By Abdullahi Mahi I’ve watched young people across Europe, mostly my own generation, Gen Z, take to the streets, and I understand why. They are protesting against rising living costs and poor school conditions. I believe protests work when they have two things: a human face and a clear demand. Looking at Italy, France and...
By Emre Alex Aslan I was watching a TikTok video, a person doing a funny skit, when halfway through he pulled out his phone, opened Rainbet (a gambling app), bet $200, and slipped the phone back into his pocket. He had doubled his money in a few seconds. When did gambling become this easy? And...
Huray Demirci This is the first of four blogs I am writing for my module, Democratic Engagement in an International Context, at the University of Westminster. The module asks us to find a problem in our own community and follow it across the whole year: what the problem is, why it exists, how to investigate...
By Liam Pender As we pass through the first quarter of the 21st century, we have seen monumental changes in society in response to threats of a global, domestic, climate, economic and military nature. There has been war in Europe on a scale not seen since the Second World War. Multiple conflicts in the Middle...
By Tristan Kovats, History & Politics, University of Westminster Introduction On 12 April 2026, Hungarians turned out in record numbers: a 79% turnout, the highest since 1990. For the first time in more than a century, no party of the left won a single seat in the National Assembly. The Democratic Coalition, the last major...
By Najia Benhamza, University of Westminster In this blog, I refer to Ceuta as “Sebta,” reflecting its Arabic name. As a Moroccan, my heritage matters deeply to me. We have a rich culture and a long history, but our country has also lived through colonisation and its aftermath. A clear example is the case of...
By Ribana Cristescu· Democratic Education Network, University of Westminster What happens when a diverse room of curious students gathers, not out of obligation, but out of a shared desire to make a genuine difference? Today I took part in the first in-person meeting of the Democratic Education Network (DEN) at the University of Westminster...
A Westminster Biomedical Science student on TikTok wellness culture, the “fertility juice” myth, and why real endocrinology cannot fit inside a viral video Afsana Riya, BSc Biomedical Science, University of Westminster * * * Open TikTok right now, and you will find millions of young women diagnosing their own endocrine systems based entirely on viral...
From a conference built on personal experience to a community project on impostor syndrome. Rida Butt invites you in. Rida Butt, final-year Medical Sciences student, University of Westminster * * * My name is Rida Butt. I am a final-year Medical Sciences student at the University of Westminster, and I was once told, on two...
At the beginning of May, I took part in my second DEN conference, and it turned out to be nothing like I had expected. When I participated last year, my role had been relatively comfortable. I guided guests around, helped with reception, and presented alongside a few friends about our trip to New York. I...
And Other Things London Taught Me This year, I had the opportunity to attend the DEN Conference in London, invited by Dr Farhang Morady following the publication of my article on sustainable energy in DEN’s annual student book. I travelled alongside a group of SDG course winners from Westminster International University in Tashkent — we...
My name is Joshua Morton and I study English Language and Linguistics at the University of Westminster. On the 8th of May 2026, I attended the ninth annual international student conference organised by the Democratic Education Network (DEN). Having been a member of DEN since September 2025, this was my first annual conference. The conference...