"Young Voices", the exhibition that gives a voice to young NEET

Young Voices : When Mediterranean Youth reclaim their voice

As part of its advocacy actions, the MedNYouth Youth Council presents the original exhibition “Young Voices” at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, within the framework of the conference “Education and Skills for the Future”, jointly organised by the MedNC Network, the Union for the Mediterranean, the Anna Lindh Foundation, the HOMERe programme and the European Union.

Designed and led by the young people themselves, this exhibition pursues a clear and powerful objective: To be better recognised and valued as young NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training). This objective was collectively defined during the first in-person meeting of the MedNYouth Council in Marseille and strongly resonates with today’s Mediterranean challenges.

An exhibition as an advocacy tool 

Taking advantage of an event bringing together decision-makers, key regional stakeholders, socio-professional integration practitioners and companies, the Mediterranean New Chance Network sought to create a space where the voices of young NEETs could be heard directly, without intermediaries. In this context, MedNYouth young people mobilised ahead of the event to design a high-impact activity capable of conveying strong messages, as well as their lived realities and ambitions.

“Young Voices” is far more than an artistic exhibition: it is a true advocacy tool, designed by and for young people.

Portraits to be seen, words to be heard 

The exhibition takes the form of a series of portraits accompanied by texts, created by members of the MedNYouth Council. Each portrait makes visible a face, a journey and an individual story. Each text gives young people the opportunity to speak for themselves, highlighting their paths, commitments, dreams and what they wish to share as young NEETs. In doing so, they actively contribute to challenging the stereotypes often associated with them.

The themes explored are diverse and reflect the richness of young people’s trajectories: personal or collective engagement, an achievement they are proud of, a profession or career project, a hobby or passion, a dream for the future, a defining personality trait, or a life story marked by resilience.

Through this diversity of narratives, the exhibition deconstructs stereotypes and refuses to reduce Mediterranean youth to statistics or labels.

A youth full of potential and resilience 

From one portrait to the next, “Young Voices” highlights Mediterranean young women and men full of potential and creativity, who are too often made invisible in public debates. The exhibition reminds us that young NEETs are neither passive nor disengaged, but rather key actors in shaping the future of the Mediterranean region.

This exhibition is part of the momentum launched by MedNYouth young people through their media campaign around the term NEET. Within MedNYouth, young people have given it a new meaning: #NewEnergyEndlessTriumph.

As highlighted by Fatima Zahra, a MedNYouth young ambassador and learner in the GreenChip programme of Al Jisr (Morocco):

“Through this exhibition, we want to show that we are not failures, but that we represent new energy and unlimited success. Our goal is for decision-makers to see and feel the strength and ambition that drive Mediterranean youth.”

Each portrait carries a collective message of hope and a strong desire to contribute to a fairer and more sustainable future for the Mediterranean.

An exhibition accessible to all 

Temporarily presented at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the “Young Voices” exhibition is now also accessible online:

• on the MedNYouth Youth Council Instagram account @mednyouth

• on our website, directly accessible here (also available via the Our Resources section)

A way to allow these voices to travel beyond the walls and to remind us that recognising and valuing young NEETs remains a major challenge for youth across the Mediterranean.