October, 2025
Elephant Talk at the European Parliament: Youth Voices Front and Centre
In October, 2025, the Elephant Talk consortium wrapped up a year-long dialogue with Members of the European Parliament with a special International Data Presentation Event right inside the European Parliament. The gathering marked the finale of an outreach process led by Polylogos, with Maghweb coordinating the broader project from October 2024 to October 2025.
Bringing together young people from Italy, Portugal, Greece, and Romania, youth workers, local civil society representatives, and five actively engaged MEPs, the event created a unique space for real conversation about online gender-based hate and body shaming. In total, 30 participants engaged with each other.
One of the highlights was the youth-led presentation of the transnational Elephant Talk survey results. Each delegation connected the data to personal experiences, provocative questions, and stories that made the issue feel pressing and human. Visualisations and clear data helped underline this for policymakers and civil society alike.
Hosting the event inside the European Parliament added weight to the message: online gender-based hate is not just a personal problem but a structural, Europe wide challenge.
After the event, the consortium reflected on what made the strongest impact. Unsurprisingly, the biggest win was youth empowerment. Giving young people the microphone, literally in one of the EU’s most important institutions, was a powerful democratic moment. At the same time, the team acknowledged that while conversations with MEPs were constructive, real policy change remains a longer-term effort. For that the data and insights gathered throughout the project are outlined in policy recommendations: Elephant-Talk-Policy-Recommendations.pdf.
Another takeaway: the huge value of youth exchange. With more time, even deeper intercultural dialogue could have strengthened the experience further. Something the team is keen to build into future editions. Looking ahead, the consortium plans to refine its research tools, grow partnerships with local organisations, and continue engaging key decision-makers to keep the conversation alive at EU level.
The Brussels event proved one thing clearly: when young people are given space to speak, they bring insight, urgency, and hope to some of Europe’s most pressing social challenges. And this is only the beginning.
Policy Recommendations:
Elephant-Talk-Policy-Recommendations.pdf