Speech at the Malta Youth Conference

Good afternoon, everyone.

As the representative of the Council of Europe at this concluding ceremony, I believe I am expected to do two things.

First, to express gratitude — to say thank you to many people. And I do so with great sincerity and enthusiasm.

Let me begin by thanking Malta. We are truly delighted to be here for the fourth edition of this conference.

Yesterday, someone mentioned that the third conference took place in Bonn. But if I remember correctly, at least as far as I am concerned, it took place in my spare bedroom. So it is especially wonderful to be here — in sunny, beautiful Malta.

First, a heartfelt thank you to the Maltese Presidency of the Committee of Ministers, represented here by Ambassador Camilleri Vettiger, for prioritizing and supporting young people throughout your presidency.

Thank you also to the Maltese authorities and to Agenzija Żgħażagħ for all the hard work that made this conference such a success.

And a very special thanks to the head of the agency — our brilliant Miriam — for her tireless efforts here in Malta and as chair of our steering committee. And especially for that outstanding keynote speech yesterday.

I’d also like to thank the European Union, represented here by Commissioner Glenn Micallef, for its continued commitment to our long-standing partnership in support of youth work.

My deep appreciation also goes to my colleagues in the Council of Europe Youth Team for their dedication in preparing this conference — and for the work ahead to ensure that the results of these two days are implemented and have a real impact.

And finally, thank you to all of you — not only for being here and actively contributing, but for the work you’ve done before coming and the work you will continue after you return home — hopefully with fresh ideas and renewed energy.

Now, the second task is a bit trickier.

There’s a tradition at the end of these events where someone stands up to tell the participants what they’ve just experienced — explaining to the people who lived through the conference what the conference was about.

I’m not going to do that.

I'm certainly not going to tell a room full of youth workers what youth work is. You know that far better than I do.

Instead, I want to say a few words about why youth work is so crucial in our efforts to defend democracy and make it more resilient. This is, after all, the overarching goal of the Council of Europe’s number one priority — the Secretary General’s initiative, the New Democratic Pact.

That pact seeks to restore trust in democracy — for everyone, but especially for young people. And youth work plays an essential role in achieving that.

A few days ago, I was invited to the European School in Strasbourg — where many children of Council of Europe staff, including my own, are students. The event was titled Transitions to Democracy and organized by history teachers. I was joined by colleagues from Central and Eastern Europe to share personal memories of the time when our countries transitioned from authoritarianism to democracy.

Many of my colleagues spoke about their struggles and sacrifices and reminded the students that they should feel lucky and grateful to live in democracies.

My message was slightly different.

First, I questioned the title. Yes, we must talk about transitions when discussing democracy, because democracy is never static. But today, the conversation should not only be about transitions to democracy — increasingly, we must talk about transitions from democracy, not just in our countries of origin, but globally.

Second, about being “lucky and grateful.”

I told the students that although I spent my youth in a country that wasn’t free, and life was often difficult — we never doubted that the future will be better. That things will change, and that they will change for the better. And that we were a part of that change.

We didn’t feel powerless.

We felt powerful.

That belief — that conviction — is something many young people today no longer feel.

Despite living in freer, wealthier societies, they face a different kind of burden: uncertainty. They are often frustrated, even afraid of what the future may hold. And uncertainty breeds fear — and fear, as we know, can give rise to many dangerous outcomes.

So I told the students: You don’t have to feel grateful. You have the right — indeed, the duty — to be critical.

You have the right to be impatient.

You even have the right to be angry.

But you must be cautious about what you do with that anger and impatience.

Do not let anyone manipulate or weaponize your frustration. Because those who seek to exploit your discontent will ultimately use it against you — against your rights and freedoms.

Instead, use your energy to demand change.

To be the change.

To be powerful.

At that point, a young woman in the audience asked a simple but profound question: How?

I told her that there are many ways to effect change — through our actions, our choices, our words, and our silences. Through how we engage with others. But most importantly: through participation. Through youth work — because youth work works.

It works for young people.

It works for communities.

It works for democracy.

I have witnessed the magic that happens when young people come together around a shared goal. One recent example stands out. Together with a number of other people here today we were in Lviv for the opening ceremony of the 2025 European Youth Capital. While there, we visited what an “urban camp.”

A group of young people from Kharkiv — passionate about street sports — had taken over a derelict cultural center and transformed it into something remarkable. They now provide shelter for families from frontline regions, organize activities for local youth, and host children from war-affected areas for short stays to offer them recovery, normalcy, and hope. These moments of respite are crucial for their mental health and emotional well-being.

These young people in Lviv — they are powerful. They deserve our admiration. But more importantly, they deserve our support.

And they deserve a just peace.

An end to this nightmare.

You all know — better than I do — that youth work only works if we make it work.

That means investing in it. It means creating supportive infrastructure, legal and institutional frameworks, stable funding, and political recognition.

With those elements in place, youth work can move mountains.

It can transform anger into action, frustration into engagement, and powerlessness into empowerment.

That is how we build stronger democracies — by working with young people, for young people, but ultimately for all of us.

The Secretary General’s New Democratic Pact will demand time, effort, and commitment from many institutions and individuals. But one thing is clear: youth and youth work must be at the heart of it.

The results of this conference will be presented at the Council of Europe’s ministerial session — right here in this building — in October.

Together with the European Union, we are also exploring new ways to strengthen our partnership and further support youth work.

In short: we’re in this for the long haul.

Now, I mentioned earlier that I don’t have much personal experience in youth work — but actually, I do have one story from my younger years.

I apologize to those of you who were recently in Luxembourg — you may have heard this already. But repetition, I’ve learned, is not only tolerated at my age — it’s almost expected. And there was an update on that story.

When I was growing up in Yugoslavia, we had our version of youth work. It was semi-spontaneous and very ideology-driven — not exactly my cup of tea. But I did make one exception: I spent four weeks on a small Adriatic island helping to build a youth center. For a good cause. And, I admit, for the beach.

Recently, in preparing for the Luxembourg conference, I looked up what became of that youth center — the one I helped build with my own two hands.

It’s gone.

It’s now an adults-only camping resort.

I don’t even want to speculate what that means — though I might have a guess. Either way, it’s not a youth center.

That was a little depressing. But just two days ago, I learned something new.

British Channel 4 is filming a reality show on that very island.

It’s now called the “Virgin Island.”

The show features twelve adults confronting their intimacy issues — in full view of millions — for the chance at a financial reward and, presumably, other forms of… fulfillment.

So who says romance is dead?

Strangely, that brought me some comfort.

At least, I told myself, it wasn’t all for nothing. We didn’t just build infrastructure — we left a vibe.

I spent a lot of time thinking about how to use that personal anecdote — so rich in symbolism — to wrap up this speech.

I had many ideas. Unfortunately, none of them appropriate for a public audience.

So I’ll just say this:

We must support youth work.

Because youth work works.

It works for all the most important things — and sometimes even for the most unexpected ones.

It moves mountains.

And yes — it has a vibe.