10 youth recommendations on green transition, youth employment

"Victor Hugo was 27 when his play Hernani defied censorship and challenged royal authority. Sophie Scholl dropped leaflets calling for resistance to Nazi rule when she was 21. They did not wait for permission. They did not wait for perfect conditions. They used their voices as a force for change. That is what Europe's democracies needs now."

These words were spoken by Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, addressing more than 150 young people at the Nordic-Baltic Youth Summit 2025. The summit is built on a “from us to us” format – meaning that the program is designed by young people, for young people and this year Finland organised the Summit, that took place near Helsinki. 

Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, addresses the summit

Are young people perhaps better at formulating the changes needed for our societies to move in the right direction, that can then be integrated into policymaking?

For this to happen, young people need to have the opportunity to be heard, run projects, formulate policy recommendations and take part in democratic processes. As our democracies comes under pressure from disinformation, impunity and authoritarianism, the voice of young people becomes increasingly important. 

The Nordic Baltic Youth Summit is an arena that allows for influence, a place framing a democratic dialogue and facilitating the meeting of people from across the Nordic and Baltic countries to exchange and network, allowing for different viewpoints to come together. 

Their recommendations serve as a reminder and guidelines for policy makers to take into account. In the context of the Nordic Council of Ministers, policy areas within Labour, Digitalisation and Climate have already received specific action points for consideration. 

We would like the Nordic and Baltic governments to adopt a four-day working week for better mental heath
In order to relieve the mental health crisis in the work field, we recommend that the Nordic and Baltic governments support the adoption of a four-day working week.

We need green transport corridors for all 
‍In order to ensure universal access to environmentally friendly transport, we recommend that the Nordic and Baltic governments create and coordinate affordable green transport corridors, giving every citizen access to green ways for commuting, independent of where they live.
 

A yearly conference where young Indigenous entrepreneurs meet
In order to inspire young Indigenous people to return home and build new businesses, we recommend that the Nordic Council of Ministers establish a yearly conference where young Indigenous entrepreneurs from across the Nordic and Baltic regions can meet, share knowledge, and strengthen opportunities for creating companies.
 

Every official international delegation should include a youth representative that is democratically selected
We recommend that the Nordic and Baltic governments mandate that every official international delegation include a youth representative, democratically selected by their National Youth Council to ensure independence and legitimacy.
 

From Instagram account @nbyouthsummit

What where the main themes in 2025: 
?Over two days, participants investigated two urgent and connected challenges: Green transition and Youth employement

What came out of it: 
?️  Bold policy recommendations, project ideas, and stronger networks across the Nordic-Baltic region, amplifying youth voices

How is the Nordic Council of Ministers involved? 
?It funded the summit through NORDBUK. The summit this year was held in near Helsinki in the end of November and organized by the Finnish National Youth Council and Youth Sector