Empowering Youth-led Innovation to Accelerate Sustainable Development

This article seeks to reconceptualize education for sustainable development (ESD) with the explicit inclusion of innovation. Drawing on policy dialogues held over the past three years, including those at COP28, a Theory-of-Change framework for youth-led innovation is proposed. Some of the key barriers faced by youth in the pursuit of green innovation are identified, and possible solutions are proposed. Global examples of action-oriented, citizenry-focused projects serve to illustrate the range and scope of ESD-led innovation focused on youth, with radical collaboration among stakeholders connecting global policy aims for sustainable development with local practice-based innovation. While some innovation hubs do include youth-oriented engagement activities, genuine partnerships between young innovators and established organizations involved with innovation are not well developed. At a policy level, it is held that there is a need to initiate and strengthen such partnerships between youth and private sector actors. Policy in this domain should also reference targeted mentorship focused on connecting young innovators with experienced advisors and professionals across established businesses, industries, government, and civil society organizations involved in innovation. As such, policy needs to embrace the integration of innovation with ESD curricula at all levels to enhance education and awareness about sustainability issues and the novel actions needed to progress sustainable development.