Future Minds - Sweden

At a time when the climate crisis and biodiversity loss require immediate action, the knowledge, participation, and action of young people are crucial. Future Minds is a unique and inclusive initiative that gives young people the resources they need to go from theory to practice. This innovative platform unites schools, businesses, and society at large to translate learning into concrete change. Since the initiative was started, thousands of students and teachers in more than 15 municipalities have been involved in developing solutions to real sustainability challenges. Examples include the innovative Sustainability Hackathon concept, where students work with real case studies from companies, public-sector authorities, and civil society organisations. IKEA, SEB, WWF, and Unga forskare are just some of the companies and organisations that have been involved so far. Pupils get the opportunity to present solutions that can be implemented in reality. This helps to develop critical thinking skills, collaboration, and problem-solving and enables the students to make the leap from knowledge to action. Future Minds stands out through its diversity and inclusion, with a focus on engaging young people in suburban areas and students with low levels of study motivation. The science-based methodology strengthens young people’s voices, faith in the future, and readiness to tackle complex societal challenges, including misinformation and rapid changes linked to the climate, biodiversity, and sustainable consumption. Future Minds has its roots in “Fryshuset”, which is a well-known Swedish organisation with proven experience in innovative pedagogy to encourage the participation and inclusion of young people. The nominated initiative started in 2011 under the name “We Change”, which then transitioned to an association with the name “Future Minds” which has engaged more than 100,000 students and thousands of teachers. This gives the initiative credibility and reach beyond individual schools. The concept is scalable and Future Minds has a well-established structure that facilitates the international expansion of its operations. Its digital tools, films, lesson plans, and AI support can be easily implemented and adapted to the challenges that exist within the Nordic Region and beyond. At the heart of the initiative is the theme of this year’s environment prize – how to equip young people with the knowledge, resources, skills, and voice they need to address environmental and climate issues. Here, learning takes place through empowerment at the same time as the students contribute to real change.