The Swedish case has evolved rapidly in recent years, clearly reflected in the public debate and in the government’s priorities. Since Sweden’s right-wing coalition government launched a new joint political programme in 2022, young people are no longer referred to as active citizens or contributors to society, but mainly as a ‘problem group’ in society1 in the context of crime prevention strategies and tougher criminal penalties.
At the same time, there is a worrying trend towards discrediting civil society organisations and their representatives. From January 2025, organisations applying for government grants will have to meet new ‘democracy conditions’, requiring them to demonstrate democratic values mainly through policy documents. While this seems well-intentioned, many warn that this will burden smaller, often volunteer-run organisations with extra paperwork and distract their focus away from working with young people. Other examples of young people being discredited are more obvious. 46 per cent of youth organisation representatives have experienced hate and harassment, according to a 2020 survey by the National Council of Swedish Children and Youth Organisations (LSU). Young voices are discredited, vilified and silenced by adults precisely because they are young.
Funding is another area where the space for youth civil society organisations is rapidly shrinking. After a period of increasing dependence of youth organisations on temporary government grants, the temporary fund of SEK 50 million established in 2019 will expire in 2026, taking the Swedish youth movement back to the funding it had in 2011. According to calculations by LSU,2 inflation and the fact that a rising number of organisations are funded from the same budget have resulted in a real-term deficit of 27.3% over 2011.
This is not just a national trend. Cuts in development aid have led to the closure of the Global Action Local Empowerment (GALE) programme, which has fostered partnerships between LSU and youth organisations in Lebanon, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Belarus, the Philippines, Cambodia, Egypt and Myanmar since 1995. Ethnic civil society organisations have also been affected, with knock-on impacts on youth-led groups.
Sweden’s international youth engagement is also shrinking. In 2023, the government withdrew financial support for youth delegates to the UN General Assembly, ending a programme that Sweden proudly launched in 1991. The decision triggered a heated public debate that questioned not only the programme itself, but also the very legitimacy of LSU and youth representation in international arenas. Effective 2025, LSU lost youth delegate seats at the UN General Assembly, the UN High Level Forum on Sustainable Development and the COP climate negotiations. This sends a symbolic message about political priorities - and about whose voices are valued.
But young people are not giving up. Faced with shrinking spaces, they are creating new ones. Youth organisations in Sweden currently bring together some 650,000 young people in communities based on exchange and curiosity. Issues such as climate justice, democratic renewal, LGBTQIA+ rights and mental health are bringing young people together and mobilising them across traditional political and geographical boundaries. They prove yet again that when young people are denied a seat at the table, they do not just walk away and give up.
The lesson told by Sweden’s experience is clear: youth participation is not self-sustaining. It needs investment, protection and political will – with no interruptions. Young people’s rights and responsibilities may never be regarded as tick boxes. Even when support dwindles, young people’s determination persists. Strong. Smart. Loud.
The space for youth organising may be under pressure, but the spirit behind it is alive and well. It is building new paths, sparking new movements and resistant to being silenced. It is our responsibility as the adults around young people to listen to them and to stand up for them and speak out in solidarity whenever we witness their struggle.
Alice Bergholtz was Deputy Chair of the Council of Europe's Advisory Council on Youth Issues.
This article was written for issue 01|2025 of the specialist magazine beyond.
1 24 out of 25 references to “young people” (Swedish: unga) relate to criminal activity among young people. While there is no legal definition of a “young” person in Sweden, government agencies’ practices vary, with some using 24, 25 or 30 as the upper age limit. The Tidö Agreement has occasional references to “youth under 18 years old”, while most refrain from defining the age range.
2 LSU (2024) Ungdomsrörelsen i siffror 2024, p. 22
