Youth on the Frontline: Redefining Leadership from the Margins

They call us ‘the future’, but we are already here, shaping the present.

Across the world, young people from marginalized communities are rising not as symbols of hope, but as architects of change. They’re challenging inherited hierarchies, rewriting social norms, and proving that leadership doesn’t belong to the privileged; it belongs to those who dare to rebuild what privilege destroyed.

We often hear that “youth are the leaders of tomorrow.” But for those born into communities discriminated on work and descent (CDWD) – Roma, Dalit, Haratine, Quilombola, and many others – tomorrow is a luxury that must be fought for.

While other young people plan their careers, these youth are often fighting for the right to be seen, to study, to belong. Their leadership doesn’t come from opportunity, it comes from survival. And yet, this is what makes their voices indispensable. They understand what exclusion feels like in the body, what injustice looks like in the system, and what courage sounds like in the community.

From Tokenism to Transformation

Too often, “youth participation” is reduced to a photo opportunity – a panel seat, a conference hashtag. But true inclusion means transferring power, not just visibility.

At The Inclusivity Project (TIP) and GFoD, youth leadership means something deeper: community-rooted action, where young people define their own priorities – whether it’s tackling antigypsyism, confronting descent-based discrimination, or building wellbeing projects that reflect their lived experiences.

Projects like Roma Youth Care Ambassadors are a powerful example. When young Roma lead peer-based initiatives, they don’t just share knowledge – they reshape how institutions view Roma youth altogether.

Leadership, when reimagined through the lens of marginalized youth, isn’t about titles or funding, but it’s rather about responsibility, trust, and representation. It’s about standing at the edge of privilege and refusing to stay quiet.

These young leaders are bridging worlds:

• Between communities and policymakers.
• Between trauma and transformation.
• Between invisibility and recognition.

And through this bridge, they carry the collective strength of generations that refused to disappear.

This being said, our generation of youth isn’t asking for space – they’re creating it. They’re turning inherited pain into collective vision, exclusion into innovation, silence into policy. The real question isn’t whether marginalized youth are ready to lead. It’s whether the world is ready to follow.

Because leadership from the margins doesn’t just challenge systems – it humanizes them.