SMF 2025 “Reimagining Youth Activism: How Youth Can Create Self-empowered Movements In Southeast Asia”

Vietnam Rise is pleased to announce the fourth iteration of the Social Movement Festival (SMF) 2025.

The evolving geopolitical environment forces activists to reimagine how progress in youth participation and empowerment can occur amid new challenges such as those in international funding and increasing authoritarianism worldwide and in the region. 

This year’s theme “Reimagining Youth Activism: How Youth Can Create Self-empowered Movements In Southeast Asia”, SMF 2025 aims to chart a regionally focused path forward that maximizes youth autonomy and strengthens youths’ role as key drivers of social change. The event will explore strategies for optimizing resources, sustaining morale, and safeguarding both team members and target communities from political scrutiny. 

SMF 2025 will include a series of activities and events:  

Online Events

For Vietnamese civil society organizations and communities. On November 1 groups will gather online to celebrate communities, groups, and activists leading Vietnamese movements and youth-driven initiatives in closed spaces.  We will host an online roundtable discussion for Vietnamese civil society organizations. Groups will also have an opportunity to showcase community initiatives to their peers. Awards will be given to the most impactful and innovative initiatives. 

Offline Regional NGO Roundtable

The half-day, offline event is an invitation-only roundtable session that brings together regional youth activists' perspectives on effectively engaging marginalized communities in Southeast Asia. Through peer-to-peer exchange, participants will share tactics and experiences drawn from regional and local grassroots movements , spanning environmental justice, LGBTQ+ rights, and political participation. 

The roundtable sessions will explore strategies for optimizing resources, sustaining morale, and safeguarding both team members and target communities from political scrutiny. Participants will examine how Southeast Asian youth movements have driven change, despite the distinct challenges and operating environments in each others’ countries. The roundtable  will also explore how these movements can inspire one another and offer valuable lessons for future action.

For more information, please contact smf@vietnamrise.org.

Vietnam Rise.