Youth Democracy Futures Lab

Democracies are making decisions today that will shape society for decades, yet the people who will live longest with those decisions are rarely included in conversations about the future. Young people are often the subject of debates about education, technology, jobs, climate, and governance, but they are seldom treated as participants in shaping solutions. This creates a gap between democratic institutions and the next generation, weakening civic trust and limiting policymakers' understanding of young people's aspirations and concerns. Youth Democracy Futures seeks to address this challenge by creating structured opportunities for high school students to engage in discussions about democracy, government, and the future they want to inherit. The initiative will bring together diverse groups of students through workshops, dialogues, surveys, and deliberative exercises centered on a simple question: What kind of future do you want, and what should governments do today to help build it? Through school-based dialogues, civic learning activities, and exchanges with policymakers, students will identify their priorities for the future, explore the role of democratic institutions, and develop recommendations for decision-makers. Their perspectives will be consolidated into a Youth Agenda for the Future, highlighting key concerns and proposals on issues such as democracy, technology, education, economic opportunity, climate, and social cohesion.

Democracies face a growing challenge of intergenerational representation. Decisions about public investment, technology, climate, education, economic opportunity, and democratic governance will have profound effects on future generations, yet those generations have little voice in the decisions being made today. This disconnect has several consequences: - Young people often perceive politics and democratic institutions as distant or unresponsive to their concerns. - Policymakers lack systematic ways to understand the priorities and aspirations of younger generations. - Public debates tend to reflect the perspectives of those with existing political and economic power rather than those who will inherit the long-term consequences of current decisions. - Trust in democratic institutions can weaken when people feel excluded from conversations about issues that directly affect their future. Strengthening democracy requires more than increasing youth participation in elections. It requires creating meaningful opportunities for young people to contribute to defining societal priorities and imagining the future they want to help build.

Youth (under 24)