What Kind of Future Do Young Europeans Want? Insights from the FYI Foresight Workshops

Across Europe, young people are facing rapid technological, environmental, and social change. But rather than asking what the future will look like, the FYI – For Youth Information project invited young people to ask a different question:

What future do we want to create?

What future do we want to create?

Through Local Foresight Workshops organised in Estonia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Bulgaria, and Cyprus, young participants explored emerging trends, discussed future challenges, and developed their own visions for Europe and their futures in 2040 and beyond.

Learning to Think About the Future

The workshops introduced participants to foresight methods, helping them identify trends, analyse uncertainties, and build future scenarios. Rather than predicting the future, participants learned how today's decisions influence tomorrow's outcomes.

The workshops combined interactive discussions, collaborative exercises, and scenario-building activities, allowing young people to become active creators of future possibilities instead of passive observers.

Common Themes Across Europe

Although each country focused on its own national context, remarkably similar priorities emerged.

1. A Future Where Technology Serves People

Artificial Intelligence and digital technologies appeared in almost every discussion. Young people recognised the opportunities offered by innovation but also highlighted important risks, including digital dependency, misinformation, and reduced human interaction.

They stressed the need for digital literacy, critical thinking, and responsible use of emerging technologies.

2. Education for an Uncertain World

Participants agreed that traditional education alone is no longer enough.

Future education should help young people:

• develop critical thinking; 

• strengthen creativity and problem-solving; 

• understand future trends; 

• prepare for rapidly changing labour markets. 

Many participants also emphasised the importance of lifelong learning and flexible learning opportunities.

3. Mental Health and Social Connections Matter

One of the strongest messages concerned well-being.

Young people expressed concerns about loneliness, excessive screen time, and declining face-to-face interaction. They envisioned communities where mental health support, inclusion, and meaningful social participation become central priorities.

4. Sustainability Is No Longer Optional

Climate change and environmental responsibility were recurring themes.

Participants imagined futures where sustainable lifestyles, environmental education, and community-led green initiatives become part of everyday life rather than exceptional actions.

5. Young People Want to Participate

Perhaps the strongest message was simple:

Young people do not want decisions to be made for them, they want to help shape them.

Across countries, participants called for greater involvement in public dialogue, stronger youth participation mechanisms, and more opportunities to influence local, national, and European policies.

From Ideas to Action

The workshops demonstrated that, when provided with the right tools, young people are fully capable of analysing complex societal challenges and proposing realistic solutions.

Rather than focusing only on today's problems, they imagined desirable futures and identified practical actions that governments, educators, youth organisations, and communities can take today to make those futures possible.

Looking Ahead

The ideas generated during the Local Foresight Workshops will contribute to the next stages of the FYI project, including the development of European Policy Recommendations and resources that support future-oriented youth participation.

The workshops confirmed one important message:

The future is not something that simply happens to young people, it is something they are ready to shape.

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