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Gen Future project: Youth shaping change

How do we want to live in future? What should different parts of society look like – political participation, diversity, inclusion, mobility transition, alternative forms of doing business, social media? What might a sustainable and fair world for all look like in the context of post-growth? And how can we achieve it?

These are all questions that the Gen Future (Gen Zukunft) project is addressing. At the heart of this initiative are so-called “future discourses”, in which questions like these are reflected upon in panel discussions with young people from what is referred to as Generation Z (Gen Z for short) at six thematically diverse events. This will create a space for young people to exchange ideas on the facets of “transforming our world” (United Nations Agenda 2030 approved in 2015) for a viable society in future. They can discuss their visions, aspirations and ideas for a sustainable society and how to make them a reality.

“We chose the topics to connect with theideas and interests of young people and actively integrate them as change agents”, says Andreas Eberth, Professor of Geography with a focus on Education for Sustainable Development, who is leading the project on behalf of the University of Passau. The kick-off event will focus on the opportunities and challenges for political participation and civil society engagement in shaping the transition to sustainability at the local level (SDG 11 “Sustainable Cities and Communities”).  The discussion will revolve around the following question: How can young people participate politically and shape sustainable development in cities and communities?

The second panel will then look at this question: How can our society be sensitive to diversity and tackle inequalities? The participants will reflect on how to make transformation processes inclusive, ensuring that diversity is represented and inequalities are reduced (SDG 5 “Gender Equality”; SDG 10 “Reduce Inequalities”). The slogan “System Change, not Climate Change”, popularised by the Fridays for Future demonstrations, will serve as the starting point for the third discussion, which will centre on the conditions for the success of a post-growth society (SDG 8 “Decent Work and Economic Growth”; SDG 12 “Responsible Consumption and Production”). The fourth session will examine the potential and limitations of social media in the sustainability discourse, taking into account influencers (SDG 4 “Quality Education”; SDG 12 “Responsible Consumption and Production”). Finally, aspects of a digital society will be explored through the example of a sustainable and inclusive mobility transition (SDG 11 “Sustainable Cities and Communities”), before a closing round will summarise the discussions.

The panel discussions aim to motivate young people to become active themselves and to spread the “success stories” or “narratives of change”. The themes of the panel series are closely tied to education for sustainable development.

The results of the project and professional recordings of all panel discussions will be available on the project website. The project will be supported by the “Future Discourses” funding line of the Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture (MWK).