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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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The right to know!
