30 Young Democracy Activists Hailed in NED "30 Under 30" Campaign

National Endowment for Democracy marks 30^th anniversary with focus on youth

WASHINGTON, Sept. 23, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The inspiring stories of 30 young democracy activists are featured in a new 30^th anniversary campaign -- "30 Under 30"– launched today by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED).  A multimedia website, www.ned.org/30years, uses engaging videos, photos, and text to bring to life the innovative work of these promising young leaders, all age 30 or younger, who are working for a democratic future in 24 countries.

"For 30 years, NED has been privileged to support the work of thousands of activists who have creatively and courageously worked to advance democracy and human rights in more than 100 countries," said NED President Carl Gershman. "With over half of the world's population under the age of 30, young people will define the progress of democracy in the 21st century. NED will continue to support and stand with them."

Featured activists include:

• 26- and 25-year-old Pakistani sisters who provide young women in rural Pakistan with education and leadership training, so they can act as change agents in their communities and gain control over their lives
• a 30-year-old Zimbabwean who inspires marginalized youth to participate in the country's politics
• a 29-year-old Azeri human rights defender who used the Eurovision Song Contest as a platform to promote democracy and human rights in Azerbaijan
• a 30-year-old North Korean defector who escaped from the high security internment camp he was born in and is sharing his personal story to raise awareness about the camps
• a 26-year-old journalist from Venezuela who promotes free press and self-expression through the use of social media, so far amassing more than 300,000 young Venezuelan followers
• A 23-year-old Iraqi who counters violence and corruption with new civic tactics and works with youth to reunite the country and its people around civic themes

Full multimedia profiles of all 30 activists can be found here. 

The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is a private, nonprofit foundation dedicated to the growth and strengthening of democratic institutions around the world. Each year, NED makes more than 1,000 grants to support the projects of non-governmental groups abroad who are working for democratic goals in more than 90 countries.  More information about NED can be found at www.ned.org.

SOURCE National Endowment for Democracy