The fifth edition of the Moldova Youth Forum (MYF), held this year under the theme "United by Values," brought together over 500 young people from across the country with national authorities and international partners for two days of dialogue on democracy, freedom, community and resilience. Among the international voices contributing to the Forum was the one of Xesc Mainzer, Vice-Chair of the Council of Europe's Advisory Council on Youth (CCJ) - the body of 30 youth organisations’ representatives that advises the Committee of Ministers on youth policy and contributes to setting standards. He spoke on a panel dedicated to youth participation in decision-making. He shared his insights with the Council of Europe Office in Chișinău, highlighting the importance of meaningful youth participation in democratic processes.

Reflecting on why the conversation around youth and democracy is so essential at this moment, Mainzer observed that recent years, and especially the period following the COVID-19 pandemic, have been marked by a palpable deterioration of trust that citizens - and young people in particular - place in democracies. He spoke of growing challenges: the increasing difficulty young people face in accessing housing and well-paid jobs, worsening inequality, and what many perceive as policymakers’ inaction. “Young people as a group are particularly affected by these challenges, and thus their situation needs to be addressed through real exercises of active listening by public institutions. Not simply by delivering policies for young people, but by putting them at the centre of the conception, execution, and evaluation of those policies,” he underlines.

Mainzer described what genuine youth participation entails, contrasting it with situations where youth engagement is nothing more than a token mention in policy papers. He highlighted positive examples where young people help set standards through recommendations and, crucially, have the power to co-decide how those policies are applied - for instance, through youth-led projects at the European Youth Centre or via funding from the European Youth Foundation. “Putting young people in the heart of decision-making bodies and spaces is really the way to go. And it isn't only an international-level ambition. It can be brought down to the national, regional and even local level by establishing dedicated and permanent structures in which young people are seen as equals in the process of taking the decisions,” he explains.

We asked him what he thinks about the fact that young people are often expected to drive change without always having the tools or space to do so. "Participation cannot happen spontaneously," he says. "Young people need resources for their projects and their organisations. They need spaces, both physical and institutional, and need capacity building to exercise their right to participation effectively. But what they truly need is to be considered by society in general, and institutional actors in particular." He points to a contradiction young people are routinely asked to carry: cast as a force for change yet also dismissed. "How can young people not feel pressure when we have to face such stereotypes? This is why being treated as equal, reliable partners in decision-making is fundamental."

If there was one lesson Mainzer hoped young Moldovans, as they work to establish their own participatory structures, would take away from the panel, it was the importance of long-term vision. "What has made youth participation advance is working towards the long-term goals - creating lasting cooperation between youth organisations, and among young people," he says. He points to the Council of Europe's co-management structure, whose influence has been built over decades, not years. "I would want them to take back to their work this perspective: that the work they put into creating participatory structures always has in mind the goal of making them last."

The panel took place within the MYF2026 supported by the Council of Europe’s project "Youth for Democracy and Human Rights in the Republic of Moldova,"  part of the Council of Europe Action Plan for the Republic of Moldova 2025-2028.