From India to Iowa, young people are mobilising themselves for many different reasons: out of sheer anger at the world, against authoritarianism, the cost of living, climate change and uncertain futures to name but a few. In times of social, financial and physical insecurity, history has shown how people can be attracted by the promises of the far right, scapegoating migrants; Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour; the LGTBQI community; and anyone else that doesn’t fit into their worldview. Many are falling into this trap.
Over the last few weeks, however, these movements and marches have given us hope. Hungary, Serbia, Brazil and most recently the US midterms have given us a diverse range of firsts. The fall of Serbia’s authoritarian regime to a student list without a clear leader has opened up new possibilities for democracy; a social-media-led drive that turned around support for Lula in Brazil came from the grass roots rather than state-sponsored influencers; and anger at the cost of living in the US resulted in ten ‘diversity’ firsts in a massive snub to MAGA’s white male hegemony.
Whether the consequences were intended or not, the backlash has already begun, but don’t forget, the generation on the streets and at the polling booths are the ones brought up on playing truant to join climate marches, the ones whose school years and social development were set back by the COVID-19 pandemic. They are angry, connected to what is happening in the world, and to each other. These are our kids and we – the people and the politicians – have messed up. We must listen, learn and act to secure a better, more inclusive and stable future – starting with making the right choices in the 2027 election year.
Emma Woodford is the Chief Operating Officer at the European Policy Centre.
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