On Thursday 16 April 2026, more than four hundred young people gathered in the Nieuwe Kerk in Middelburg to take part in conversations about freedom with Four Freedoms Award laureates from all over the world. During this dialogue, the four freedoms of Franklin D. Roosevelt were at the centre.
Young people in conversation
During this edition, young people spoke with international defenders of freedom who earlier that day received a Four Freedoms Award: the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ, a non-profit organisation dedicated worldwide to press freedom), Isidora Uribe Silva (a young Chilean who has been committed to equality since her youth), and Gisèle Pelicot (who filed a lawsuit against her husband after he sexually abused her for years).
First Youth for Freedom Award
During this edition, the Youth for Freedom Award was presented for the first time. With this award, the Roosevelt Foundation recognises young people in the Netherlands who actively contribute to freedom, in the hope of inspiring others to follow their example. Deel de Duif, an initiative by four young people working to strengthen dialogue, connection and solidarity, accepted the award and engaged in conversation with the young participants during the Four Freedoms Meet-up.
Young people’s experiences
The programme also included conversations with Russia correspondent Pjotr Sauer, actress Nora Akachar, and journalist Zoë Papaikonomou. They made connections between international themes and the Dutch context and the lived experiences of young people. The session was hosted by presenter and programme maker Nadia Moussaid.
About the Four Freedoms
On 6 January 1941, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt delivered the State of the Union address in Washington, the annual ‘throne speech’ in the United States. His speech went down in history as the Four Freedoms speech. Roosevelt articulated four freedoms that should apply to everyone in the world and which remain relevant today: freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want and freedom from fear.
Four Freedoms Meet-up
Roosevelt’s words remain relevant today: even now, freedom is not a given for everyone. That is why the Freedom Colleges Foundation and the Roosevelt Foundation organise the annual Four Freedoms Awards, followed by the Four Freedoms Meet-up. During this gathering, young people engage in conversation with renowned Freedom Speakers about what freedom means to us all and how you can contribute to it yourself.
Bekijk hier de aftermovie van de Four Freedoms Meet-up 2026
Photography: Ben Houdijk
