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Panel and Breakout Session: Shrinking Civic Spaces

October 19, 11:15 AM-13:00 PM ET
Conference Registration
  • 16:15 Lagos
  • 18:15 Nairobi
  • 12:15 São Paulo
  • 08:15 San Francisco
  • 15:15 GMT

Across the globe, governments are shrinking civic spaces in the name of preserving power, and as the pandemic continues to rage. Youth activists have been forced to change their behaviors and strategies, attempting to continue to demonstrate power even as they have less of an ability to do so. This panel will explore how youth activists can maintain or grow their power, even as governments target their efforts and limit their activities.

Panelists

  •

    Namatai Kwekweza

    Executive Director of WELEAD Trust Kwekweza has over five years of experience in community organizing, social entrepreneurship, and human rights advocacy, mainly focusing on youth and women's rights. She is currently working on a Bachelor of Laws degree at the University of South Africa and aspires to be a constitutional and international human rights lawyer.

  • Ashley Lee

    Research Fellow in the Digital Civil Society Lab at Stanford University Lee engages with issues of surveillance and other forms of repression across democratic and authoritarian countries. Her current book project examines technology, youth activism, and social movements in comparative perspective. Previously, she has worked on issues at the intersection of computer science, technology, and society and human rights.

  • Abideen Olasupo

    Nigerian Social Entrepreneur Olasupo conducts socio-economic, business, political, and communication research with the adoption of quantitative and qualitative designs. He develops strategies that communicate unique propositions to the relevant stakeholders. He is one of the 100 Most Influential Young Africans. His recent COVID-19 innovation won several grants.

  • Lubna Azmi

    Johns Hopkins University Student (Moderator) Azmi is a junior at Johns Hopkins studying International studies and sociology with a minor in Islamic studies. She is involved with community organizing work, specifically around mutual aid, civic engagement, and youth incarceration.