Oleksandra Matviichuk inspires and supports young people in their work on the Democracy Report
What began with a historic meeting in Kyiv has developed into a valuable cooperation between Nobel Peace Prize laureate Oleksandra Matviichuk and the young people involved in the project Youth Music for Peace, Freedom and Democracy – #ympfd_4_all.
Mariana Biloshapka and Per-Kaare Holdal meeting Nobel Peace Prize laureate Oleksandra Matviichuk in Kyiv. Photo: Olga Samarska, S2pU
Oleksandra Matviichuk has now also confirmed that she wants to provide input, perspectives and inspiration directly to the young people working on the Democracy Report – “Democracy Now and for the Future.”
This gives the young project team an opportunity to gain knowledge and inspiration from one of Europe’s most prominent voices for human rights, democracy and the rule of law.
Oleksandra Matviichuk,
Chairwoman of the
Center of Civil Liberties
Photo: Center of Civil Liberties
A meeting across generations
For S2pU, this is an important expression of what the project is seeking to achieve.
Young people should not merely be participants at conferences or recipients of knowledge from adults. They should themselves be co-creators, participants in democratic dialogue and voices for peace, freedom and democracy.
Mariana Biloshapka has maintained ongoing contact with Matviichuk and plays an important role as a bridge between the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and the young people involved in the project.
For Mariana, who comes from Kyiv and is connected to the youth orchestra Souvenir, this cooperation has a very special meaning.
She is not simply meeting an internationally recognised Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
She is meeting a Ukrainian woman who has stood at the forefront of the struggle for democracy, human rights and justice – and who has chosen to use her voice to influence the world.
A Nobel Peace Prize laureate who believes in the voice of young people
Oleksandra Matviichuk is a Ukrainian human rights lawyer and civil society leader based in Kyiv. She heads the Centre for Civil Liberties, an organisation working to advance human rights, democracy and the rule of law.
The Centre for Civil Liberties was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022, together with human rights defender Ales Bialiatski and the Russian human rights organisation Memorial.
The Nobel Committee highlighted the importance of civil society in promoting human rights, democracy and peace.
Matviichuk has for many years worked to document human rights violations and promote accountability. Her work is closely connected to the fundamental principles of democracy, human dignity and the rule of law.
It is precisely this experience that the young people in #ympfd_4_all will now have the opportunity to learn from.
Oleksandra Matviychuk, head of the “Center for Civil Liberties” (CCL), became a laureate of the Right Livelihood Award. It is also called an alternative Nobel Prize.
Photo: Center for Civil Liberties
The Democracy Report – a youth voice for the future
A central element of the project is the development of the Democracy Report “Democracy Now and for the Future.”
The report is being developed by young people and will be based on their own experiences, questions and reflections about the state and future of democracy.
What does democracy mean to young people today?
How do young people experience trust, freedom, participation and political engagement?
How can democracy be strengthened?
And what can the younger generation do to ensure that democratic values remain strong in the future?
These are questions the young people themselves will help formulate and address.
With Oleksandra Matviichuk contributing her perspectives, the youth project team gains access to the experience of someone who has worked on these issues at the highest international level.
From Kyiv to Oslo
The cooperation between Mariana Biloshapka and Oleksandra Matviichuk also demonstrates how the project is building bridges between young people in Ukraine and Norway.
The meeting in Kyiv represented a meeting between two generations – between experience and the future.
Mariana represents a generation of young Ukrainians who have experienced war, but who refuse to give up their belief in democracy, freedom and a peaceful future.
Matviichuk represents a generation of human rights defenders who have spent decades defending these values.
Now their experiences meet in a common project.
Young people must have a voice in shaping their own future
For S2pU, this is at the heart of Youth Music for Peace, Freedom and Democracy.
Music creates connections.
Young people gain knowledge, confidence and experience.
Democracy is learned through participation.
And peace is not simply a goal – it is something young people must be empowered to actively work for.
When young people meet politicians, human rights defenders, artists and other leaders in society, they should not only listen.
They should ask questions. They should challenge. They should propose solutions. And they should help shape the future.
The fact that Nobel Peace Prize laureate Oleksandra Matviichuk wants to contribute to this process is therefore an important recognition of the role young people can play.
A cooperation that continues
The historic meeting in Kyiv was only the beginning.
In May 2027, Oleksandra Matviichuk will come to Oslo as the keynote speaker at the Youth Peace Conference.
Before then, she will contribute her perspectives and experience to the young people working on the Democracy Report.
The cooperation therefore has a natural progression:
From Kyiv – to the young people’s Democracy Report – and onward to the Youth Peace Conference in Oslo.
For S2pU, this is a powerful example of what can happen when young people are given trust, responsibility and access to people who have made a significant contribution to the global struggle for peace, freedom and democracy.
Young people are not only the future.
They are part of democracy – now.
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