In preparation for the Hamburg Sustainability Conference (HSC), a virtual roundtable brought together young professionals to explore how to better integrate the generational dimension into sustainability. The participants also examined how technology is shaping the identities of younger generations.
The roundtable took place on 18 September. Alumni of IDOS training formats, from both the Shaping Futures (African-European) and Mananging Global Governance (rising global powers) programmes, addressed the question: Youth perspectives on sustainability – is there such thing?
Common experiences might define youth cohorts, beyond (vague) biological age definitions. Yet, do definitions – e.g. Gen Z – travel lightly across regions, and do, say, West Africans have similar experiences from Asians, Europeans or North Americans? And what are pitfalls when engaging „the youth“– from tokenism to mono-generational discussions?
In a lively online debate spanning four continents, key items for discussion of perspectives from younger generations were discussed. Three dimensions were specifically in focus:
– Employment, with clear linkages to reconsidering training and education. So called „soft skills“ were seen as equally important to applicable knowledge in the formal education system, and own (remunerated) experiences were deemed as relevant for „employability“.
– Democracy and meaningful inclusion of younger members of society. How to sustain engagement beyond politically transformative moments, and have younger generations voice their interests in the political system? How to avoid being sidelined or coopted as actors in systems that often value age as a quality?
– Climate change as a key concern amongst youth: This is not a surprising item on the agenda, given the long-term effects of inaction today, often undermining trust of being taken seriously in the political system.
Additionally, the roundtable discussed technology as a defining feature of younger cohorts, leading to hybrid identities as local and global citizens, following debates and trends globally – and being rooted and gathering experiences in local communities. The group of 20 IDOS alumni from 16 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America, facilitated by Dr Sven Grimm and Dr Chris Büscher, is looking forward to engaging in the Hamburg conference in early October.
