At TACSI we are constantly striving to include many voices, including those of young people into the work we do. More recently we looked at how we can integrate the voices and needs of young people, and of unborn future generations, into the design of the National Future Initiative. Conversations about the future would simply be weaker without them.
To do this, we looked to a team of transdisciplinary university students to help us explore this challenge. The team worked on the project as a part of an ‘Industry Innovation Project’ within the Bachelor of Creative Intelligence and Innovation at the University of Technology Sydney.
Throughout the semester they met with us regularly, tested out some of their ideas and produced a ‘guidebook for youth inclusion’. Students brought their learned and lived experiences to this challenge with a diversity of expertise , including architecture, management, media arts production, social sciences and communications and their experiences of being young people in 2025.
We found the book, and the whole process, helpful, and thought you might too.
What inspires us
Alongside this project, we’ve also explored a range of other examples of inclusion of young people and unborn future generations in decision-making about the future.
These were some of the projects we were most excited about:
ImagiNation Declaration: In August 2019, at the Garma Festival in East Arnhem Land, a national Youth Forum—facilitated by AIME and hosted by the Yothu Yindi Foundation—brought together 65 Indigenous and non‑Indigenous students (Years 6–12). Inspired by the Uluru Statement from the Heart, they crafted this declaration as their call to leaders. The Imagination Declaration urges Australia’s Prime Minister and Education Ministers to establish an “imagination agenda” for Indigenous children—and indeed all Australian children—that reframes them not as problems to fix, but as creative leaders and solutions. It champions Indigenous knowledge, storytelling, and innovation, calling for education that nurtures agency, freedom of mind, and pride—allowing young people to “write a new story,” “show the world Aboriginal genius,” and be seen as the solution, not the problem.
7 Generation decision making: In The Good Ancestor: A Radical Prescription for Long-Term Thinking (Roman Krznaric, 2020), the section “Seventh-Generation Thinking and the Value of Deep Stewardship” explores how Indigenous philosophies and contemporary voices call us to act with responsibility for generations yet to come. On pages 86–87, Oren Lyons, a Native American chief of the Turtle Clan of the Onondaga Nation, part of the Iroquois Confederacy, explains: “We are looking ahead as one of the first mandates given us as chiefs—to make sure every decision that we make relates to the welfare and wellbeing of the seventh generation to come, and that is the basis by which we make decisions in council. We consider: will this be to the benefit of the seventh generation?” Krznaric also highlights environmentalist David Suzuki, who argues that politicians should be asking: “If we pass this bill, what’s that going to do seven generations down the line?” (p. 88). This kind of long-term thinking, he suggests, is essential for genuine stewardship. These traditions and perspectives, found not only in the Americas but among Indigenous peoples worldwide, are rooted in the recognition that humans are interdependent with the world. As Krznaric notes, the environment is not something “out there”—we are the environment (p. 89). The Earth is not owned by the current generation to use and discard, but a living entity to be safeguarded, preserved, and passed on—thriving—for descendants and for all life.
Earth Guardians is an intergenerational climate justice organisation dedicated to protecting our planet and its people for the next seven generations. Earth Guardians trains diverse youth to be influential leaders at the forefront of the global climate movement using art, music, storytelling, on-the-ground projects, civic engagement, and legal action to drive change. With a team that is over 90% Black, Indigenous, and queer youth, Earth Guardians reflects the communities it serves, pioneering regenerative and resilient solutions through a holistic lens to address the climate crisis.
Future Design in Japan draws on the Iroquois seventh-generation principle to bring the voices of future generations into today’s policymaking. In workshops, participants role-play as citizens from decades ahead, which research shows shifts priorities toward fairness, sustainability, and long-term responsibility. Case studies, such as in Yahaba Town, demonstrate how this process fosters empathy, creativity, and dialogue that serve both present and future generations—helping us become better ancestors.
Seventh Generation Deep ecology Joanna Macy workshops - invite participants into a paired dialogue: one person speaks as their present-day self, while the other embodies someone from seven generations in the future. Through this exchange, participants explore responsibility, imagination, and the long-term impacts of today’s choices. The process creates a powerful sense of connection across time, opening new perspectives on care, justice, and possibility.
Future Council: The Future Council is a child‑led global movement that empowers young people (ages 9–16) to shape a regenerative future. Emerging from Damon Gameau’s documentary of the same name, it formed when a group of eight kids embarked on a biofuel‑powered road‑trip across Europe, engaging with powerful leaders to challenge ecological decision‑making and ultimately forming a council to advise major institutions. The Future Council involves young people by connecting them through global online meetups, giving them access to world-class experts, supporting their co-design of sustainable solutions with businesses and institutions, and empowering them to vote on how funds are used to support nature-restoration projects.
EveryGen: Everygen is a policy initiative convened by the Policy Innovation Hub at Griffith University. Its core mission is to amplify the voices of both current and future generations, highlighting the long-term impacts of today’s policy decisions and holding Australian decision‑makers accountable for the nation's future interests. The organisation actively promotes the adoption of a “Welsh‑style Future Generations Act”—legislation similar to the Well‑Being of Future Generations Act adopted in Wales in 2016—that would enshrine sustainable development as a guiding principle of government. Through inclusive collaboration, EveryGen works to empower young people, influence government, and shape intergenerationally fair policies. This includes organising high-profile events like a national summit on intergenerational fairness and forums focused on philanthropy’s responsibility to future generations.
Foundations for Tomorrow: Foundations for Tomorrow is a youth-led, non-partisan organisation working to embed long-term thinking in Australian decision-making to protect the interests of future generations. They raise awareness through national consultations, develop policy roadmaps like the proposed Wellbeing of Future Generations Act, and deliver leadership programs to equip emerging leaders with future-focused skills. They also advocate at national and international levels, helping drive reforms and build a global movement for intergenerational fairness.
Transcendent thinking for young people - Adolescence is a critical period where young people develop “transcendent thinking” – the ability to move beyond immediate experiences to consider abstract, systemic, and ethical perspectives. A longitudinal study by Silvers and colleagues shows this capacity strengthens brain networks that support reflection, focus, and ultimately healthy identity development, wellbeing, and purposeful futures. Futures work relies on these same abilities: zooming out from the present, connecting past, present, and possible futures, and seeing ourselves as part of larger social and cultural systems. Supporting transcendent thinking in young people not only builds resilience and identity but also equips them with the mindset needed to imagine and shape better futures.
What this means for the National Future Initiative
Many young people feel overwhelmed by the state of the world, while organisations and older generations often struggle to know how, and in what ways, to engage them in decision-making. Short-term thinking is deeply embedded in Western worldviews, which means we need to intentionally create space for young voices and future generations within our processes. Caring for future generations asks us to expand our sense of moral obligation toward those yet to be born, but doing so requires tools, practices, and frameworks that encourage this long-term perspective.
What's next?
Explore partnerships with networks already working with children and young people.
Recruit young people into these ‘Future of…’ networks and ensure they are supported to participate meaningfully.
Run parallel processes for young people that feed directly into broader conversations about the future.
Explore creative ways, drawing from the work of Joanna Macy and Future Design, to represent and engage with imaginary future generations
Incorporate lessons from First Nations cultures, which embed consideration of future and unborn generations into decision-making.
Design inclusive approaches that recognise differences in geography, class, and ethnicity, ensuring all young people’s experiences are represented.