When students rise up, integrity might prevail

About one-third of the world’s people are between the ages of 14 and 29, the largest youth generation in history. And in recent years, this demographic bulge – dubbed Generation Z – has certainly created history.By tapping social media’s ability to both lament and liaise, youth-led protests have toppled corrupt leaders from Bangladesh to Bulgaria and pushed democratic reforms in institutions from colleges to courts. The latest example: student demonstrations in France over the poor quality of that country’s high schools.As the United Nations declared two years ago, “Young people are powerful forces for promoting integrity.” If the worldwide decline in democracy is ever reversed, credit might first go to this global cohort of fresh-faced netroots.One budding success could be in Serbia. Since 2024, the southeastern European country has experienced one the world’s most admired student-led uprisings. It was driven by calls for government accountability after the November 2024 collapse of a railway station’s concrete canopy, which killed 16 people. One protest in 2025 brought out about 4% of Serbia’s 6.6 million people. The main demand: urgent elections.On Sunday, President Aleksandar Vučić was finally forced to call parliamentary elections on Oct. 25 – more than a year before they were required. He also resigned as president and announced he would run for the prime minister’s post, perhaps hoping to retain some power. In addition, he pardoned 12 anti-corruption activists accused of plotting to subvert the state. Just days earlier, the student movement formally announced its list of candidates from all parts of society. Its stated goal is to improve the legitimacy of the Parliament as the country’s representative body. The students have been touring the country on bicycles to promote the rule of law. Deepen your worldviewwith Monitor Highlights.Politics with respectGet political stories with respectful analysis.There‘s a world of new ideas in everyBooks newsletter.There‘s more to life, enrich yours withCulture & Learning weekly.Follow humanity‘s discoveries withScience & Nature stories in your inbox.Gain a spiritual perspectivefrom the stories in your inbox.Want to understand the deeper impact of critical events? Learn the Monitor‘s insight.Already a subscriber? Log in to hide ads. As one student told The Associated Press, the new party will show that “the law exists in Serbia and that justice is not the privilege of the chosen few.”Youth-led protests are more than twice as likely to succeed than other types of protests, according to scholars. One reason: Young people might be better at shedding perceptions as themselves as victims of corruption and then becoming activists for integrity. ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER? LoginReal news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.The Christian Science Monitor was founded in 1908 to lift the standard of journalism and uplift humanity. We aim to “speak the truth in love.” Our goal is not to tell you what to think, but to give you the essential knowledge and understanding to come to your own intelligent conclusions. Join us in this mission by subscribing.