YouthQuake

Background

It is a certainty that the youth are the future of society. The experience of the youth in contemporary society is a very different experience to that of older generations. New challenges and opportunities exist for today’s youth, who experience perhaps most directly the rapid changes that society is undergoing. In a world where new perspectives are urgently needed, the youth have an important contribution to make. Furthermore, for a sustainable future, intergenerational dialogue and knowledge sharing is also increasingly an apparent necessity. In the “Youthquake” session, we will stimulate debate and share perspectives of the youth on their priorities for a sustainable future. Overall, the session will explore the key role of both youth and education institutions in building a sustainable society, share innovative approaches, and propose key priorities.

Moderator: Dr. Carl Middleton, Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University

Panel discussion structure:

Round one question: What sustainability challenges are most important to you and why? Please introduce your work and how you are meeting these challenges?
Round two question: What role do you think education institutions should play to support society? How successful have they been to date, and how do they need to change themselves?
Round three question: What emerging sustainability changes do you see for the near future? Who needs to act, how and why?

Film synopsis

With an aspiration to be the world class national university of academic with environmental responsibility and social transformation of Thai society, Chulalongkorn University has officially announced its intention to apply knowledge learned towards the sustainable development of the country and society as one of the four missions. While the top-down strategy highlights fundamental principles of success, a transitional movement of sustainability concept into the sustainable university culture remains challenging. The YouthQuake pilot project delivers a short film that reflects students and young professionals’ perspectives on the campus sustainability. The interview dialogue engages basic sustainable questions such as perceptions, activities on campus, sustainable courses, lifestyles, and expectations. The messages from this film create a voice that can convey helpful information to reviewing and planning a successful sustainable campus in the future.