ALForum Day3

20 June

10.30-11.45 am

1- Preserving the Past, Protecting the Future: Mediterranean Heritage and Climate Change

Hotel of Tirana, Balsha

This session explores the dynamic nexus between climate change and heritage through an integrated, interdisciplinary lens. Heritage shouldn’t be seen as a passive victim of climate threats. This session examines how heritage can serve as a tool for both mitigating and adapting to climate change. Mediterranean heritage encompasses cultural, natural, and biocultural aspects that contribute to knowledge systems, practices, and identities, which can help shape inclusive climate plans that consider the community’s needs. 

This session blends expert opinions with interactive forms, inviting participants to contribute to the creation of a Climate-Heritage Matrix. This method connects different kinds of heritage—tangible, intangible, natural, and biocultural—with actions that affect climate, making room for group discussion, word clouds, and problem-solving.

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2- Leveraging New Insights on Research Quality Standards: Benefits for Decision Makers 

Hotel of Tirana, Abreti 1/2

Co-organising Partner Embassy Good Science

This session explores how strengthening research quality standards can empower policymakers, advocates, and civil society leaders across the Euro-Mediterranean to drive more inclusive, effective, and evidence-based action. In a region confronting complex challenges, high-integrity research is not a luxury but a necessity.

Bringing together voices from academia, civil society, and international organisations, the session will examine how evolving research ethics, methodologies, and evaluation tools can enhance the impact and credibility of knowledge production. It will showcase regionally grounded strategies that ensure research is relevant, inclusive, and responsive to community needs.

Participants will discover practical frameworks and collaborative approaches for building a robust research ecosystem that bridges the gap between data and decision-making, inquiry and implementation.

This session calls for investing in trustworthy knowledge as the foundation for better governance, stronger advocacy, and long-term regional development.

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3- تمكين المرأة في مختلف المجالات مثل الإعلام والفنون والسياسة والمجتمع بشكل عام في المنطقة الأورومتوسطية

Opera House, Cultures

شهدت العقود الأخيرة تحولا ملحوظا في دور المرأة عبر المجالات المختلفة، بد اءا من الإعلام والفنون ووصولا إلى السياسة والمجتمع. لا يمكن إعتبارتمكين المرأة فقط حقا من حقوق الإنسان، بل أيضا عاملا حاسما في تحقيق التنمية المستدامة والازدهار الاقتصادي كما أن تمكين المرأة ليس خيارا، بل ضرورة لبناء مجتمعات متوازنة. عندما تُعطى المرأة الفرصة، تصبح قوة دافعة للتغيير الإيجابي في كل المجالات.

ستتناول الجلسة المحاور التالية

تمكين المرأة في الإعلام –

المرأة والمجتمع المدني من المشاركة إلى التمكين –

الرقص البلدى كانعكاس لمقاومة الجسد الأنًثوي في مصر –

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4- Building Stronger Civil Societies: Good Practices for Inclusive and Collaborative Action

Hotel of Tirana, Metropol

Across the Euro-Mediterranean region, civil society organisations (CSOs) are grappling with shrinking civic space, growing inequality, and evolving governance and digital environments. Yet, in the face of these pressures, CSOs are pioneering inclusive and creative approaches to strengthen rights, democratic resilience, and social cohesion. This session showcases how civil society is shifting from reactive service delivery to proactive, collaborative action that centres on inclusion, wellbeing, and shared purpose.

The discussion will explore practical examples of how CSOs harness technology such as AI to inform decision-making, leveraging intersectional advocacy to challenge exclusion, and integrating cultural practices to reshape public participation. Speakers will highlight how civil society innovation is rooted in care, connection, and adaptability, from promoting mental health within humanitarian workforces to rebuilding trust between communities and institutions. These approaches underscore the potential of civil society not just as a service provider but as a transformative force for societal renewal.

Participants will examine how capacity-building, ethical digital innovation, and participatory strategies can equip CSOs to operate in restrictive environments and amplify marginalised voices. With a strong emphasis on sustainability and mental well-being, this session offers a blueprint for a future-ready civil society that balances structural change with human connection, proving that inclusive, collaborative action is both possible and powerful in the Euro-Mediterranean context.

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5- Hands On practitioners for a participatory and resilient Euro-Med region

Hotel of Tirana, Bodgani

As a region with shared histories and new problems, the Euro-Mediterranean area needs answers that are based on common sense and work together. This session looks at how public actors can be better prepared to deal with the region’s social, economic, and environmental changes through hands-on learning and sharing of knowledge between peers. Five people from the ALF Hands-On Program will be talking about real-life experiments with youth involvement, building peace, social inclusion, and innovation at the community level. These people who are working to make things better bring ideas from where they live, showing that real-life experience and sharing with others in the same area can lead to flexible, community-focused solutions. This is more than just a showcase; it’s a place to think about the critical thinking, digital literacy, leadership, and cross-cultural collaboration skills that are needed to make a difference in public life

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6- Words Across Borders: A Space for Connection and Reflection

Hotel of Tirana, Onufri

Experience the transformational power of storytelling and art at “Words Across Borders: A Space for Connection and Reflection,” a captivating and complex session organised by the Citizen Action Space networks of Luxembourg, Estonia, Portugal, and Lebanon. Using the creative power of letter-writing, graffiti, and photography, this event builds genuine cultural bridges, encouraging intercultural discourse and collaboration.

Participants will delve into subjects such as youth empowerment, sustainability, and peacebuilding, creatively expressing their aspirations and concerns, notably about environmental stewardship in the Euro-Mediterranean region. Artworks and written reflections created during the event will be prominently displayed, encouraging ongoing participation and generating new discussions. Selected works will appear in a digital magazine selected by the Denmark Network, ensuring that these powerful ideas are heard beyond the event, encouraging long-term collaborations and beneficial projects.

This session provides an immersive environment for creative thinking and meaningful cultural exchange, elevating varied voices and encouraging greater mutual understanding. It fosters a dynamic environment in which civil society activists, artists, and changemakers may discuss the role of creativity in creating collective action.

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7- Humanity Rising: Healing and hope beyond war “Case Study: the ALFinMotion mobility for creativity exhibition “My Boots are Beautiful”"

Hotel of Tirana, Classic

This session delves into the emotional and cultural impact of war through a deeply human lens—one that canters coexistence, civic memory, and creativity. Anchored in the ALF in Motion initiative “My Boots Are Beautiful,” it reimagines how storytelling, art, and personal experience can reconnect fractured societies and empower the next generation as peacebuilders.

The discussion is based on real-life stories and cultural memory from neighbourhoods influenced by displacement, diversity, and resilience. Panellists will discuss how memories, mobility, and civic engagement may help create belonging and repair trust across borders and identities. The session depicts a transnational art project that connected children from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Turkey, two countries with vastly different historical experiences, via a simple, powerful symbol: the boot.

In a unique, interactive twist, participants will be given badges featuring the children’s artwork and invited to draw their own boot as a comment on peace, security, and cultural identity. This tactile experience will allow attendees to internalize and reinterpret the panel’s themes, transforming abstract concepts such as tolerance and cohabitation into personal, creative interpretations.

This is more than simply a session; it is a live demonstration of the power of empathy in action.

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8- Walk the Talk: Institutionalising Youth Participation in Decision-Making Process

Hotel of Tirana, Consortium

Co-organising Partner, European Economic and Social Committee

This session addresses the urgent need to shift from symbolic gestures to meaningful, institutionalised youth participation in policymaking across the Euro-Mediterranean region. While young people are increasingly vocal on justice, climate, inclusion, and democracy, their involvement often remains confined to temporary consultations with little influence on policy outcomes. Youth participation must be embedded as a core governance pillar at all levels to foster resilient, inclusive societies. This session will explore tried-and-tested models—such as the European Economic and Social Committee’s (EESC) integration of youth delegates—and examine how structured frameworks can elevate youth from peripheral voices to co-creators of public policy. Drawing on regional case studies and international good practices, the discussion will identify mechanisms for ensuring continuity, accountability, and genuine representation in youth engagement processes. It will also address practical considerations, including capacity-building, legal frameworks, and intergenerational partnerships that bridge the gap between youth and institutions. Participants will leave with concrete tools and policy recommendations for transitioning from ad hoc youth consultations to institutionalised systems that reflect young people’s creativity, legitimacy, and leadership potential. This session positions youth engagement not as a political gesture but as a foundational practice for democratic renewal and sustainable governance across the Euro-Med.

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9- Imagining Peace, Confronting Violence – Religion, Dialogue, and Social Cohesion in the Euro-Med Region 

Hotel of Tirana, Blue

Co-organising Partner Centre for Religion, Conflict and Globalization – University of Groeningen

This session examines the enduring influence of religion on political narratives, migration discourses, and social interactions in the Euro-Mediterranean. In a region marked by deep diversity and complex histories, religious identity often serves as both a bridge and a fault line—mobilised by populist forces to sow division yet also championed by interfaith networks and religious institutions as a source of trust, dialogue, and resilience.

Through concrete examples, the session will highlight how faith-based actors and civil society movements contribute to peacebuilding, challenge exclusion, and reshape public narratives. It will explore how religious imaginaries inform policymaking, influence perceptions of ‘the other,’ and uphold social cohesion, especially in contexts shaped by conflict and migration.

Participants will reflect on the potential of faith to advance just governance and intercultural understanding. The conversation will spotlight collaborative efforts by religious communities, cultural institutions, and civic actors to reframe religious narratives as tools for inclusion and conflict prevention—offering a vision of faith as a unifying force in a fragmented region.

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10- Advancing the role of Youth for Peace and Security: The case of the New Pact for the Mediterranean

Hotel of Tirana , Teuta

This session explores the evolving landscape of peace and security in the Euro-Mediterranean region, with a focus on the transformative role of youth. As global dynamics shift, the New Pact for the Mediterranean offers a renewed framework for regional security—one that integrates soft security approaches grounded in inclusion, dialogue, and community resilience.

Building on insights from the recent ALF Public Event on the Youth, Peace, and Security Agenda in Brussels, the discussion highlights how young people and local actors emerge as central peacebuilding agents. It examines how the security dimension of the Pact can be reinforced through youth-led and civil society-driven initiatives that enhance safety, foster trust, and promote cohesion. Gathering policymakers, practitioners, and activists, the session will generate concrete proposals for how the EU and its partners can support youth-inclusive peacebuilding strategies across the Mediterranean. It will also emphasise the potential for North-South cooperation to pioneer innovative, human-centred approaches to regional security.

Participants will leave with deeper insight into how empowering youth is not just a demographic imperative, but a strategic pathway to building a more sustainable, inclusive, and peaceful Euro-Mediterranean future.

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11- Public and Cultural Diplomacy In Action

Opera House, Orange

In a world where narratives shape perceptions and influence policy, young people can play a crucial role and become powerful agents of cultural diplomacy and influence.

This roundtable brings together 3 compelling voices from the programme’s youth networks to share their journeys, the impact they have made in their communities and how the EU has supported them to become cultural connectors, bridge builders and informal ambassadors of Euro-Mediterranean values.

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12:00 -13:45 pm

1- Green and Fair: Designing Inclusive Climate Futures

Hotel of Tirana, Blue

This session centres on the human dimension of the climate crisis, reimagining what a just and green transition could look like across the Euro-Mediterranean. While environmental threats impact the entire region, they disproportionately affect rural communities, youth, women, and marginalised groups—many of whom are also pioneering transformative, locally rooted solutions.

The session will explore how inclusive climate planning can foster equity, resilience, and community ownership by drawing on case studies ranging from AI-driven food security to women-led governance and regional afforestation. It will highlight participatory approaches, equity frameworks, and community-based innovation that align EU climate ambitions with grassroots realities.

Speakers will examine how science, policy, and civic action can intersect to shape climate agendas grounded in dignity and shared responsibility. The conversation will also explore opportunities for meaningful North-South cooperation that prevent unintended consequences and support co-leadership in climate governance. This is more than a policy dialogue—it’s a call to envision climate action as a vehicle for justice, sustainability, and collective well-being.

Panelists: Moderator: Mohamed Hadach – Professor – Cadi Ayyad University (Morocco) Dr. Hadach Mohamed is a researcher and academic at Cadi Ayyad University in Morocco, specializing in sustainability, environmental management, and digital marketing. His interdisciplinary approach bridges sustainable development and innovation, blending academic research with practical solutions. Dr. Hadach actively contributes to national and international projects, engaging in policy development, community outreach, and applied research. He is also committed to mentoring students and advancing initiatives that connect academia to real-world impact, fostering inclusive and solution-oriented approaches to environmental and digital challenges.

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2- Performing Across Borders

Opera House , Main Hall

An interactive, creative workshop for up to 20 participants, led by intercultural theatre makers Border Crossings, using performance to generate meaningful dialogue. Theatre is about shared experiences, operating through the representation of difference and conflict. This means participants in theatre-making can be more open about cultural difference, precisely because it is contained within performance frameworks. Theatre is rooted in dialogue: an open process of exchange towards understanding is inherent in the form. Border Crossings will share how theatre techniques can be employed to empower marginalised groups and generate an equal dialogue between different cultures. The session will include ice-breakers and warm-up games, structured improvisations and ways to share ideas and stories that go beyond language. The workshop will explore how to work non-verbally and across multiple languages, sharing cultural difference and experiences in constructive ways, and learning to generate trust and dialogue through playfulness. The techniques shared will be among those used to create Border Crossings’ innovative projects SUPPLIANTS OF SYRIA (which will be discussed in the parallel session on Building transnational bridges: The Power of Cultural Mobility on Day 1 at 12 noon) and THE LEGEND OF EUROPA. Participants do not need to be fluent in English: these techniques have been developed for groups who do not share a common language.

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3- Braille as Culture: Navigating the World Without Sight

Opera House, Cultures

This session is more than a workshop, t’s an invitation to enter a world that most of us rarely think about, let alone experience. Braille and Beyond offers a deeply human encounter with the culture of touch, the language of braille, and the lived realities of visually-impaired individuals—not as a story of limitation, but as one of resilience, identity, and connection. 

Led by Hatem Akermi, a visually-impaired cultural mediator and trainer, with support from Aymen Jelili, the workshop creates a space where sighted participants are asked to slow down and engage differently—with their hands, their senses, and their assumptions. Through guided activities and tactile exercises, braille becomes more than a system—it becomes a way of expressing presence, navigating the world, and claiming space. This is not an awareness session—it’s a cultural experience. Blind culture is repositioned as a source of creativity, insight, and power, challenging ableist norms.  This workshop fosters dialogue, empathy, and the long-overdue recognition of the value of all forms of human communication in a region where disability is still surrounded by silence and stigma. 

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4- Knowledge for Cohesion: Academic Cooperation for Dialogue and Inclusion in the Euro-Mediterranean

Hotel of Tirana, Bodgani

This session reimagines academic collaboration as a powerful driver of social cohesion and regional solidarity in the Euro-Mediterranean. In a context shaped by cultural richness and widening social divides, universities and research institutions are not only knowledge hubs but also agents of civic engagement, trust-building, and intercultural dialogue.

Participants will explore how cross-border, socially engaged academic research can challenge polarising narratives, foster inclusion, and strengthen collective resilience. The discussion will highlight the undervalued role of the social sciences in addressing complex societal transformations and call for a renewed investment in their relevance across the region.

Panelists will examine universities’ “Third Mission”—how they collaborate with civil society and contribute to public discourse—and share examples of co-created knowledge initiatives with tangible societal impact. Grounded in academic freedom and diversity, this session invites scholars, civil society actors, and policymakers to view the Euro-Mediterranean not just as a geographic space but as a shared field of inquiry capable of shaping a more cohesive future.

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5- Challenging Gender Stereotypes: Women's Empowerment in the Euro-Med region

Hotel of Tirana, Classic

Stereotypes are one of the most persistent obstacles to gender equality in the Euro-Mediterranean region, and this session will delve into the topic of stereotypes. The session, which is being held under the auspices of the Albanian Forum for Women Empowerment and is being powered by the network of the Anna Lindh Foundation, brings together distinguished voices from Austria, North Macedonia, and Cyprus. These individuals are leaders in civil society who are redefining narratives on gender, inclusion, and empowerment. This interactive workshop is not strictly a panel discussion; rather, it is a combination of real-world case studies, collaborative policy laboratories, and multicultural storytelling. The purpose of this workshop is to investigate the ways in which existing biases continue to restrict the roles that women can play in society, the economy, and politics. Whether it be through community-based advocacy or capacity-building with young people, the featured organisations will highlight innovative ways and interventions that have been demonstrated to be effective. Participants will engage in a discourse that is driven by solutions and will centre on cross-border cooperation, inclusive policy design, and practical frameworks for change. Not only does this session offer itself as a knowledge exchange, but it also positions itself as a springboard for cooperative action, turning conversation into momentum across the Euro-Med region. This is accomplished by using intercultural communication as the foundation for gender equality.

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6- Practices of Dialogue: Nurturing bottom-up international cultural relations

Hotel of Tirana, Abreti 1/2

This session reimagines international cultural relations as a grassroots force reshaping the Euro-Mediterranean landscape. In a time of rising polarisation and geopolitical tensions, culture emerges not as a top-down tool of diplomacy but as a participatory space where communities, artists, and practitioners foster understanding, resist exclusion, and co-create shared futures.

Through compelling case studies—from community forums and contemporary art to sports diplomacy and culinary heritage—the session will illustrate how local cultural initiatives forge meaningful cross-border connections. It will explore culture’s power to challenge divisive narratives and cultivate empathy grounded in shared human experiences.

The discussion will also address structural barriers such as visa inequality and funding imbalances, advocating for fair, inclusive partnerships that reflect the region’s rich cultural diversity. Participants will discover how creative industries and everyday cultural practices can serve as platforms for addressing

broader challenges, including climate change and food insecurity. This session offers a fresh take on diplomacy—one shaped by people, not just states—inviting reflection on how culture can build durable, inclusive relations in a fragmented region.

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7- Revisiting Interculturalism as a Strategy for regional building: Interculturalism and Urban Memories of Migration in the Mediterranean

Hotel of Tirana, Teuta

This session reframes interculturalism not merely as a diversity policy but as a bold regional strategy grounded in shared experiences, identity, and collective memory. In the Mediterranean—historically shaped by movement, trade, and cultural exchange—today’s polarising narratives often overlook this legacy. By bringing urban memories of migration into focus, the session proposes inclusive storytelling as a pathway to a renewed Mediterranean vision. From the museum networks of Barcelona and the streets of Istanbul to the cultural venues of Rabat, cities across the region are emerging as vital stewards of living heritage. Through film, education, public space, and digital archives, memory is being harnessed to build belonging and shared understanding.

The discussion will explore how municipalities and cultural institutions use heritage to resist nationalist myths and anti-migrant rhetoric, and how tools like curatorial practice, intercultural pedagogy, and digital storytelling can elevate migration as a central force in shaping regional identity. With insights from museum professionals, urban scholars, and educators, this session offers a multidisciplinary perspective on how inclusive memory can shape public policy, spark civic dialogue, and lay the groundwork for a more cohesive Mediterranean future.

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8- Orient – Occident: des réconciliations possibles?  Renforcer le dialogue interculturel en Méditerranée 

Hotel of Tirana, Consortium

Co-organising Parnter ICESCO

This session explores one of the most pressing and complex dynamics in the Euro-Mediterranean today: the cultural and political divide between East and West. In a context of escalating geopolitical tensions and polarising civilisational narratives, achieving mutual understanding across cultures is increasingly difficult—yet more vital than ever.

Organised by ICESCO and the Anna Lindh Foundation, this high-level event examines the roots of misunderstanding and mistrust—from historical legacies to current crises—and reflects on how these tensions shape perceptions across the region. Rather than deepening divisions, the session focuses on real solutions to bridge them. It brings together international organisations, academic institutions, and civil society to share field-driven initiatives that renew narratives and rebuild trust—especially at the grassroots level.

With a strong emphasis on context-sensitive participation, the session moves beyond theory to show how intercultural dialogue can function as a strategic tool for regional cohesion and resilience. For those working at the crossroads of politics, culture, and community, it offers a timely, pragmatic outlook on moving from conflicting narratives to shared futures.

Cette session explore l’une des dynamiques les plus complexes et urgentes de la région euro-méditerranéenne : le fossé culturel et politique entre l’Orient et l’Occident. À l’heure où les tensions géopolitiques s’intensifient et où les discours civilisationnels gagnent du terrain, la compréhension mutuelle entre cultures devient plus difficile—mais aussi plus essentielle—que jamais.

Organisé par l’ICESCO et la Fondation Anna Lindh, cet événement de haut niveau examine les racines des malentendus et de la méfiance, qu’elles soient historiques ou liées aux crises contemporaines, et analyse leurs effets sur les perceptions régionales. Plutôt que d’accentuer les divisions, la session met l’accent sur des solutions concrètes pour les surmonter. Des représentants d’organisations internationales, d’universités et de la société civile y partageront des initiatives réelles qui renouvellent les récits dominants et rétablissent la confiance, en particulier au niveau communautaire.

Avec une forte orientation vers la participation contextualisée, la session dépasse les réflexions théoriques pour démontrer comment le dialogue interculturel peut devenir un outil stratégique au service de la cohésion régionale. Pour celles et ceux engagés à l’intersection du politique, de la culture et des communautés, elle offre une perspective actuelle et lucide sur le passage de récits antagonistes à des futurs communs.

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9- Uniting Cultures: Dialogue Across Borders with the Anna Lindh Foundation

Hotel of Tirana, Balsha

The need for peacebuilding through genuine intercultural discussion has never been greater, as ideological polarization, religious extremism, and selective media narratives widen global divisions, especially in the shadow of Hamas-Israel conflict. While military budgets soar, investments in dialogue remain scarce. Within this framework, the Dialogue Across Borders (DAB) project becomes a potent model now ready to grow from Egypt to the larger Euro-Mediterranean area.

This session will focus on how colleges throughout the EU and MENA may include DAB in their courses, thereby giving students academic credit for helping to create a vibrant, multilingual database promoting mutual understanding. Especially for non-Arabic speakers looking for deeper, contextualized insights into Arab societies, participants will investigate how student-driven research, translations, interviews, and investigative reporting may challenge oversimplified media narratives and highlight varied cultural perspectives. EU and international support is needed to expand the network and improve the functionalities of the database in a multilateral context.

This session, at its core, is designed to be interactive and rich with multimedia tools; the program asks attendees to connect with its youth-led, non-partisan approach grounded in critical thinking, cultural sensitivity, and dialogical learning. Using this activity, students become active peacekeepers, therefore bridging opposing points of view and laying the groundwork for a shared Euro-Med future. Come explore with us how media, education, and young people could interact to recover discourse as the pillar of togetherness.

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10- Rethinking the Future – “Citizen Action Space"

Hotel of Tirana, Onufri

This session focuses on offering a participatory, hands-on approach to civic engagement and dialogue. Instead of following conventional formats of discussions, this session invites participants to co-create content and shape outcomes through four interactive activities. It explores key themes, including youth participation, intercultural dialogue, peacebuilding, and sustainability, prioritizing lived experiences.

The session introduces the Participant-Created Video Dialogues, where attendees respond to panel insights with personal video reflections, amplifying diverse perspectives. The Interactive International Protection Report invites participants to step into the shoes of displaced individuals, allowing them to understand the refugee realities and international legal frameworks. As for the Innovation Board, participants contribute forward-looking ideas for what future citizen movements or political groups could look like. Meanwhile, the Solidarity & Cooperation Board enables participants across all five Citizen Action Space panels to exchange needs and offers, encouraging cross-sector partnerships.

This session showcases how experiential learning and creativity exemplifies how dialogue can drive action. It aims to generate insights, as well as transnational collaborating, making civic engagement more accessible, reflective, and transformative, ultimately contributing to the Forum’s broader goals of turning dialogue into real long-term impact.

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11- Building a new generation of leaders: The power of youth-led approaches

Hotel of Tirana, Metropol

Co-organising Partner, European Youth Parliament

This session explores the transformative impact of youth-led initiatives in shaping peacebuilding, democratic renewal, and social innovation across the Euro-Mediterranean region. Today, young people are at the forefront of civic movements, cross-border collaborations, and grassroots campaigns that challenge polarisation and inspire change from the ground up.

Drawing on examples like the European Youth Parliament and other youth-driven organisations, the discussion highlights how peer-led platforms cultivate critical thinking, leadership capacity, and real-world policy engagement. Speakers will examine how these bottom-up models build social cohesion, foster intercultural dialogue, and strengthen regional ties through vibrant transnational networks.

The session will also address the structural barriers facing youth, such as limited institutional recognition, restricted access to resources, and lack of long-term support, and offer strategies to integrate youth leadership into formal governance structures. Particular emphasis will be placed on how youth-led efforts promote community resilience, especially in fragile contexts where traditional systems fall short.

This is not just a case for inclusion—it is a call to recognise youth as strategic actors in shaping a more stable, just, and collaborative Euro-Mediterranean future.

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12- Seeds of Dialogue: Youth-led Tools for Trust and Transformation in the Euro-Mediterranean

Opera House, Orange

This session spotlights the role of young people as architects of intercultural trust and transformation in the Euro-Mediterranean region. They participate in dialogue and design the methodologies, platforms, and narratives that enable it. The session will use grassroots activism, digital storytelling, informal education, and local peacebuilding to showcase youth-led innovations confronting polarisation, social fragmentation, and cultural misrepresentation. These approaches will be examined as temporary responses and replicable models for fostering empathy, rebuilding community trust, and generating inclusive cooperation.

Speakers will reflect on the structural challenges young leaders face—including limited access to funding, visibility, and policy-making channels—while exploring the conditions that allow youth leadership in intercultural dialogue to flourish. The session will also highlight the importance of intergenerational co-creation and how local initiatives can be meaningfully linked to regional frameworks such as the New Pact for the Mediterranean.

Participants will identify actionable pathways for embedding youth-led dialogue practices into policy structures, institutional settings, and cross-border cooperation through interactive exchange and collective reflection. Ultimately, this session repositions youth as drivers of trust and dialogue as a transformative tool for a more cohesive Euro-Mediterranean future.

Hotel of Tirana, Balsha

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Hotel of Tirana, Abreti 1/2

Co-organising Partner Embassy Good Science

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Opera House, Cultures

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Hotel of Tirana, Metropol

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Hotel of Tirana, Bodgani

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Hotel of Tirana, Onufri

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Hotel of Tirana, Classic

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Hotel of Tirana, Consortium

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Hotel of Tirana, Blue

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Hotel of Tirana , Teuta

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Opera House, Orange

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Ahmed Yassin

Sandra Sami

Nisrine El Kettani

Stefano Sannino

Hotel of Tirana, Blue

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Opera House , Main Hall

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Opera House, Cultures

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Hotel of Tirana, Bodgani

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