. Use storytelling, social media, and digital tools to connect students with real voices from around the world. We already have the platforms — now we need intention.

INTERNATIONAL WEXFO 2024

NATIONAL WEXFO 2024

LOCAL WEXFO 2024

CHILDREN’S 500

LILLEHAMMER, NORWAY

Johan H.

Andresen

Chair, Council on Ethics

Norwegian Government Pension Fund Global

Everyyoungpersonwhooncetheygettheir firstpaycheck,andisengagedinana importantissue,shouldusetheirpowerand asktheirpensionfundwhattheyas shareholderisdoingaboutthatsameissue.

WEXFOWorldExpressionForum PanelDebate22may2023Lillehammer