Nordic-Baltic Youth Summit: How youth sees the future for the Nordics
14th of October 2024
The Nordic Council of Ministers’ Office in Lithuania, the Lithuanian Youth Council and the National Council of Swedish Children and Youth Organisations welcomed 250 young leaders to the very first Nordic-Baltic Youth Summit in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, 27–28 September 2024.
This Summit is a crucial opportunity for young people to make their voices heard and play key roles in their future
The five main topics
The mission is to establish a tradition of initiatives led by young people that will inspire co-operation between all of the Nordic and Baltic countries and result in concrete action at policy level. Representatives attended from Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden, Greenland, Åland and the Faroe Islands.
Young people identified the topics they found most important at a series of democratic meetings over the previous twelve months. The result was five main themes: youth, peace and security, democracy, the governance of youth organisations, climate change and young people’s well-being.
Youth, Peace and Security: We need to be more resilient!
The participants stressed the need for better education, training and tools for young people to help improve global resilience. The Summit proposed expanding the provision of training in crisis management and social resilience, addressing better integration of migrants, including through mentoring programmes at local government level, as well as media literacy and critical thinking initiatives to combat disinformation, which is a contributory factor in polarisation and the radicalisation of young people.
Democracy We want to vote at 16!
The participants identified low turnout and under-representation of young people in elections as threats to democracy. The Summit proposed lowering the voting age to 16, introducing a youth quota in national parliaments, more political education in schools and encouraging politicians to engage more actively with young people by visiting regions and schools.
Governance of Youth Organisations: We need more support!
The participants highlighted the need for better governance, funding and development of NGOs. Their recommendations included setting up an EU portal for funding opportunities for NGOs, allocating a percentage of national GDP to children and young people’s initiatives, and organising simulated elections in schools to promote involvement in decision-making.
Climate change: We need tighter restrictions on CO2 emissions!
The participants expressed concern about the lack of corporate responsibility for CO2 emissions and the negative environmental impact of fast fashion. The Summit proposed capping companies’ CO2 emissions, integrating climate issues into school curricula, introducing an additional tax on fast fashion manufacturers and running campaigns to promote conscious consumption.
Young People’s Well-being: Down with the Generation Gap!
The participants highlighted the growing gap between younger and older generations, which leads to feelings of isolation, loneliness and discrimination based on age and income. The Summit proposed focusing on forms of intergenerational dialogue to extend the reach and quality of mental health initiatives by NGOs and local government bodies.
This Youth Summit is only the beginning. The biggest challenge going forward will be to communicate these recommendations to politicians and decision-makers and create spaces where young people can engage directly with them.
Nordic-Baltic Youth Summit 2025
Nordic and Baltic youth organisations will come together again next year when Finland hosts the Nordic-Baltic Youth Summit 2025 as part of the country’s programme for the Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers for the year.
