On 2 March, GISA Amnesty organised a public workshop as part of its Find Your Voice as an Activist series. The session explored how young people are reshaping democratic participation through activism and digital media with a discussion that combined academic reflection with activist experience.
The workshop opened with an interactive exercise inviting participants to reflect on their own media practices and engagement with environmental issues. By mapping how they encounter, share, or ignore sustainability content online, participants were encouraged to consider how digital platforms structure attention and influence what becomes politically visible.
Laura Bullon-Cassis, postdoctoral researcher at the Albert Hirschman Centre on Democracy, shared research insights connected to the project Reframing Democratic Spaces: Youth Climate Activism and Local Institutions. Her intervention focused on the hybrid character of contemporary youth activism. Rather than treating social media as a secondary communication tool, she argued that platforms function as arenas where political visibility, credibility, and influence are negotiated. Offline actions are often designed with digital circulation in mind, while online visibility can shape which issues gain traction in institutional settings. At the same time, activism unfolds under algorithmic conditions that structure attention and compress political time into short cycles of visibility.
The workshop then turned to two Geneva-based activists and content creators working on sustainability. DON’T BE TRASHY, a sustainability-focused influencer active in Suisse romande, spoke about the practical constraints of environmental advocacy online. She described how algorithms and evolving patterns of content consumption shape what becomes visible, and how sustaining meaningful conversations about environmental responsibility requires constant adaptation.
Calysgalaxy, a blogger specialising in environmental activism with a focus on sustainable fashion, reflected on the challenge of encouraging more responsible consumption in digital spaces shaped by trends and rapid turnover. She highlighted the importance of building trust and fostering community, while maintaining clarity in advocacy.
The discussion that followed addressed issues such as online harassment, platform governance, and the blurred boundaries between activism and branding. Participants examined how digital visibility can expand reach while also creating new vulnerabilities. The exchange underscored the interconnected nature of contemporary youth engagement, where street mobilisation, institutional dialogue, and digital communication reinforce one another rather than operate separately.
The event formed part of GISA Amnesty’s ongoing Find Your Voice as an Activist series, which seeks to create spaces for dialogue on human rights and democratic participation within and beyond the Institute. The upcoming workshops will explore activism and mental health, and privilege and marginalisation within activist spaces.
For further information, the organisers can be contacted at gisa.amnesty@graduateinstitute.ch