Youth

Game theory is built on a structure of calculations seeking to optimise for a desired outcome. Nonviolent resistance – the approach of choice for two major 20th-century human rights figures, Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr – can be interpreted through game theory to understand how the power of peace can sometimes trump the power of violence and force.

Inherited and intergenerational trauma produce complex effects at the individual, familial, and societal levels that can impact willingness to participate in public discourse and protest. In the Lebanese context, the mothers of Gen Z daughters have firsthand experience of high-stakes military conflict that often shape their perceptions of danger. Memories of war inform both mothers' responses to later events, such as the 2020 Beirut port explosion and the way they seek to protect their daughters from similar trauma. Daughters, in turn, inherit aspects of their mothers' trauma but nevertheless seek to engage with means of breaking cycles of violence.

The 2025 Gen-Z uprising in Nepal was the culmination of multiple sources of discontent and resulted in the collapse of the government, but the young protesters’ tactics and values were jarring for older generations of Nepalis. The push for change was reinforced by young Nepalis living outside the country, and women also actively took part in various aspects of the uprising, challenging patriarchal norms. In March 2026, Nepalis voted to elect 35-year-old Balendra Shah, the youngest prime minister in the country’s history, signalling a new chapter for Nepali politics.

The 2025 GenZ 212 protests in Morocco erupted due to systemic problems in the distribution of resources and development across the country. Despite the movement’s initial momentum among young people and Moroccan society more broadly, the lack of centralised coordination and outbreak of violence among protesters ultimately caused a reversal in public support. Nevertheless, the protests succeeded in extracting promises from the government to invest more funds into public goods such as education and hospitals.

Georgian politics were rocked by sustained protests led by Gen Z from 2023 and 2024. Diaries kept by young people reveal the complex emotional arc many experienced as the protests unfolded, moulded by fear, anger, pride, and hope but also by disappointment and confusion. A shared sense of identity and history served to consolidate protesters’ voices and visions, with values associated with the European Union, including democracy and human rights, providing a frame of reference for protesters’ demands. 

Across Morocco, Kenya, and Madagascar, youth-led movements are challenging political power through decentralised leadership, street mobilisation, and cross-border solidarity. While digital tools help coordinate action, the protests reflect deeper frustrations over inequality, corruption, and political exclusion.

From Colombo to Kathmandu to Jakarta, a generation raised online is turning digital outrage into real-world protest, challenging power, demanding accountability, and redefining what revolution looks like across Asia. In this report, the journalist Ester Pinheiro speaks with: Sanskriti Pandey, sexual and reproductive rights young activist from Nepal. Sarthak Bhattarai, political reform activist from Nepal. Michelin Sallata, young Indigenous activist from Indonesia. Sulochana Peiris, documentary maker, researcher, writer, and director of the film #GoHomeGota from Sri Lanka. 

From livestreams in Lima to mass marches in Mexico City and youth networks in Buenos Aires, a new generation is reshaping protest in Latin America. Gen Z activists respond to corruption, crime, and political instability by blending street mobilisation with digital organising, memes, and cultural expression. Decentralised, creative, and often born online, their movements show how humour, hope, and hashtags are transforming activism across the region.