Chaired by ELF Youth Group Chair, Ed Powell and Professor of Paediatric Respiratory Medicine, Dr Marielle Pijnenburg, the session examined how young people are leading changes themselves through advocacy, research participation and community action.
The session opened with a presentation from Dr Laura Delgado Ortiz (Barcelona, Spain) on how we can inspire and be inspired by youth in lung health. She showcased LungHealth4Life, an innovative project that delivers school-based interventions combining spirometry testing with lung health education for children aged 7–11. A Community of Practice within the project brought together patient organisations, psychologists and public health experts to develop best practices for early lung health promotion.
The session then heard personal testimony from Elena Marti Barclay, Marleen Sorensen and Maksim Mironovas about what it means to live with a lung condition.
Elena Marti Barclay shared her life as an athlete living with asthma and why advocating for physical activity and clean air is important to her.
Marleen spoke about the personal challenges of living with asthma as a young woman, highlighting issues she finds difficult to discuss with healthcare professionals. She called for more time and space in clinical settings for these conversations to take place.
Maksim demonstrated how powerful young people’s voices can be in the fight to protect students with asthma in school environments, His story showed the difference young advocate can make when they speak up, helping to create safe environments for their peers.
Carlos Navarrete presented Proyecto Zero, a peer-led project that empowers young people to become leaders of change. The project aims to create the first generation of young people free from tobacco by 2030. Proyecto Zero demonstrates that young people can move from being spectators to actors in tobacco control, leading peer-driven interventions rather than simply participating in adult-designed programmes. The project was a great example of how groups can come together to support each other in the fight to protect young people from tobacco and vaping.
A panel discussion followed with Marleen Sorensen, Maksim Mironovas, Carlos Navarrete and Mary-Yiota Triantafillopoulou. Questions from the audience helped shaped the conversation as panellists shared insights on what motivates people to become advocates, using social media to reach others, practical approaches to engaging young people, addressing health misinformation and prevention strategies against vaping. The exchange between the panel and experts in the room demonstrated meaningful youth engagement in practice, with young advocates actively shaping the discussion alongside experienced professionals.
Ed Powell, ELF Youth Group Chair, said: “The session was incredibly inspiring, particularly hearing the speakers share their advocacy journeys . Young people and their experiences are too often overlooked, so being able to showcase what they have achieved for their communities, both locally and internationally, was really meaningful.
“Everyone brought their own perspective to the session and that diversity was well received. Young people face a wide range of health issues, so it was vital that our speakers reflected that covering topics from tobacco control to climate change and women’s health. It was also encouraging to see the session so well attended. I’m glad so many people chose to hear what young people had to say.”
The session emphasised the need for clean air advocacy, youth-led interventions and meaningful engagement in shaping healthier cities and policies. The speakers called for greater collaboration between researchers, policymakers and young advocates to address pressing issues like vaping, air pollution, and health inequalities.
The ELF Youth Group continues to offer young people the chance to input into lung health. Previous activities have included bringing young people’s perspectives to EU-level tobacco taxation events and giving young people at platform at scientific events and conferences.
The Group is open to new members and young people aged 16–24 with a lung condition (or representing someone with one) can join the ELF Youth Group through their registration page.
