My Letter to Young People

An Uncertain Future

Last year, the noise of the world was so overwhelming that I couldn’t stop crying. I was crying in the gym, by the train station, in the office, and at random moments for days. Sitting down to write this, the same happened.

From the way elections were unfolding across the globe, to the climate crisis and extreme weather events rolling through, it can be intimidating to be a young person inheriting a future which feels full of complex challenges.

To quote a headline from Wired in 2024, “Unprecedented Times is Our New Normal”.

The speed of change seems to be accelerating at an exponential rate. We see that tech is changing the ways we are learning and operating in the world, and people seem confused and concerned by that. We hear that we’re being ‘prepared’ for jobs that are being disrupted, not only by emerging tech, but also by climate change and extreme weather, political decisions that have global impacts, or pandemics.

We’re Not Prepared for This

As young people, we aren’t prepared for futures that are uncertain and emerging. In school, we are taught to meet a rubric, answer the question in front of us, and present it in a certain way. We spend so much time thinking linearly about the next test, assignment, project, deadline that we become rocked when things don’t go to plan.

Failure is terrifying. We become so focused on saying the right thing, not embarrassing ourselves, trying to fit in, blend in, make it through, that we start to lose ourselves in the process. We lose the answers for “what do you care about?”. We’re not sure on “what we’re good at”, and we don’t know what we want to do, or be, in the future, because — 1) we don’t know what the future looks like or means, but 2) because we no longer know who we are.

This Was Meant to Be Our Time for Discovery

Adolescence is meant to be a time for self-discovery and self-authorship; a time of finding the things that light you up, and reimagining what a life well lived could look like, but instead, it seems like more and more young people are feeling apathetic, disconnected, and unprepared for the future.

As written in The Conversation, we’re seeing many young people disengage from school because they don’t see the relevance of education of their future. The Lost Boys Report shared that young men are seeking out guidance from online influencers who are sharing narrow and extreme views of what a life well lived looks like. It’s likely no surprise that Gen Z are considered “The Anxious Generation”, as per Jonathon Haidt’s best-selling book.

The World is Changing — We Have a Choice

Yet, at a time where lots can be seen to be breaking down and where new forces are pushing the world in uncertain ways, we have an opportunity.

We could disengage. Many people are. We’re seeing many try to distract themselves, retreat inward, or find the people that share their views. We’re seeing many sit back and hope that a fairy godmother might come along and make it all okay again.

Yet, I know for me, sitting back and watching it unfold feels much worse.

The Power and Ingenuity of Young People

Young people are craving more meaning, more guidance, and more connection. I know I’m craving more visions of hopeful futures, more pathways to make a difference, and more solutions that are solutions for all.

Young people care deeply. This is a critical ingredient in breaking through to more beautiful models for organising our world.

There’s a precious ingenuity of youth which helps to generate new and novel solutions to our biggest problems. With the world’s median age under 30, The Global Shapers report states that “[young people] are the crucial architects of our global future… bringing the energy, expertise, and vision to build a more inclusive, equitable and sustainable world”.

We need to nurture this energy and provide pathways to bring these visions into action.

Hope is Critical to Building Beautiful Futures

As Rutger Bregman writes in his book Moral Ambition; “it’s not all that difficult to come up with scenarios that don’t end well for humankind. At the same time, there’s a chronic lack of imagination when picturing how much better the future can be”.

We need to strengthen our abilities to hold hopeful visions and imagine new ways forward. Hope is not naive. It’s a commitment to the pursuit of more.

Young people need to be equipped with the skills, capabilities, and mindsets to build a life well lived.

But even more importantly, there needs to be more pathways for young people to lead the way. To be influential innovators. To skilfully disrupt the current ways. To bring deep care, bold visions, and a passion for the possible to build more prosperous futures for all.

The Future Needs All of Us

If we truly are living through “unprecedented times”, change won’t be slowing down and complexity won’t be going away. We all stand to benefit when we tap into the wisdom and brilliance of young people.

Future building is a team effort and will take a collective effort of people, from across generations, ready to roll up their sleeves to build a future that we can be proud of.

Let’s not miss the moment.