In this episode of the World Youth Movement for Democracy podcast, WYMDTalks we will have the opportunity to hear more about dealing with the past, transitional justice, and youth activism in the Balkans, the region that was once, during the 1990s, heavily affected by the war.

We have the pleasure of talking to Branka Vierda, Coordinator of Justice and Reconciliation Program at the Youth Initiative for Human Rights Croatia.

In this episode of WYMD Talks Hasan Hasanović, a Srebrenica genocide survivor, shares his story with the youth across the world. Hasan was only 19 years old when forces of the Republika Srpska army killed more than 8000 people in Srebrenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, in July of 1995.

Today, he works at the Srebrenica Memorial Center and is the author of two books: Surviving Srebrenica and Voices from Srebrenica: Survivor Narratives of the Bosnian Genocide. His story is not against anyone, but it is for everyone - to empathize, to learn, and to remember. 

After the United States started withdrawing from Afghanistan, during the first days of August the Taliban swiftly took over cities and provinces. Finally, on August 15 2021 the Taliban have entered Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital city.

In this episode of WYMD Talks, we talked with Spouzhmai Akbarzai, a feminist and an activist from Afghanistan.

We discussed the events that have occurred during the Taliban’s first rule in the 1990s, the arrival and withdrawal of international forces, and the impact that the latest Taliban takeover may once again have on women, girls, civil society representatives, and journalists.

Join us in raising our voices and speaking up about the deteriorating state of human rights in Afghanistan.

We got on a live podcast with activist Nandini Tanya Lallmon to speak about her activism and the challenges the LGBTIQA+ community faces in Mauritius. 

Nandini Tanya Lallmon, from Mauritius, is a social justice activist advocating for sustainable development at the intersection of gender, technology and human rights, who was also appointed as the African Youth Charter Hustler for Mauritius by the African Union Office of the Youth Envoy. Since 2019, she has been the legal lead of the #reform53 advocacy campaign of the Commonwealth Youth Gender and Equality Network aimed at lobbying Heads of Government to commit to reform laws that discriminate against LGBTQI people. 

Throughout the podcast, she shares the story of her activism and tips on how to stay motivated and inspired in the struggle for social justice.

We are joined by Bonolo Magowe of Democracy Works Foundation and Dumiso Gatsha of Success Capital, who are both African Union Youth Charter Hustlers for Botswana. Join us as we explore how a year of on-again off-again lockdowns and related restrictive measures aiming to reduce the spread of COVID-19 have affected human rights and democracy in Botswana, how civil society is navigating the situation, and what is needed for marginalized communities to be better protected by the government. 

Where democracy is fragile, strength is often in numbers - and how those numbers add up. Where democracy is weak, unison and collective action is a crucial tool in fighting undemocratic phenomena, such as widespread and pervasive disinformation. How do we put this into effective practice? This question is examined in this podcast, as Hurford Youth Fellow Annouchka Wijesinghe guides the discussants (Daniel Milo, Rachel Brown and Laura Livingston) through a conversation about effective coalition-building in the fight against disinformation. 

Our commemoration of Africa Day, led by a conversation moderated by WYMD Leadership Board member and founder of Success Capital, Dumiso Gatsha, unpacks variant experiences and layers of complex political discourse in light of our history, civic space and youth dividend. We encourage you to expand conversations that can inspire change and hope amidst the many crises we experience today.

Speakers: 

Saida Ali is an intersectional feminist and an international policy analyst.

Mwinji Nachinga worked with the Commonwealth Youth Human Rights and Democracy Network and holds an LLB.

Crash Maphorisa is an Entrepreneur and serves the Botswana chapter of the African Women's Entrepreneurship Program.

Alex Kofi Donkor is the Director of LGBT+ Rights Ghana & Programs Manager of Priorities on Rights and Sexual Health.

Is the mainstream media responsible for the rise of disinformation in Nigeria? How can fact-checking be used to counter disinformation? What steps should you follow to fact-check a piece of information, either online or offline?

Dive into the second part of our discussion on disinformation, as Hurford Youth Fellow Annouchka Wijesinghe interviews journalist and fact-checking expert Oluwamayowa Tijani.

What disinformation tactics are widespread in the Philippines and Pakistan? How can civil society work to safeguard democracy against malign influences? Where does social media factor into the struggle against disinformation?

Join us in this newest WYMD Talks episode as we delve into these burning questions, and follow the discussion as Hurford Youth Fellow Annouchka Wijesinghe interviews civil society activists and experts on populism and democracy Cleve Arguelles and Risham Waseem. 

Irene Ikomu, Hurford Youth Fellows within National Endowment for Democracy's fellowship programs, interviewed Vera Gogokhia, founder of You for Democracy in Georgia.

Here's what they had to say about key issues of democratic processes and the youth civic and political activism and participation.