In the middle, our colleague Teresa, who participated in the event on behalf of YPA.

On February 21st, YouthProAktiv participated in the launch of an impactful campaign, the Future Generations initiative. The hybrid event took place at Atelier 29 in Brussels and brought together an audience of more than 150 individuals. Filipe Martins, SJ, Director of JESC, and Alberto Alemanno, Founder of The Good Lobby, took the stage to reveal the main goals and reasons behind the campaign.

The Future Generations advocacy aims to tackle long-term problems like climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution, along with challenges from digital transformation and aging populations. It also wants to safeguard the EU’s core values like prosperity and democracy through effective laws. Moreover, it strives to ensure that the interests of Future Generations are considered in EU democratic choices since they’re affected by today’s decisions.

After the presentation, Béla Kuslits, Senior Ecology Officer at JESC, outlined three policy proposals for significant change:

1. An Interinstitutional Agreement to protect the rights of Future Generations.
2. A suggestion to appoint a Commissioner for Future Generations, who would also serve as Vice President.
3. The inclusion of a Future Generations Impact Assessment in the Better Regulations Guidelines.

Following that, a panel discussion with eight coalition members, including Teresa Pallarés as representative from YouthProAktiv, addressed the social and political challenges confronting the campaign. But why is YouthProAktiv involved in advocating for Future Generations?

YouthProAktiv’s primary concern is the short-term focus of current policies, which often overlook the long-term needs of future generations. To address this issue, we advocate for sustainable policies and educational reforms. Recognizing the importance of Future Generations, YouthProAktiv emphasizes shifting from reactive to proactive mindsets, prioritizing sustainability and entrepreneurial thinking. This approach aims to prepare future generations to build a sustainable and equitable future.

As Teresa Pallarés expressed at the panel discussion: “We work towards the future, we are here to serve the future generations and the long term is what matters the most”. 

This diverse coalition of NGOs, including JESC, The Good Lobby, Generation Climate Europe, Laudato Si’ Movement, Oikos, Pax Christi International, Philea, Youth Health Organization, and YouthProAktiv, collaborates to persuade decision-makers that the moment to prioritize action for Future Generations is now.

Watch the full recording of the event at the following link.