YOUNG SHOTS

we’ll invite you to join the project soon!

ABOUT YOUNG SHOTS

How can the experiences of people who lived through democratic transition inspire us to shape the world today? What does democracy mean to a generation for whom the transition to democracy is a story told by others rather than a lived experience?

From memories of life under non-democratic systems and moments of historic change to today’s questions about freedom, participation and having a voice, Young Shots brings together experiences across generations and perspectives from different parts of Europe. The project examines how the memory of democratic transition connects to young people’s lives today.

What does democracy mean to a new generation?
When do young people feel heard and able to make a difference?
What kind of democracy do they want to shape for the future?

These are some of the questions we will explore throughout the project. Through intergenerational dialogue, creative exploration and youth-led public activities, young people will encounter stories of democratic transition and reflect on their own place in democracy today.

Young Shots gives participants room to raise the questions that matter to them, share their own perspectives and find ways of taking part in democratic life that feel meaningful to them.

The project brings together 11 organisations from eight European countries. In Lithuania, Young Shots is implemented by the Open Lithuania Foundation.

HOW TO TAKE PART?

We invite young people aged 18–30 who are curious about democracy, society, stories of democratic transition and their own role in democracy today.

You do not need previous experience in civic engagement, and you do not need to already know what democracy means to you.

We want to bring together people with different experiences, interests and perspectives.

Those interested in joining will be invited to complete a short registration form and tell us what interests them and why they would like to take part in Young Shots.

Registration will open soon. To apply, please switch to the Lithuanian version of this page, where the registration form will be available in Lithuanian.

YOUTH PROGRAMME IN LITHUANIA

In Lithuania, we will bring together a group of young people aged 18–30 to explore stories of democratic transition and the experiences of different generations.

Throughout the programme, we will organise intergenerational encounters and creative activities, and bring together experts and practitioners working in democracy and human rights to support the group as mentors.

Participants will work with personal testimonies and learn how people across Europe experienced the transition from non-democratic to democratic societies. They will discuss these stories with mentors, connect them with their own experiences and follow the questions about democracy that feel most relevant to them today.

Mentors will share their knowledge and experience, help participants explore the subjects they choose and support them as their ideas develop.

At the end of the programme, we will help participants share their work with a wider audience. The format will be their choice – it could be a public discussion, a creative workshop, an installation, a performance or something completely different.

We will support the group in making these ideas happen. The young people themselves will decide what they want to say and how they want to invite others into the conversation.

A LIVING SOCIAL ARCHIVE

Young Shots builds on Changing Democracies, a project that ran from 2023 to 2025 and gathered personal testimonies from people who experienced life under non-democratic systems and the transition to democracy.

Changing Democracies asked what Europe’s living history can help us understand about democracy today. Memories from different countries opened up conversations about freedom, citizenship, expectations of democracy, disappointment and the different ways in which the same past can be remembered.

EXPLORE THE CHANGING DEMOCRACIES ARCHIVE

The platform includes educational materials, interactive documentaries, personal stories and research findings. It is a useful resource for teachers, students and anyone interested in history told through people’s lived experiences. The content is also available in Lithuanian.

Changing Democracies focused on collecting and sharing these stories. Young Shots places them in the hands of a new generation. Young people will explore the testimonies from their own perspectives, connect them with the present and raise their own questions about the future of democracy.

The multilingual Changing Democracies platform will continue to grow as a living social archive where testimonies can be revisited, reinterpreted and told in new formats.

Young journalists and content creators from across Europe will also join the project through a dedicated Storytelling Lab. They will experiment with ways of bringing stories of democratic transition to younger audiences, linking them with questions that matter today and opening up conversations about freedom, memory and democracy.

COMMUNITY TOOLKIT

How can we talk about democracy while making room for personal experience, different perspectives and open questions?

Young Shots will develop a freely available “Is My Democracy Your Democracy?” community toolkit. It will use personal stories to explore democratic transitions and their connections with life today.

The toolkit will be designed for schools, youth centres, libraries, cultural organisations, community groups and anyone interested in starting conversations about democracy.

It will include methods and activity ideas for working with stories, bringing different generations into conversation and exploring the project’s questions in local settings. The toolkit will remain available after the project ends.

Across Young Shots, storytelling, intergenerational dialogue and an open, learner-led approach will guide the work with young people. The process begins with lived memories of democratic transition and moves towards the questions, ideas and actions of a new generation.