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Introduction
2025 was a very challenging year for youth inside Afghanistan, especially for girls and young women who are banned from education and face restrictions on their participation in public life. Despite these difficulties, Afghans for Progressive Thinking organization (APT) worked hard to give them opportunities to learn and make their voices heard. Our goal was to create safe spaces where young men and women can share ideas, practice new skills, and raise their voices for peace and justice.
This year, through our different initiatives and programs, we have reached over 1000 youth, the majority of them young women. They have learned how to think critically, practice advocacy, and express themselves with confidence. Young women in our programs also have written policy briefs about the challenges they are facing, and these briefs have been shared and published by APT. Others have joined mentorship programs that helped them prepare for scholarships and continue their studies abroad, even when schools at home remain closed.
We also organized events to provide youth with a chance to meet, share ideas, and be more engaged in their communities. We have also shared ebooks monthly reaching over 2000 young women and men who did not have access to reading materials.
This newsletter highlights our activities and achievements in 2025 and celebrates the resilience of youth in Afghanistan. Their work shows that even in the hardest times, learning can keep hope alive and open new paths toward a brighter future.
Creating Safe Spaces for Dialogue in Afghanistan:
We’re excited to announce the launch of the Afghan Youth Representative (AYR) 2025 Youth Perspectives on Afghanistan Survey.
This survey is a special opportunity for young Afghans currently living inside Afghanistan to share their stories, challenges, and hopes for the future.
Through your voices, we aim to highlight the realities faced by youth across Afghanistan and bring their perspectives to global platforms.
Please note:
This survey is only open to participants who are from Afghanistan.
If you are not an Afghan national, this survey is not intended for you — but you can still support by sharing it with friends, family, and networks inside Afghanistan.
Empowering Youth Through Writing & Policy Advocacy
Throughout 2025, APT organized more than 10 advocacy and academic writing workshops for youth from different parts of Afghanistan. These workshops brought together over 120 young men and women from diverse backgrounds and gave them the chance to learn important skills in advocacy, writing, and policy development. The young women participants also worked in groups to write over policy briefs. Each brief focused on issues they identified from their own experiences, such as barriers to education, healthcare, or participation in public life, and included recommendations to address these problems. APT has published these briefs to make sure the voices of Afghan women are heard and to share their ideas with national and international audiences.
The work is continuing, and the latest policy brief from the new cycle of writing and advocacy workshops will be published soon.
Mentorship for Higher Education
Since early 2025, Afghans for Progressive Thinking (APT) has been working to keep the doors of education open for young Afghan women who have been restricted from formal education inside the country. The Mentorship for Higher Education program provides personalized mentorship, English language support, document review (CVs and personal statements), and guidance with university and scholarship applications.
The first cohort, which started in early 2025, supported 23 young women, all of whom applied to international universities with the help of international mentors. The outcomes were remarkable: 15 students received 36 admission offers, including seven full scholarships. Beyond admissions, participants gained confidence, clarity, and a renewed sense of possibility.
Building on this success, the second cohort, launched in July 2025, welcomed 27 young women from across Afghanistan and from diverse academic backgrounds. So far, seven mentees have resumed their education online or abroad at universities across Asia, Central Asia, and beyond.
By standing with these young women, we continue to champion gender equality in education and invest in a more just and inclusive future.
Through Their Pens: Voices of Afghan Women and Girls
In September 2025, APT launched the Creative Writing Program for young women in Afghanistan this September. Over 30 participants from different parts of Afghanistan joined 12 workshops covering both academic and creative writing, from essays and arguments to fiction, poetry, and non-fiction.
Presently, five teams of young women are writing formats such as short stories, poetry, journals, non-fiction, and letters, each reflecting themes of courage, hope, resilience, and daily life in Afghanistan. APT will publish these writings in a final booklet, amplifying the voices of young women in Afghanistan and sharing the creativity and strength of Afghan women with a wider audience.
Creating Bridges Through Networking
Throughout 2025, APT organized online and in-person networking events for young men and women in Afghanistan. These events gave participants space to connect with each other, share ideas on how to stay active in their communities, use social media to promote their work, and plan joint activities.
APT also held an in-person event in Balkh, bringing together about 10 young female debaters in a safe environment. They reflected on their roles in debate clubs, discussed opportunities for workshops, and encouraged other young women, especially those banned from education, to join. Many participants left inspired to organize activities in their own communities, showing strong commitment to youth-led initiatives.
Pathways to Education
APT launched a new initiative called Pathways to Education, a platform designed for young women who are banned from education to connect them to discover educational opportunities, collaborate on meaningful projects, exchange ideas, and support one another’s personal and academic growth. It creates a space where knowledge flows freely and where every participant is encouraged to dream bigger and reach higher. By opening doors to learning and fostering collaboration, the platform helps transform barriers into opportunities and isolation into solidarity.
Afghan Youth Representative to the United Nations (AYR-UN 2025)
The Afghan Youth Representative to the UN (AYR-UN) program provides Afghan youth a platform to voice their perspectives and advocate for human rights and education. For the year 2025, APT selected Aziza Akrami as AYR-UN 2025 after a final debate in The Hague, The Netherlands. Following her selection, Aziza has conducted two online dialogues with Afghans inside and outside Afghanistan and participated in meetings with EEAS, the Afghanistan Team leader, and Desk officer at DG INTPA, and the Embassy of the Netherlands. As part of her mandate and commitment to advocacy, she initiated Friday talks and the “HeStandsforHer” campaign, where she asks activists and the youth to join her in her advocacy for the Afghan youth and women. Recently, she participated in the EU Youth, Peace, and Security 2025 meetings and the HearUs high-level summit, emphasizing the importance of a positive peace and the role of the youth in decision-making processes.
APT at the 2nd EU Conference on Youth, Peace and Security
From 10–14 November 2025, APT attended the 2nd EU Conference on Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) in Brussels, joining over 120 young peacebuilders, activists, and policymakers from around the world. Our team contributed Afghan youth perspectives on inclusive peacebuilding, youth participation, and conflict prevention through workshops, policy sessions, and regional dialogues. We highlighted the importance of youth leadership, capacity building, and conflict analysis skills to empower young people as future peacebuilders. APT emphasized the resilience of Afghan youth and the urgent need to invest in their leadership. We are grateful to the organizers and partners, including the European Union External Action, the Global Coalition for YPS, and Search for Common Ground, for creating this space for meaningful engagement.
APT Networking Event in Canada
In November 2025, APT organized an in‑person networking event in Canada that brought together youth, newcomers, artists, students, and community advocates. The event focused on storytelling, creativity, and connection, designed to celebrate youth voices and strengthen their network.
Participants shared experiences, showcased art, and built meaningful pathways of collaboration and support for Afghan girls. The event created space for dialogue, friendship, and new partnerships, reminding us of the power of community when people come together face‑to‑face.
For youth who joined virtually from Afghanistan, the event provided a platform to share their personal stories and creative work, fostering dialogue between Afghan youth in Canada and Afghanistan.
Monthly eBook Distribution for Afghan Youth:
APT is sharing eBooks every month with over 400 young men and women across Afghanistan to provide them with opportunities to keep learning, even when schools and universities are closed for girls and young women.
Because of the current ban on education for girls, these eBooks are especially important. They are not just study materials, but one of the few chances for young women to continue their education. Through them, girls can read about different subjects, practice new skills, and grow their knowledge, even when classrooms are shut to them. These books help them imagine a future where they can use their education freely. They also give them strength to keep moving forward, despite the restrictions they face.
