Young people leading the conversation on cultural democracy
Last month, the Portuguese National Plan for the Arts (PNA) published the “Young People’s Addendum to the Porto Santo Charter”, a youth-led contribution to building a more inclusive and democratic cultural future in Europe.
The Porto Santo Charter was co-drafted by Culture Action Europe (CAE) and many of its members at the 2021 Porto Santo Conference, an initiative of the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the EU. The Charter is a guiding map of principles and recommendations for applying and developing a working paradigm for cultural democracy in Europe.
Since the original drafting in 2021, the Charter has been used as a guiding document to outline and promote the impact of the cultural sector in strengthening democracy and democratic culture. As part of the deepening of the Charter, organisers worked through a 22-month process to host events, hold conversations and consultations and a think-tank residency to engage young people in the shaping of their vision for cultural democracy.
This past November, the “Youth–Action–Culture: Towards Cultural Democracy Conference in Caldas da Rainha/Loulé held space young people, artists and policymakers to discuss strategic convergences between the youth, education and culture sectors, to design policies that promote the cultural rights of young people in a democratic society and, specifically, the role of cultural and artistic education for the development of cultural citizenship. From this, the Young People’s Addendum to the Porto Santo Charter was drafted.
As Sara Brighenti, the Addendum’s coordinator, said about the process, “Deep down, there has to be this notion that we are all co-responsible for the culture kilometre that surrounds us. That means we have to ask ourselves: Where can I make a difference? Where do I want to start?… We can’t forget that this is a commitment that is everybody’s. We all have agency.”
The document is structured around six key themes that reflect the concerns, values, and aspirations of today’s youth: Cultural Participation and Citizenship, Inequalities in Access to Culture, Inclusion vs. Hierarchies & Elitism, Digital Culture and Ethical Challenges, Working Conditions of Cultural Workers and Cultural and Arts Education.
More than a static policy paper, this Addendum is also a good practice in collective authorship and cultural decentralisation. By centring youth perspectives and engaging cities like Caldas da Rainha and Loulé in the process, it reflects a broader shift: from top-down cultural policy to community-based, co-created change. It also gave space for many cultural actors to challenge how the role and identity of young people have been portrayed or misconstrued in participatory actions in the past.
Marco Fiore from Michael Culture Association, who took part in the drafting process, said, “The concept of ‘youth’ as a homogeneous social group is artificial and just not right: young people may have commonalities and similar challenges, but it is primarily about individuals with unique and very diverse life experiences. It seems absurd that we have to specify it, but it’s easy to notice how this notion is taken and stuck on policies like a sticker by ‘adults’.”
This deeper focus on making truly open and inclusive spaces for cultural democracy has been an essential focus for Culture Action Europe, even since the original drafting of the Charter. At its flagship event in Turin, Italy, coming up this June, BEYOND 2025: Being Many will centre the topics of intergenerational collaboration and cultural democracy to further rethink traditional notions of leadership, showcase bold and unconventional ways of governance and explore a possible paradigm for cultural democracy.
In its commitment to platform young voices and create spaces for intergenerational dialogue, Culture Action Europe will host co-writers of the Young People’s Addendum, including Clara Passarhino, former Pop the Vote Changemaker and current CAE member to share more about her experience as an artist, cultural worker and advocate for stronger, more inclusive democratic processes in Europe. “Being part of the team of young people, cultural agents, artists, and policymakers who worked on the addendum to the Porto Santo Charter was a deeply fulfilling experience, both professionally and personally. It’s always great to be involved in projects where your voice is heard and valued, and as a young artist, it was also incredibly impactful to meet so many amazing people from other countries who share the same struggles as we do. We’re still in touch to this day.”
At its heart, the Young People’s Addendum to the Porto Santo Charter is a call to rethink how we value, make, and share culture. It invites cultural leaders, educators, institutions, and citizens to listen more closely to young voices—and to build a cultural democracy that is more inclusive, participatory, and hopeful. As Inês Câmara, director of Mapa das Ideias and CAE President, said at the drafting of the Young People’s Addendum, “We are the 27th human right. That’s what we do. We are not the cherry on top of the cake. We are the whole cake!”
Photo Credit: lido.pt