Learn more about Daniel Michels, selected among 8,250 applicants for UNESCO's Youth for Peace programme

Daniel Michels, founder of Emblem: Digital Souvenirs, was selected among 8,250 applicants for UNESCO's Youth for Peace: UNESCO Intercultural Leadership Programme 2025-2026.

Publisher

Emblem: Digital Souvenirs

Editorial

Emblem Editorial

Published

March 21, 2026

Updated

March 21, 2026

Source basis

UNESCO

This article references material from unesco.org alongside Emblem reporting.

Learn more about Daniel Michels at UNESCO

Daniel Michels, founder of Emblem: Digital Souvenirs, was selected among 8,250 applicants for UNESCO's Youth for Peace: UNESCO Intercultural Leadership Programme 2025-2026. This article sits inside the wider Emblem news archive covering launches, programme support, artist projects, and public recognition.

News and milestones
Launch updates
Programme support and recognition

Article text

UNESCO's official profile for Daniel Michels states that the founder of Emblem: Digital Souvenirs was selected among 8,250 applicants for the Youth for Peace: UNESCO Intercultural Leadership Programme 2025-2026. The profile connects that selection to Emblem's wider mission of turning places, memory, and culture into artist-made digital souvenirs.

His selection places him among a global group of young leaders recognized for proposing innovative responses to contemporary intercultural challenges. Through his participation in the programme, Michels brings forward a vision in which culture can serve as a bridge between people, helping foster understanding in a world often shaped by division, misrepresentation, and disconnection.

At the heart of his work is the belief that every culture carries symbols of memory and meaning, and that these should be shared in ways that are accessible, creative, and respectful. With Emblem, Michels seeks to reimagine the souvenir as a cultural encounter: one that supports artists, values local narratives, and invites people to see one another through culture rather than prejudice.

His story is also shaped by personal experience. Born in Brazil and later reconnecting with his Luxembourgish roots, Michels spent years studying, learning languages, and traveling across different regions of the world. These experiences reinforced his conviction that culture is one of the most powerful tools for mutual recognition and peaceful coexistence.

Through UNESCO's Youth for Peace platform, Daniel Michels joins a new generation of changemakers working to build more connected and inclusive societies through dialogue and creativity.

Learn more about Daniel Michels and his work through Emblem: Digital Souvenirs.

Learn more about Daniel Michels, selected among 8,250 applicants for UNESCO's Youth for Pe...

Daniel Michels, founder of Emblem: Digital Souvenirs, was selected among 8,250 applicants for UNESCO's Youth for Peace: UNESCO Intercultural Leadership Programme 2025-2026.

Daniel Michels, founder of Emblem: Digital Souvenirs, was selected among 8,250 applicants for UNESCO's Youth for Peace: UNESCO Intercultural Leadership Programme 2025-2026. This article sits inside the wider Emblem news archive covering launches, programme support, artist project...