In 2020 when the pandemic hit, economist Henry Leveson-Gower realised young people would be some of the worst affected in terms of life opportunities and mental health. This only added to the increasing anxiety among youths over climate change. To offer them hope in lockdown, he decided to launch an interactive online event, Festival for Change, which returns to the digital world this November.The international gathering is entirely free, it lasts one month starting 14 November, and is aimed at 18 to 30-year-olds. Each week, a diverse range of speakers will inspire attendees with talks and workshops about solutions to climate change. This is followed by discussions every Saturday, where the young people have the chance to meet one another, share experiences and build connections.[Read more positive news about people taking climate action around the world]Drawing on his work for Economic Pluralism, for which he promotes socially-beneficial economics, Henry said: “Young people are often brought up with a very narrow view of how society should be, constrained by dominant ideas. So the festival is partly aimed at helping them understand the causes of the challenges we face today, and allowing them the chance to explore a much broader array of ideas, which is key to driving the changes we need to see.”Addressing complex topics in comprehensible ways, the talks are aimed at building understanding among young people on fundamental systems shaping our society. One attendee at last year’s event, Jayne Ashely reassured: “[The] amazing speakers showed economics is nothing to be scared of - and we all need to engage in these macro and micro discussions.” The organisers have yet to finalise the lineup of speakers for this year. But, based on the groundbreaking thinkers who spoke at the first event, they are set to offer up some of the most provocative and progressive ideas, with a special focus on young innovators.
Building networks for change
Another key part of the festival involves creating relationships between young people from entirely different backgrounds and parts of the world. Youth ambassadors from Hong Kong, Pakistan, India, Qatar, and the Netherlands helped design the festival and whoever joins this year’s event can take part in a buddying scheme to bring together young people from different countries.[Read more good news stories about the individuals and organisations making the world a better place]To facilitate discussion they’ve created a virtual world that’s something like Habbo Hotel, where participants can drag their avatar from place to place to join different discussions. Once they’ve chosen where they’d like to go, the system allows them to join a video call where they can speak to others face-to-face. Register for Festival for Change here.Find more information at festivalforchange.global.
