by Joyce Wachau Chege I often think about my passport, which has been collecting dust in my suitcase for close to three years now, and I feel sorry for it. I dream of and look forward to the day I will take my first flight, to get on that plane headed for Switzerland. I have …

The Things We Almost Miss Read More »

by Niyati Asati In South Asia, where traditional mindsets remain deeply rooted, feminism is more complex than in many Western societies and embracing the label of feminist often requires considerable courage. ‘Motichur’ is a collection of essays by Begum Rokeya that explores the oppression faced by women and argues that their emancipation was essential to …

Modern Feminism in South Asia Read More »

by Katerina Panagi For decades, peace negotiations on the divided island of Cyprus were treated as the exclusive domain of senior politicians, diplomats, and negotiators. Young Cypriots—born long after the island was physically and politically divided in 1974—frequently found themselves shaped as passive observers of a future being drafted entirely without them.While peace talks cycled …

One Year On: How Cyprus’s Youth Found a Seat at the Peace Table Read More »

by Fadonna Begin Youth unemployment in Malawi remains one of the country’s most urgent challenges that demands a shift from traditional job-seeking towards innovative and sustainable solutions. Not long ago more than 2,500 hopeful, qualified and determined young people showed up to compete for only a handful of Health Surveillance Assistant positions. Is this the …

Rethinking Youth Unemployment in Malawi Read More »

by Filipe Costa When people think of the UK, they often picture abundant rainfall and water security. However, the record-breaking dry month of July this year demonstrates that even traditionally water-secure nations are increasingly vulnerable. This highlights an important reality: water insecurity is no longer confined to traditionally dry regions. Climate change, ageing infrastructure, pollution, …

Beyond Scarcity: Why Water Connects Every Nation Read More »

The Commonwealth will observe International Youth Day (IYD) on 12 August 2026, a day when the world acknowledges the vital role that young people play as agents of change, leaders, and mobilisers in promoting development. This year’s global theme is “Different Contexts, Common Aspirations”. It recognises that while young people’s lives are shaped by very …

Commonwealth to Mark International Youth Day 2026 Read More »

by G Sai Prashanth I spent the last month researching a number that should worry every young person entering tech: for every 10 advanced AI jobs open in India right now, there is roughly one qualified candidate to fill it (Joshi, 2026). Not because people aren’t trying. India’s tech talent pool grew from around 416,000 …

When does Prediction become Surveillance? Read More »

by Louis Kariuki and Evans Ijakaa There is a recurring mistake we make when talking about young people: we describe them as the future, disregarding the fact that they are  already shaping the present. That tension was hard to ignore during the recent capacity-building workshop in Kwale County, Kenya, convened around youth well-being, SDG localisation, …

Beyond Consultation: Youth Agency, Urban Futures from Ambition to Reality Read More »

by Jasmine Koria As journalists, poets, coffee-fueled thesis draft writers…anyone who picks up a pen and dares the world to read their thoughts, I think we’ll all always have a special kind of love for the first platform that gave our work any kind of mainstream exposure. For me, it was the Salient. The official …

An Ode to Salient and the Friends Who Believed in Me Read More »