5+1 Things We Took Away from YouthTalks 2025

Stories, experiences, and inspiration that we will keep close as we enter 2026.

The FastForward News Team

12 Dec 2025

When was the last time you felt inspired by someone’s story?

For us, the 22nd of October springs to mind – the day of the third edition of the YouthTalks conference. Organised by RESET, in collaboration with ENA Foundation, the event brought together 6 young changemakers - from modern-day explorers to mountain bikers and ethnomusicologist - all with a story to tell. This year’s line-up was quite impressive and left the audience with lessons, laughs and plenty of food for thought.

YouthTalks is not an event that is just meant to inspire – it also intends to challenge, question and spark action through the stories shared on stage. You walk out feeling hopeful, but also nudged, in the best way, to do something yourself.

So once the lights dim, the seats empty, and the stage goes quiet, what stays with us?

1. The road less travelled can be full of wanders

Following a weathered path that has been walked by many - both literally and metaphorically - can feel safe and familiar. However, Bora Markovich, photographer, explorer, and content creator, made a different case and revealed why stepping off the path and getting lost is so important.

Sharing his experiences as an avid explorer of Cypriot nature, Markovich demonstrated to us that wander exists everywhere – even in places that we think we know by heart. This is why it’s crucial to slow down, and allow oursevles to get a little lost. Sometimes, the road less travelled is where you’ll find what you are looking for.

2. Creating an inclusive society is everyone’s responsibility, not just those who are excluded from it

Accessibility isn’t a privilege but a right; a message that came out loud and clear by Andreas Vasiliou and Symeon Stylianou, co-founders of Ablebook. Their work highlights how many public spaces remain inaccessible because society has historically designed around, rather than with, people with disabilities.

In the same spirit, Konstantina Alexandridou, inclusivity educator and CrossFit athlete made a grounding point during her speech - a person is not disabled because of the physical or mental challenges that they live with, but because of the societal barriers and exclusion that they face. She invited us to reflect on what she called “inspiration porn” - the tendency to consider disabled people as an inspiration simply for existing in a world built without them in mind. However, being able to move through society safely, freely and with dignity shouldn’t be someone’s source of inspiration. It should be a given. For this to happen, we must recognize that we all share a common responsibility to create this world – through the policies we advocate for, the spaces we create and the attitudes that need to be challenged.

3. It doesn’t matter how many times you fall but how many times you get back up

Failure is a part of life and most times the road to success comes with a lot of hurdles and obstacles that need to be overcome.

Sharing her journey through the infamous Mountain of Hell competition, mountain bike athlete Savina Koule, described the sharp turns, swift descents and split-second decisions that can make or break the race. While she conquered the mountain, she did not sugarcoat the fears, sacrifices and doubts she had leading up to, and even during, the race. However, what defined her was not these setbacks, but the fact that she was willing to start over after each and every one of them.

She left us with a simple but powerful message: You may need to fall many times before you reach the finish line. What matters is that you keep rising up until you do.

4. History is not just in books, it’s all around us

Dr. Nicoletta Demetriou, ethnomusicologist and Director of the Cyprus Music Archive, took us on a journey through culture, memory, and music. Her speech reminded us that history is rarely confined to textbooks and that, in fact, it resides within people – their voices, songs, stories and dreams.

And while these histories may not have a neat beginning, middle or end – nor are they objective, they can still teach us a lot about a place, a time or, even, an entire generation. It is through these stories that we may make sense of our identities, communities and the places we call home.

Indeed, the history we are taught in school barely scratches the surface. The rest is happening all around us, and it is up to us to pay attention.

5. Dreams, careers, sports and interests have no gender

Gender stereotypes still run deep in today’s society. In education, at work, even at playtime, the idea that girls and boys belong in different worlds is repeatedly reinforced. Girls are handed dolls and boys are given toy cars, young women are encouraged to pursue careers in teaching, nursing and administration while men are stirred towards engineering, finance and medicine. This is a persistent pattern that repeats itself across multiple parts of life – sports, hobbies, careers and so on.

Anastasia Liopetriti, co-founder of Girls in STEAM, emphasised these dichotomies, focusing on the quiet ways in which we reinforce them through our language, subconscious biases and actions. She also reminded us that meaningful change doesn’t require a grand gesture – sometimes, all it takes is to question the way we speak, the examples we set and the space we give young people to explore who they want to be – without restrictions.

If we want a more equal society, then we need to rethink how gendered expectations seep into our everyday choices. Dreams, careers, sports, and passions don’t come with instructions or labels and children certainly shouldn’t inherit any from us.

6. It is up to each of us to make a difference

If YouthTalks teaches us anything, it’s that stories, experiences and change happen because people take a step, a leap or even a small shift towards their goals and dreams.

Change does not require a perfect plan but a willingness to start. Whether it’s deepening people’s appreciation of nature, recording unheard stories and histories, motivating others to face their fears, or creating a more equitable and accessible society for all, change starts with us. What guides those decisions differs for everyone. Some are moved by curiosity, others by passion, frustration, or a sense of responsibility to their community. But at the end, each of us can choose to take active steps to make a difference in the world around them.