Young people around the world are at the forefront of efforts to build a more sustainable and equitable future. As the generation that will live with the long-term impacts of today’s environmental decisions, they carry both a deep moral responsibility and a powerful capacity for change. The active participation of youth is essential to achieving global sustainability goals across environmental, social, and economic dimensions.
Advocacy and awareness
One of the most import roles youth play is raising awareness and pressuring leaders to act with responsibility, Global movements led by young people have successfully put climate change, biodiversity, and environmental justice in the centre of political discussions. By using their voices, they hold governments and corporations accountable and inspire collective action among peers and communities.
Education and empowerment
Education has a key role in equipping young people with necessary skills to promote sustainability. When students learn about climate change, circular economy or responsible consumption, they carry those values inti their personal and professional lives. Environmental clubs at school, university sustainability programs or community projects are shaping responsible citizens capable to lead by example.
Building a sustainable future together
For sustainability efforts to succeed, youngers must not only be heard but also included in decision making processes. Empowering them through mentorships, access to green jobs and participation in policy development ensures that their ideas translate into tangible impact. Governments and communities must collaborate with young people to build inclusive frameworks to ensure that today’s decisions don’t compromise opportunities in the future.
Youngers and GATE – making the difference
Putting students’ engagement at the heart of GATE framework is a crucial step and it means making sustainability education meaningful, participatory, and transformative. If youngers have a voice, sustainability is no more an abstract topic and starts to belong to their personal lives and to their communities. This shared responsibility will lead to real actions connected directly to the four GreenComp competence areas: embodying sustainability values; embracing complexity; envisioning futures and acting for sustainability. Sustainability depends on the ability to innovate, adapt and collaborate, and young people could be the driving force behind this transformation, as GATE supports.