From September 18-21, a dedicated team from Teach the Future attended the once-in-a-generation UN Summit of the Future, marking a significant milestone for the organization. The participation was the culmination of extensive behind-the-scenes work involving numerous partners and collaborators, with the team dedicating a full year to preparation, attending interventions, and seminars leading up to the Summit. This long-term commitment demonstrates the depth of thought and effort that went into Teach the Future's contribution to this global event.
Representing Teach the Future in New York City Peter Bishop, Lourdes Rodriguez, Amna Habiba, Lisa Giuliani, Randi Millard, Katerina Lambrinou, and 2 Young Voices members, Mathew and Angel. This gathering in New York for the Action Days and the UN Summit was particularly special as it allowed team members who had collaborated virtually for years to meet in person for the first time.
As Lourdes Rodriguez noted, "We have the honor to be in New York these days to represent Teach the Future during the Action Days and the UN Summit as a civil society organization. This achievement is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our entire team and invaluable partners."
Youth Voices at the Forefront
The recent UN Summit of the Future marked a pivotal moment in history, specifically recognizing the critical role of youth in shaping our global future. As educators and advocates for futures literacy, we are delighted to share the key takeaways from our involvement and participation.
The Summit's core message was clear: youth participation is not just welcomed—it's essential.
The Pact for the Future calls for:
- Creating mechanisms for youth meaningful participation in national policymaking
- Fostering intergenerational dialogues
- Promoting youth delegates in national delegations to the United Nations
This recognition aligns with what young people have expressed: an active role in shaping their future, equipped with the tools, knowledge, and trust to contribute meaningfully.
UN-Approved Side Event by Teach the Future:
Teach the Future organized a UN-approved side event at the Summit of the Future, focusing on challenges and aspirations in youth education through a futures thinking lens. Participants discussed the lack of agency and critical thinking skills among youth, highlighting systemic barriers in education. The event emphasized the need for future-oriented curricula, intergenerational exchange, and equitable access to futures literacy. Practical solutions were proposed, including youth-led initiatives and integrating future-focused thinking in classrooms.
The Building Hopeful Futures Festival in person and online by SOIF and Futures Friends
A side event organized in partnership with the School of International Futures (SOIF), provided a platform for many futurist and changemakers to offer a glimpse of how we can start building hopeful futures. Teach the Future hosted an intergenerational session in collaboration with our colleague from Denmark HUB, Nicklas Larsen (Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies), Joana Lenkova (The Lego Group) and Jane Taylor (Reasons to be Hopeful). Youth participants and facilitators online and in person, emphasized their desire for active roles in decision-making processes, calling for recognition of their innovative ideas in spaces where they often feel excluded. The discussion highlighted the importance of instilling hope and agency in youth, exploring how technology can enhance futures thinking and help young people connect emotionally with their future selves.
Post-event, published by our partners at SOIF Implementation Handbook for the UN Declaration on Future Generations, has been released. The overall message is that involving youth and fostering intergenerational collaboration is crucial for effective long-term governance and for creating fair and beneficial policies for both current and future generations.
Bridging the Gap
The accumulation of events taking place that week acknowledged current challenges, including:
- Outdated educational practices that are not preparing youth for the future
- Lack of inclusivity in decision-making processes
- Credibility challenges faced by youth in policy forums
To address these, Teach the Future and its partners propose:
- Integrating future thinking and soft skills into education systems
- Creating youth councils and committees in schools
- Organizing more in-person events and community spaces for intergenerational exchange
The Road Ahead
While the Summit set ambitious goals, the real work begins now. As educators, policymakers, and youth advocates, we must:
1. Advocate for curriculum changes to incorporate futures literacy
2. Support youth-led initiatives in schools and communities
3. Develop technologies that help connect people with their future selves
4. Continue pushing for the inclusion of youth voices in policy-making processes
The UN Summit of the Future has laid the groundwork for a more inclusive, forward-thinking approach to global challenges. By empowering youth and embracing futures literacy, we're not just preparing for the future—we're actively shaping it.
More on the UN Summit of the Future...
This event not only showcased Teach the Future's commitment to promoting futures literacy but also highlighted the power of collaboration in advancing educational initiatives on a global scale. A week full of events, meetings, and ambitious goals to commit to an action-oriented Pact for the Future, including a Declaration for Future Generations and a Global Digital Compact.
One of the key elements of the Pact for the Future and the Declaration for Future Generations is the importance of meaningful youth engagement in decision-making processes as well as the importance of foresight and futures literacy as main competencies for the future.
Our message from Teach the Future is that if we want to meaningfully engage youth in decision-making processes, the most scalable approach is to prepare them for that through the classrooms. Including futures literacy in the school curriculum will help reach more children and youth, avoiding tokenistic practices and privileges.
Giving opportunities to many more youth and not only to a handful of them that can reach an be heard in these international and public institutions.We are thankful and excited for all the efforts that our friends and partners are working on, to bring youth to the forefront through futures literacy like the School of International Futures (SOIF), UNICEF Innocenti, Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies, European Commission (DG INTPA), UNESCO, UNDP, and UN SDG:Learn
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