This century has witnessed widespread participation of youth in many social movements, continuing right up to this day. This article discusses such movements up to the previous year, 2025 (but not ongoing ones, as these are still evolving), in order to learn from them.
Speaking mainly in the context of the first quarter of this century—the years 2000–25—we can say that youth movements have played an important role in many countries, sometimes resulting in big changes in the politics of these countries. Beyond the magnitude of change, however, we still need to ask whether the big change was for good or for worse. Another aspect relates to immediate versus longer-term change. Sometimes an immediate feeling of achievement is created, but the achievement may appear more doubtful years—and sometimes even months—later. In fact, the immediate impact may see very intense involvement of youth and others, but this may not be sustained for long. There is a need to look at impacts as they are revealed over a somewhat longer period than the heat of the moment.
I think that both for understanding what actually happened in a significant number of countries and for learning how youth movements can have a more sustained and better impact, it is important for youth and students in particular to study past experiences in a very unbiased way, examining various perspectives and views and then forming an understanding in a non-partisan way. In their study, students should remain aware of media bias of various kinds and should strive to reach conclusions and draw lessons more independently from the factual position.
In the case of the various color revolutions, for example, it is important to see both supportive and critical viewpoints from various affected countries. On various color revolutions, the Western perspective differs significantly from what some other countries, such as Russia and China, have to say, and so students must look up the latter too. In the context of Ukraine, for instance, an important fact to examine is whether the color revolution or other movements that followed, with significant youth participation, were pushing Ukraine away from neutrality towards hostility with Russia—something that proved very harmful eventually for Ukraine, for Russia as well as for world peace. While at the moment the youth participants may have had the feeling of coming forward to do something for their country, with the advantage now of knowing what eventually happened in subsequent years, it is possible that the enthusiasm of that time of many young participants is now replaced with deep regret at how they may have been used, without realizing it at that time, for something that was to prove very harmful for their country. Similarly, it is important to examine the impact of some other color revolutions too.
Coming to the Arab Spring, here too it is important to look at longer-term impacts. In the context of Egypt, for instance, students can explore whether, despite the very intense involvement of youth and others during those days, the change ultimately resulted in the emergence of an even more authoritarian regime. In the case of Libya and Syria, the drift towards a worsening situation may appear even clearer, as the movements here, broadly identified with the Arab Spring, led to civil wars that caused heavy destruction in these countries and claimed tens of thousands of lives. These countries have still not recovered from the great harm suffered and are today in much more difficult and uncertain situations.
In the case of anti-corruption movements in Brazil, students can explore how Operation Car Wash and other such moves were later proved to be based on false accusations, including those involving top leaders, as finally confirmed by the courts—but not before popularly elected governments had been disrupted and popular leaders had been imprisoned. Judge Gilmar Mendes, in 2019, referred in a court session to Operation Car Wash investigators as "gangsters and scum." However, a little earlier, the "gangsters and scum" had managed to appear as heroes, causing the imprisonment of so well-established a leader as former (and future) President Lula and paving the way for the election victory of Bolsonaro.
In India too, the accusations of corruption related to spectrum allocation, highlighted a great deal during anti-corruption movements, were later exposed in courts to be false, although by then they had played an important role in the decline of a popular government, contributing to its eventual electoral defeat. At the same time, nothing much came out of the Jan Lokpal or public ombudsman issue, which had been the most highlighted issue of the movements but is hardly discussed today—in fact, ignored even by those who championed it as being of the highest importance.
Students can study how false issues or those with misplaced priorities get highlighted in such contexts, and why big mistakes continue to be repeated, with the aim of learning how to reduce the chances of such mistakes in future.
Most recently, in Bangladesh, social and political movements with high youth participation led to the ouster of an elected government (led by Sheikh Hasina as Prime Minister, the longest-serving woman in the top leader role anywhere in the world and with a record of very significant improvements in human development indicators in the middle of many difficulties) and subsequent changes that have been harmful for the country in terms of their overall impact, as pointed out by several analysts. Students can study this more clearly and in detail by comparing the commitments and record of the governance of Sheikh Hasina, her colleagues and political party with that of her opponents and with what has been happening since her ouster.
On the other hand, the climate change–related movement Friday for Future Climate Strikes witnessed very sincere efforts on the part of students, which should be widely appreciated. Even though these efforts could not have the desired impact, as climate-related achievements have actually been declining at the world level, at least this movement tried with continuity for a good cause and never caused any harm.
Similarly, the Occupy Wall Street movement had clearly desirable aims of reducing extreme inequalities and reducing corporate influence on politics. Although this movement could not prevent an overall increase of inequalities in a greater part of the world, it was helpful in focusing public attention on important issues. Moreover, this movement never caused any harm, and its intentions were clearly good.
The youth movements for getting more justice-based support for the people of Gaza and for the Palestinians in general, in US campuses and elsewhere, were sincere movements that succeeded at least partially in their aim of drawing public attention to justice-based issues that urgently deserved attention.
On the whole, a careful study of various youth and student movements during 2000–2025, or perhaps going back a little earlier, is likely to reveal the need for some important changes. Firstly, I think that these movements need to be based more firmly on a longer-term program of justice, peace and protection of the environment, so that even if some immediate issues are highlighted more for initial mobilization, the movements cannot be manipulated for narrow ends. Secondly, while social media help for mobilization is fine, this cannot be a substitute for a firm organizational base for ensuring strength and sustainability over a longer period and, again, reducing possibilities of manipulation. Students should discuss at length, on the basis of serious study, how there should be a clearer, firmer and broad-based understanding of future changes needed for creating a safer and better world, and how youth movements can work with continuity for this while also advancing some of the more immediate concerns of students and youth for educational reform and for more creative, satisfying work and livelihood options.
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The writer is Honorary Convener, Campaign to Save Earth Now. His recent books include Planet in Peril, Protecting Earth for Children, Man over Machine, When the Two Streams Met and A Day in 2071. His website is bharatdogra.in and his YouTube channel is Bharat Dogra | Save Earth Campaign
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