The Hurford Youth Fellowship Program seeks to build the leadership skills and harness the potential of young democracy activists from around the world. Through the Program, young activists spend three months at the World Movement’s Secretariat, during which they expand their global connections, share experiences with other activists from democracy movements around the world, and contribute to the development of the World Movement for Democracy. Hurford Youth Fellows engage in strategic meetings; conduct research; and organize and lead presentations, online discussions, and information-sharing sessions on key democracy issues.

Upon the successful completion of each fellowship, the fellows serve as a regional/country focal point, working with the Hurford Youth Fellowship Alumni Network to remain involved and take the lead in youth-related activities.

For more details about the fellowship, click HERE.

To apply to the fellowship, click HERE

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2024 HURFORD YOUTH FELLOWS

Celine Samson, The Philippines 

Celine Samson is the head of the online verification team at VERA Files, a Philippines-based media nonprofit which conducts in-depth reporting and fact-checking. She leads a seven-person team that has published over 1,900 fact-checking articles and has written reports on how disinformation affects democracy. She recently concluded a two-year term in Meta’s Global Fact-Checking Consulting Group, which provides feedback on the platform’s fact-checking program. A journalist by training, Celine conducted research for a Pulitzer Prize-winning Reuters investigation on the Philippines’ war on drugs. 

 For her project, she intends to develop a baseline describing the reasons for disinterest in and avoidance of news among Filipino youth. She will explore the methods media organizations are currently using to encourage youth to seek out credible and verified information and use her findings to create a resource compiling best practices to be shared among journalists in the Philippines. 

Read Celine’s Blog “How to encourage millennials and Gen Z to build an appetite for news” HERE.  

Christine Magoma Oumar, Kenya

Christine Magoma Oumar is the founder and executive director of Tek4Peace Africa, an organization that leverages technology for social cohesion and development in Africa and has been running as a YouTube video series since January 2023. She previously served as the communications officer at the Africa Centre for People, Institutions and Society (Acepis), a think tank that leverages information to shape public dialogue, drive policy, and encourage sustainable development across Africa. Through her work, she mobilized over 1,200 people in Kenya to engage in peace trainings. She is also volunteering as the head of communications for the Independent Continental Youth Advisory Council on the AfCFTA, and is pursuing her bachelor’s degree in international relations and security studies at Daystar University in Nairobi, Kenya. 

During her fellowship, Christine will organize online digital literacy discussions for young African democracy advocates to share best practices for countering disinformation in media and online spaces.

Oleksandra Zurian, Ukraine

Oleksandra Zurian is the retreat and training coordinator at Tbilisi Shelter City, an organization which provides temporary support to human rights defenders at risk. She also serves as the operational director at World of Tolerance, where she supports efforts to promote tolerance and fight hatred among youth in Georgia. Oleksandra recently successfully defended her BA thesis, entitled “Social Work with Human Rights Defenders Facing Professional Security Risks: A Comparative Study of Ukraine and Georgia.” 

Oleksandra’s fellowship project focuses on identifying strategies for ensuring the protection of activists globally and creating practical recommendations for securing their safety in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. She plans to design advocacy campaigns to promote policy changes aimed at enhancing the security of activists. Oleksandra will also publish her research findings and share them with NGOs and other stakeholders to promote global protection of human rights defenders. 

 

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

Sofia Pozzo, Paraguay 

Sofía Pozzo is the Director of the Open Government Alliance Initiative of reAcción Paraguay, an organization dedicated to fighting corruption in the education sector. She uses data analysis, data visualizations, and innovative technological tools to promote citizen participation, accountability and transparency in public investment in education. Sofia has been a scholarship recipient of the International Center for Nonviolent Conflict, Transparency International and the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) 2021 of the U.S. Department of State for her work promoting transparency and accountability.  

Sofia’s project will focus on how student movements can empower democratic leadership in Latin America and renew democratic momentum after the COVID-19 pandemic. She will carry out a series of discussions with civic leaders in Latin America to help her understand how civil society can collaborate to empower youth movements in the region. Her work will primarily focus on youth movements in Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina.

Kadir Cetin, Turkey

Kadir Cetin is the founder and president of the Center for Democracy Research (CDR), a think tank founded by a group of young law graduates, technologists, social scientists, and designers to enhance participation, accountability, and transparency of legislative processes in Turkey through data-driven research projects and policy-oriented technological tools. Kadir has been involved in civic-tech and parliamentary democracy in Turkey for over five years. 

As part of his fellowship, he will examine how politicians prioritize certain policy areas that impact the youth demographic and how these priorities meet the needs of young people. He will analyze parliamentary speeches, bills, and questions from the past legislative year to gain a deeper understanding of youth representation in the Turkish parliament. Kadir aims to empower young people by providing them with deeper knowledge on how to advocate effectively for their legislative priorities.

 

Rinu Oduala, Nigeria 

Rinu Oduala is the Project Director of Connect Hub NG, a human rights platform that documents, defends, and advocates against police brutality and state violence in Nigeria. She is also the executive director of the Marigold RO Foundation, a civic organization that aims to foster civic capacity among young people. She was at the forefront of the biggest civil demonstration of the 4th Republic of Nigeria and was a member of the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry and Restitution on police brutality. She is the winner of Woman of the year in Advocacy, HerEconomy 2022, and HerNetwork, 2021 and has been nominated for Future Awards Africa Prize for Advocacy and Activism.  

Rinu’s project will examine how online spaces are becoming a part of democratic spaces for citizens around the world, especially for young people. Through online discussions and surveys among young people, and civil society leaders, she seeks to better understand how young people organize through civic discourse online. 

 

Chiranthi Senanayake, Sri Lanka

Chiranthi Senanayake is the Founder of Hype Sri Lanka, which works in collaboration with state and non-state stakeholders in Sri Lanka to pilot “youth empowerment incubation” to promote the effective participation of young leaders in sustainable development efforts. Chiranthi’s current research and academic engagement focuses on reapproaching development justice in the Global South and conceptualizing Endogenous Sustainable Development. 

Her fellowship project will examine the operations and impact of democracy movements organized in the past three years by Asian youth. She will formulate a research report which will critically identify how young people can organize effectively to advance democratic reforms. Using the findings of the report, she will create a Democracy Movement Toolkit and carry out an online campaign on effective digital advocacy for inclusive democracy to help youth movements learn suitable interventions to achieve the envisioned transformative outcomes.  

 

Marwa Galaleldin, Sudan (2022)

Marwa Galaleldin leads the youth portfolio at UNFPA Sudan Country office, where she designs and oversees the execution of strategic programs that contribute to the systematic and meaningful youth-led participation and leadership in sustainable development, humanitarian action and peace building. She is also a poet and screenwriter who works to utilize artistic expression for social change.

During her fellowship, Marwa explored the methods through which Sudanese resistance committees transformed to serve as an important space for youth political participation during democratic transitions. She also examined and compared the various tools young people use to engage and organize in political processes in different countries.

Project Title: “Redefining Democratic Space in Post-Revolution Sudan: A critical analysis of youth political participation in neighborhood committees”

Sophia Santi Guevara, Venezuela (2022)

Sophia Santi is the Lead Project Coordinator of the Permanent Youth Forum, the biggest Venezuelan youth platform for innovative youth initiatives. Through her work, she has created awareness of the challenges facing youth in her country and designed projects for vulnerable youth groups.  Sophia is also a Generation Change Fellow and Co-Chair of the Youth Advisory Council at the United States Institute of Peace, a Young Leaders Grant Winner, and advisor on peacebuilding projects in Venezuela.

During her fellowship, Sophia conducted a study of three challenging 21^st century migration crises: Venezuela, Syria, and Rohingya, to further understand their impact on young migrants’ inclusion in political processes.

Project Title: “Inclusive Governance Through the Eyes of Youth Migrants”

Ejaz Ahmad Malikzada, Afghanistan (2022)

Ejaz Ahmad Malikzada is the former Director of Anti-Corruption in the Office of the First Vice President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, before the Taliban occupation. Ejaz also helped the First Vice President as his special aide for Peace Efforts. Before his work as Director of Anti-Corruption, Ejaz worked with the Afghan Institute for Strategic Studies as External Relations Officer. Ejaz was also a senior member at Afghanistan Green Trend, a youth-led grassroots organization that aimed at fighting extremism and radicalization among youth and promoted youth participation in governance in Afghanistan.

During his fellowship, Ejaz worked to promote the stories of democratic activists from Afghanistan. He helped to foster a network of Afghanistan civil society activists, especially women’s right activist, with the civil society activists with similar experiences in other countries with similar situations where civic space is restricted. The project aimed at building solidarity and sharing best practices.

Project Title: “Activism Under Taliban Theocratic Dictatorship”

Yahye Mohamed Mohamud, Somalia (2022)

Yahye Mohamed is the co-founder of Gole Forum, a center which provides a platform through which youth work to contribute to peace building, good governance, and democracy in Somalia through dialogue, research, and advocacy. Yahye also works with Women in Media Initiative Somalia (WIMISOM), an organization which empowers Somali women in media to encourage women to participate more in political organizations and achieve social equality.

During his fellowship, Yahye explored how youth can contribute to the advancement of democratic norms and practices in Africa by examining strategies and lessons learned by previous youth mobilization efforts. Through online discussions, he examined strategies to transform youth political activism and awareness into tangible participation in formal political processes. The discussions also entailed how youth can mobilize support and build coalitions for advancing democratic practice in Africa by using new technologies and online tools.

Project Title: “The Potential of Youth Contributions to the Advancement of Democracy in Africa”

Read Yahye’s blog “Can Social Media Truly Facilitate Meaningful Political Participation?” HERE.

Patricia Zanella, Brazil (2021) 

Patricia Zanella is the co-founder of EcoCiclo, an initiative aimed at promoting women’s reproductive justice, including increasing the accessibility of sanitary pads to women in marginalized communities.  As a women’s rights advocate and proponent for social justice and sustainability, at the age of 22, Zanella ran for congress and received almost 10,000 votes. Using online tools and low-cost strategies to mobilize support for her platform, Zanella hopes to use her firsthand experience to encourage more young women to run for office.

During her fellowship, Patricia’s project focused on young women’s political participation and the barriers to their political leadership in Latin America. Her online discussions with young female leaders from around the globe explored innovative ways, both online and within political party systems, to increase the participation of young women in politics.

Read Patricia’s article “Reflections on Young Women Running for Office: A Guide the Future” HERE.

Nishchhal Kharal, Nepal (2021) 

Nishchhal Kharal is the Co-Founder and Secretary of Centre for Social Change, a social think tank that is committed to changing the socio-political dynamics of Nepalese society via research, education, and advocacy. Kharal is a member of IRI’s Generation Democracy and a former Leadership Board Member of the World Youth Movement for Democracy, where he demonstrated his passion for empowering the next generation of youth leaders and defending civic space.

During his fellowship, Nishchhal researched how civic space for youth can be protected amidst the covid-19 pandemic and beyond in Nepal. He also started a podcast series in which he interviewed young artists and activists about effective strategies to strengthen civic engagement among young people.

Read Nishchhal’s paper, “The Status of Youth Civic Space in Nepal” HERE.

In May 2022, Nishchhal was interviewed by fellow Hurford Youth, Marwa Galaleldin, about his work as a youth activist and his story founding multiple human rights organizations in Nepal. Check out this 20 minute listen HERE.

 

Stefani Spirovska, North Macedonia (2021) 

Stefani Spirovska is the President of the Youth Education Forum, a civil society organization that provides civic education and capacity building for youth in North Macedonia. To promote active citizenship among youth, Spirovska hosts an online youth radio program called RadioMOF, which invites youth to talk with government officials about policies and the benefits of democracy.

During her fellowship, Stefani examined systematic approaches to building democratic values among youth. Stefani’s online discussions focused on the effectiveness of youth policies, youth caucuses, and how civic organizations can empower youth to become interested in participating in formal democratic institutions.

Read Stefani’s article, “Youth Participation and Better Connections: How to Improve the Effectiveness of Youth Democratic Representation” HERE.

Marr Nyang, The Gambia (2021) 

Marr Nyang is the Founder and Executive Director of Gambia Participates, a civil society organization that engages communities on constitutional reforms, participatory budgeting, and transitional justice. Given Nyang’s diverse experience across various thematic areas and his organization’s presence in over 118 villages, he co-led the nation’s efforts in obtaining citizen input for The Gambia’s constitutional review process.

During his fellowship, Marr explored the intersection of truth and reconciliation processes and its role in advancing constitutional reform. His online discussions highlighted case studies of transitional justice from around the world and explored strategies for youth engagement in such processes.

Read Marr’s paper, “Transitional Justice: A Pathway To a Progressive Society and Democracy” HERE.

Annouchka Wijesinghe, Sri Lanka (2020) 

Annouchka Wijesinghe is an activist and the Research Coordinator at Alliance Development Trust, a civil society and development organization that promotes social justice and empowers vulnerable communities in Sri Lanka. There she worked on several initiatives that foster pluralism and youth political participation.

In 2017, Wijesinghe was awarded the UN Advocacy Training and Study Fellowship for Asian Human Rights Defenders. She is committed to advocating for the rights of religious and ethno-religious minorities, and has contributed to national efforts to establish transitional justice mechanisms which would provide redress to victims of Sri Lanka’s civil war and victims of structural violence. In 2016 she developed recommendations to the Consultations Task Force on Reconciliation Mechanisms and was involved in civil society consultations on drafting legislation for a reparations’ regime in 2018.

During her fellowship, Annouchka Wijesinghe will examine the influences of populism on civic and political space. She will develop a series of discussions and resources to explore how youth leaders can curb the spread of disinformation, advocate for the right to information, and form coalitions to address the rise of populism.

Nevena Todorovic, Serbia (2020) 

Nevena Todorovic is a Program Coordinator at the Youth Initiative for Human Rights, an organization dedicated to promoting peace and reconciliation in the Balkans. The initiatives she works on promote post-conflict reconciliation, peacebuilding and youth human rights education on a local and international level. The Youth Initiative recently became the secretariat of the World Youth Movement for Democracy (WYMD), where Todorovic leads its solidarity initiatives on youth political participation and gender justice.

Her previous experience includes working with legal aid and humanitarian organizations that support refugees, as well as projects that bolster regional cooperation and peacebuilding through the arts. Todorovic attained her Masters in International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights Law and has a special interest in Middle East Studies.

During her fellowship, Nevena Todorovic will host a series of discussions to examine unifying thematic interests and priorities for civic youth leaders and will develop strategies and systems to enhance the sustainability of the WYMD.

Irene Ikomu, Uganda (2019) 

Irene Ikomu is a Ugandan lawyer based in Nairobi, Kenya. Prior to becoming a Hurford fellow, she was a consultant on civic spaces in the East and Horn of Africa, with the Heinrich Boell Foundation. Previously, she managed the Aga Khan Development Network’s East Africa Civil Society Initiative, supporting resilient civil society in Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania; and co-founded and managed Parliament Watch Uganda, a civic tech parliament monitoring initiative. Additionally, Ikomu was a Mandela Washington civic engagement fellow in 2014 and received the Young Female Lawyer of the Year Award by the Uganda Law Society in recognition of her contribution to Uganda’s democratic development.

During her fellowship, Ms. Ikomu focused on how young people are opening up new models of political participation outside of traditional political channels. Her discussions examined what it means to challenge the political status quo in the digital age, and explored this generation’s emerging voices and new ideas, harnessing lessons learned from their unique approaches to creating democratic space within their countries.                                                                                                                  

Anthony Q. Esguerra, Philippines (2018)

Anthony Q. Esguerra is a reporter and social media specialist for INQUIRER.net, the most-read news website in the Philippines. Having engaged in various regional youth forums, Esguerra is committed to promoting media literacy, independent journalism and freedom of the press in Asia. In 2011, Esguerra was elected president of the Philippine League of Development Communication, and in 2012 he was a fellow at the Institute on New Media and Journalism at Ball State University, a program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State.

During his fellowship, Anthony Esguerra explored strategies that can promote media and information literacy to counter disinformation and fake news. He developed a series of online discussions and tools that examined how to constructively deal with trolls and propagandists, explored the role of journalists in preventing disinformation, and proposed solutions that challenge attempts to ‘weaponize’ social media.

 

Margarita Maira, Chile (2018)

Margarita Maira is a Project Coordinator at Fundación Ciudadano Inteligente, a civil society organization that seeks to strengthen democracy in Latin America. Maira is committed to strengthening governance in Latin America and has led campaigns to engage youth in dialogue with decision makers and political candidates. Additionally, she has worked with emerging leaders in Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia, training them on how to develop advocacy strategies and engage in public policy. Her experiences include working with former Chilean President, Michelle Bachelet’s digital communications team and with Chile’s Ministry General Secretariat of the Government.

During her fellowship, Maira focused on how to create effective spaces where youth can relate to public policies and government issues. She explored practical ways to make governance a topic of interest for younger generations and opportunities to connect youth to democratic institutions.

 

Risham Waseem, Pakistan (2018)

Risham Waseem (Pakistan) is the Creative Director at Maati TV, a web TV channel that promotes peace and democracy in Pakistan. She also serves as the Media Officer at the Interactive Resource Center, a non-profit organization striving to build consciousness among marginalized populations using interactive art forms such as theatre and film. Waseem’s passion for art and activism inspired her to direct and produce several documentaries on countering violent extremism and addressing sexual harassment in Pakistan. Additionally, her commitment to civic participation led to her involvement in forum theatre, where she has performed in plays on issues related to human rights and democracy all over Pakistan.

During her fellowship, Waseem examined global media trends that promote populist and nationalistic narratives that discredit democracy, shrink civic space, and threaten youth political participation. Additionally, Waseem worked to develop short digital stories in the form of mini web series, to counter the misconceptions associated with democracy.