Democratic Participation & Representation
Lowering the age of candidacy
Youth quotas: promise, pitfalls, practice
Entry barriers: finance, caste, gender, access
First-time voters & electoral literacy
Civic Tech, Media & the Digital Public Sphere
Social media & youth political identity
Algorithmic bias, activism & platform accountability
Digital tools for voter mobilization
Disinformation & polarization
Comparative & Global Perspectives
Global South youth movements
UN & global youth forums: engagement vs tokenism
Democratic backsliding & youth resistance
Diaspora & transnational participation
Institutions, Education & State Capacity
Civic education: curriculum vs culture
Youth councils & local governance
Youth-friendly administrations
Public service as a youth career path
Conference Overview
Across the world, young people are reshaping democracy—from climate protests and electoral reform to digital rights and grassroots resistance. Yet despite their energy and numbers, youth remain underrepresented in parliaments, policy spaces, and international forums. The Youth & Democracy Conference challenges this status quo.Hosted at Marwadi University by the Centre for Youth Policy (CYP) and the Young India Foundation (YIF), this two-day international convening brings together youth leaders, scholars, policymakers, and practitioners from the Global South and beyond to examine how young people engage with democratic structures and how democracies must adapt to fully include, represent, and empower them.Designed as academic in form and participatory in spirit, the conference pairs daytime paper presentations, research panels, and closed-door policy roundtables with evening keynotes, cultural showcases, town halls, and intergenerational dialogues that connect evidence with public imagination. Inspired by global models, from European youth democracy forums to resilience summits, this gathering responds to the urgency of our time: democratic backsliding, youth disillusionment, and a rapidly evolving digital public sphere demand new ideas, new leadership, and new alliances.
Mission
Bridge the gap between academic research and practical policy implementation in youth democratic participation
Scope
International perspectives on youth political engagement with special focus on Global South experiences
Network
Connect with leading researchers, policymakers, and youth organizations from around the world
Global Perspectives & Youth Representation
The conference brings together diverse voices to examine youth democratic participation across different political systems and cultural contexts. We focus on understanding both challenges and opportunities for meaningful youth engagement in governance.
Call for Papers.
We invite submissions from
researchers, practitioners, and students
An agenda filled with knowledge
Across the world, young people are reshaping democracy—from climate protests and electoral reform to digital rights and grassroots resistance.
Welcome Address – Marwadi University Leadership
Opening Remarks – Centre for Youth Policy (CYP) & Konrad Adenauer Foundation
Youth Representation and Democratic Legitimacy in the 21st Century
Panel A: Democratic Participation & Representation
Youth quotas, age of candidacy, finance, caste & gender barriers
Panel B: First-Time Voters & Electoral Literacy
Political socialization, civic learning, electoral trust & turnout
Panel C: Civic Tech, Media & Political Identity
Panel D: Disinformation, Polarization & Democratic Resilience
Roundtable 1: Designing Youth-Inclusive Electoral Systems
Roundtable 2: Youth, Platforms & Democratic Regulation
Summary of key findings & identification of policy takeaways
Why Youth Influence Democracy Today
From Voice to Power: How Young People Change Systems
Panel E: Social Media, Movements & Political Identity
Narratives, creator responsibility, activism vs performative politics
Panel F: Youth, Culture & Political Expression
Art, music, comedy, storytelling, cultural resistance & belonging
Is democracy failing young people?
Should influencers be political?
Town Hall 1: Youth and Elections
Town Hall 2: Youth and Digital Power
Student leaders · Youth entrepreneurs · Grassroots organizers
What young people want from democracy now
We've got the answers for your questions
Seriously, if you have any questions about the conference, we have the answers.
The Youth & Democracy Conference is a global gathering of scholars, practitioners, policymakers, and youth leaders examining how young people are reshaping democratic life. Hosted by the Centre for Youth Policy (CYP) and Marwadi University, the conference offers research presentations, policy dialogues, and interactive public events.
Anyone working on or interested in youth politics, civic engagement, democratic participation, public policy, civic technology, political psychology, social movements, and comparative politics is welcome. This includes:
• Researchers and academics
• Students and early-career scholars
• Policymakers and government officials
• Civil society and NGO leaders
• Youth-led organizations
• Journalists, technologists, and practitioners in civic tech
The conference is hosted at Marwadi University, India, in Rajkot, India.
The Youth & Democracy Conference will be held over two days, from Friday, 28 February to Saturday, 29 February.