The Conversation Relay Visits the Union of Danish Upper Secondary School Students

What a privilege to listen to the dedicated and engaged young people of (Danske Gymnasieelevers Sammenslutning), which our Nationwide Conversation Relay visited today for a conversation about democracy, media, and tech.

Among much interesting feedback:

– To engage young people, we need to take young people seriously
– To earn trust, we must understand the world as they experience it
– We must offer hope that feels real – showing change is still possible
– We must replace powerlessness with possibility as hopelessness feeds on isolation and inaction
– We must build common ground though shared values – inclusion, belonging
– Who can we trust when everyone’s can act as a publisher
– Monopolisation fuels polarisation
– Democracy requires access, not just ideals. The democratic conversation cannot be only accessible to the loudest, wealthiest, or most connected

One quoted Nelson Mandela and the point of catching people young. Mandela said: “There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.”