Listen to the young generation – it is their future

Business leaders, political leaders and other decision-makers lay out the strategies and plans to solve the world’s biggest challenges. There is an urgent need to act on megatrends like climate change, stakeholder capitalism, workforce changes, geo- and socio-political turmoil to create a better world – not to mention navigating through the pandemic, the world is facing right now.

But sometimes we forget to listen to the younger generations. To really listen to what they have to say. It is largely their future we are making decisions on – and they are the ones who are going to realize it. Therefore, Deloitte and Kraka decided to establish the Small Great Nation Youth Panel. We gathered 42 young talents from across Denmark with different backgrounds, profession and gender and asked them to create a vision for Denmark in 2040. A vision for the society they aspire to live in 20 years from now. Over eight months they worked together through workshops and discussions, which resulted in a report that holds the Youth Panel’s vision statements, objectives and success criteria within the areas of climate change, education, the labour market, infrastructure, the tax system and the healthcare system.

Here’s what they had to say:

We are a generation shaped by crises. We have lived our childhood and adolescence in the shadow of the financial crisis, and with COVID-19, we are now in the midst of the biggest global health crisis since the Spanish flu. Reputedly, we are the last generation that can do something about the climate crisis. Therefore, we are facing a great task.

The fact that we have been shaped by crises has only made us more resourceful and determined to overcome society's challenges. Being in a time of crisis only makes this vision more relevant. The COVID-19 crisis has turned our everyday lives upside down, but it has also shown us that we can adapt quickly. Therefore, Denmark and the rest of the world now have a unique opportunity to re-think our society and our approach to the challenges that we face today and in the years to come.

The youth panel represents a generation that is ready to stand together and to act. Now. We want to create a sustainable society where there is room for everyone. A society where we take care of each other and not least our fragile planet and its limited resources. The way our society has functioned up until now has exceeded its expiration date. We therefore want to build a society that is socially, economically and environmentally sustainable. Equal opportunities must be paramount in the Denmark of the future. Therefore, we are on a mission to make Denmark a better society for future generations.

And that is just the introduction to what they really have to say. Below are a couple of highlights from their vision, which is very much about ‘equality-of-chance’ in all areas.

Climate change: Denmark must be climate neutral by 2040. This must be achieved by gradually introducing significantly higher CO2 taxes. In addition, we must rethink agriculture with a focus on more vertical agriculture, increased use of genetic technology and returning more land to nature and forests. A phasing out of 'black' forms of transport and increased incentives that promote sustainable transport habits must ensure that we have a climate-neutral transport sector.

Also, by 2040 the earth's climate rights must be enshrined in the Danish constitution. This will support a cultural and behavioural change in which individuals and companies understand and live up to their climate and environmental responsibilities to a greater extent. To support this and ensure compliance with both national and international climate targets, a climate court must be established, and companies must be held more accountable for their climate impact.

The educational system: By 2040, the education system must create equal opportunities for all citizens, so that everyone has the possibility to live out their full potential. The quality of education must be raised, and the education system must enable us to meet society's greatest challenges. In addition, the education system must contribute to enabling each individual to continually update and improve their skills so that no one becomes redundant as the needs of the labour market change.

The system must also be flexible and support lifelong learning, ’life skill classes’ such as personal economics, digital behaviour, citizenship and personal jurisdiction. Nature must be incorporated into the elementary school and finally, the teacher’s education must be a graduate programme.

The labour market: By 2040 the Danish labour market must be equal and adapted to our lives - not the other way around. We must have a more pragmatic and flexible labour market that takes into account every individual's changing needs by allowing work hours to be organised differently. Denmark should be considered an attractive country for highly educated and qualified foreign labour and neither gender nor ethnicity should affect opportunities, which is why, by 2040, we must have eliminated inequality in income and management in the labour market.

By 2040 Denmark must also be the green answer to Silicon Valley. We must be a leader in sustainable technology as a result of close collaboration between researchers and business. Through innovation centres and business clusters, we must establish a rich innovation culture that is a world leader in commercialising innovation. Research must, to a greater extent, be carried out across the public and private sectors, while improved employment conditions and holistic performance evaluation must provide researchers with optimal work conditions.

The health sector: By 2040 we must have a highly digitalised healthcare sector, where prevention and ongoing monitoring will strengthen both public health and the perceived quality of treatment. We should have a healthcare system where patients do not feel that they receive standardized treatment but feel instead that treatment is appropriately tailored to their body and wishes. By 2040, we must also have reversed the trend so that less of the population experiences mental health and lifestyle illnesses. Other areas of improvement are personal medicine and holistic treatment, real-time monitoring of patients and health equality.

When I read their vision for our country, and when I listen to their arguments for how and why they are proposing a certain direction, I am left with admiration. The young generation wants to take responsibility for Denmark’s biggest challenges, they want to act, and they have some great thoughts on how to get there.

If you want to know more about the vision, you can find the Youth Panel’s vision here. You might get a new perspective on things – or at least be left with the belief that there is hope for the future.