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In their day-to-day contact with young people, the partners fully measure up the size of the gap that separates the younger generations from the democratic process. This is also amply documented by the decreasing participation of young people in elections at all levels and is all the more true in regions facing cultural, linguistic, social and religious problems. Whereas “protest” remains a vector for young people, especially students, to manifest their citizenship, their direct involvement in proactive, solution-driven, bottom-up democratic processes is neither sought by the decision-makers, nor do young people strive to access all channels open to them.

There is real urgency for society to address the double challenge resulting from the above:

• The more young people exclude themselves from the democratic system, the less the system will reach out to them; and conversely.
• When a system stops working for the people it is supposed to represent it loses its legitimacy.

The combination of these two factors represents a real threat for democracy.