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Grace Jo kicked off our spring season with a 3-day marathon of talks in front of 430 high school students across Nicholasville, Kentucky. Students were intrigued with Grace’s outlining of the history and impact of the Korean War.

Alexander Norton III—I’m taking this opportunity to introduce myself as the Dissident Project’s new Program Manager. I’m grateful to contribute to Young Voices mission by leading the Dissident Project as we develop a roster of liberty storytellers who are recognized public voices in the fight for freedom.

January was the biggest month for media in the Dissident Project's history! Responding to the breaking news about Nicolas Maduro's arrest, Daniel Di Martino reached over 5 million people through multiple major TV appearances, op-eds, and earned media, shaping the national conversation about Venezuela. 

October has brought a string of spooky happenings over at the Dissident Project — not the kind that comes with candy, but the kind that tries to suppress our speakers. From new rounds of censorship to targeted punishments against brave dissidents, this month has reminded us that authoritarianism doesn’t take a holiday.

Happy June — summer is officially here! While schools wind down and eager graduates look to the future, the Dissident Project is taking a moment to look back on a groundbreaking 2024–2025 academic year.

I am thrilled to announce an exciting new chapter for the Dissident Project, a project dedicated to amplifying the voices of immigrants who have fled tyrannical regimes. Since we launched programs in 2022, Young Voices has sponsored over 140 live talks before high schools before 25,000 students.

It’s your favorite Program Associate, with a fresh update from the last month’s activities at the Dissident Project. May is officially here, and we are wrapping up the 2024-25 school year in strong form.

Khatiri in National Review: Why Iran is desperate to go nuclear

During the last week of Biden’s presidency, the Vatican negotiated the removal of Cuba from the terrorism sponsors list in yet another example of its long-standing relationship with the Cuban dictatorship. It’s time for the Church to stop whitewashing the regime and finally take a firm stand against the ongoing violations of human and religious rights.

We’re thrilled to announce an exciting new collaboration between The Dissident Project and The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute. This partnership marks a significant moment in our mission to share the stories of those who have lived through authoritarian regimes and fought for the values of freedom, democracy, and individual rights.

What a year it’s been — we completed 33 speeches in the Fall, surpassing last year’s count by seven speeches, and impacted over 5,000 students face to face.

A fearless Venezuelan activist live-streamed her abduction by Maduro’s oppressive government, which detained her without charges after she exposed the state’s human rights abuses, sparking international protests and a fight for her freedom.

Isn’t fall just the best time of year? The oppressive heat of summer recedes. People return to their well-worn rhythms, crack open new notebooks and gather bouquets of newly sharpened pencils. We loved September at the Dissident Project. Our third dissident class has come out of the gate particularly strong! Let’s get into the updates.

After witnessing the corrosion of Castro’s “socialist utopia,” Cuban dissident Gabriela Blanco is warning young Americans about authoritarianism.

The Dissident Project is welcoming a new speaker class for the 2024-2025 school year. These incoming dissidents from countries including the People’s Republic of China, Iran, Cuba and Russia will take their testimonies into high schools across the country to share with the next generation of American students what it was like to live under totalitarian regimes. 

Grace Jo became an American citizen in 2013 and aspires to open her own interior design business. She also gives speeches around the country about her experience escaping from North Korea.

Iranian dissident Tahmineh Dehbozorgi is honoring her family’s past by speaking out for America’s future.

It’s easy in an election year to despair of American democracy, to bewail the flaws in the voting system, and to agonize over misinformation campaigns and the “fake news” accusations from bombastic public figures. But as a foreign student, even the divisive discourse of the election season seems to prove the lasting power of American liberty: At least here, people still remember how to fight for their right to speak.

Over 80 human rights organizations sign joint statement urging government action in response to latest arrest warrants and bounties on Hong Kong pro-democracy activists