Being a Leader at the Future Generations Conference

Originally published 24th March for UK Youth

I was honoured to be able to attend the New Statesman Future Generations conference on 14 March 2023: how do we forge a bet ter future for young people in Britain? The day was jam-packed with interesting discussions to learn from.

I began the day by attending a discussion moderated by Alona Ferber and Mhairi Black MP, SNP Westminster Deputy Leader. Mhairi Black talked about how she was one of the youngest ever elected MPs to the House of Commons, having been elected at the age of 20.

Being one of the few young people in the room, I already knew I’d be inspired by her conversation and journey, especially how she mentioned that more young people should be represented in politics. I then took advantage of the opportunity to ask her, “How do you navigate policymaking as a young person in a room full of older professionals?” I asked. “If you have an idea that you believe will bring about change, don’t be afraid to be a young person and get plenty of sleep!” Mhairi responded.

The following panel discussed how the UK can improve its further and higher education systems. I was eager to listen to the panellists and contribute as a young person in higher education after consulting the OECD education group about a similar question the week before. Panellists included Matt Western MP, Shadow Minister for Further Education and Universities, Justine Greening, Chair of the Purpose Coalition and Former Secretary of State for Education, Jacob Ellis, Change Maker Lead: Public Affairs and International, Office of the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales, Tania Gandamihardja, Group Human Resources Director, BAE Systems, and Chair, Zoe Grunewald.

This was one of my favourite panels because it addressed a wide range of issues confronting higher education, such as tuition fees, expanding access, the apprenticeship levy, and social mobility, while also echoing some best practises. According to Jacob Ellis, Wales has a well-being of future generations act that was implemented in 2015 and requires public bodies to consider the impact of their decisions to prevent problems such as poverty, health disparities, and climate change. One key point he made was the importance of collaboration between higher education institutions; I believe this reminded those present of the importance of working together rather than separately to create sustainable change.

As a young person and Belong Collective Young Leader, I was keen to remind the audience of the prevalence of loneliness among young people, particularly students in higher education. I asked of the panel about how we can reduce loneliness in higher education. Responses included not putting all students into one category, working with students rather than against them, and being aware of young people and their individual needs.

The third panel of the day looked at how we can restore trust in public institutions. The panel included Andy Haldane, Chief Executive, RSA, Sir James Mackay, Chief Executive, Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, Cllr Georgia Gould, Chair, London Councils, Ademola Adeyeba, Founder, 1000 Black Boys, Rachel Taylor, Government and Health Industries Leader, PWC, and Alona Ferber, Chair.

It was especially interesting to hear from Ademola Adeyeba, Founder of 1000 Black Boys, a social enterprise dedicated to inspiring Black boys and young Black men (10-25 years old), was particularly interesting. I took away three key points from Ademola, firstly, trust is built on honesty and authenticity, and that by being these things, trust will grow. Second, we must emphasise the importance of optimism for young people, stating that we need something to look forward to as another way of developing trust, and finally, policy making should be transparent and taught in the classroom so that young people understand how and why processes and policies take time. The last point personally resonated with me because I didn’t understand policymaking until I was 22 years old, but often wish I learnt about it sooner.

The last panel I attended was about how we can combat climate change and preserve the planet for future generations. Shirley Rodrigues, Deputy Mayor of London for Environment and Energy, Lord Deben, Chair of the Climate Change Committee, Anita Okunde, President and Founder, Girl Up Manchester and Representative, Future Generations Commission, and chair India Bourke moderated the discussion.

I was particularly interested in hearing and learning from Anita, a fellow iwill ambassador and activist. Anita shared her story of how she got involved in climate policy from the age of 15 and lobbied for the Future Generations Bill which is currently in 2nd reading at the House of Commons. She provided us with insight on how she believes that to tackle climate change we need an intersectional lens to provide a sustainable world for all. She also mentioned how young people should be involved in all stages of consultations because policies have a direct impact on our lives and the importance of political literacy and how young people need to understand how policy is made in order to become more engaged.

The day covered very important topics and I learnt a lot by being in the room as a young person, but I want to emphasise that I was one of very few young people in the room despite the conference being about policies that will impact our lives. I can only imagine how many more young people would have benefited from sharing and owning the space if they had been able to do so, but I am hopeful that the more we make about inviting young people into all spaces together, the less likely this will happen again.

I’m grateful to UK Youth for providing me and other young people with the opportunity to participate in such events. A special thanks to Kate Roberts, who guided me throughout the day as a young person working in the field of policy. Thank you to each panellist who emphasised the value of including young people in all spaces and making sure they have the right to take up space and hold it.