How can we prepare the next generations for the challenges of the future?

In the midst of global environmental, economic, and social struggles, the impression is that things do not intend to get better. Many, on the contrary, feel like the next few decades will be marked by challenges, worldwide crises and an overall state of emergency. It is then natural to worry about the youth of today, which will play a protagonist role in the world of tomorrow. How will they manage to deal with the consequences of past failures? How can we help them and prepare them for the challenges of the future?

No matter if you are a teacher, a parent, or just any person who happens to be in contact with youth, then – these are a few ideas on how we can prepare the next generations for the challenges of their adult lives.

Preparing the next generations for their future by Learning to Learn

The problem with traditional education and standardized curricula is that it is very difficult to define which subjects and information will be relevant for each student. What is useful knowledge for a student might not be for another – and most importantly, what is useful today might not be tomorrow. This is the reason why several modern pedagogical theories suggest that learning how to learn – rather than learning actual content and information – is a rather more essential skill, that must be prioritized by educational institutions at large. Empowering the students with the tools and the motivation to learn whatever they deem appropriate and useful according to their specific situation, especially in a time when information is vastly retrievable online, is really a game-changing decision – already applied by a number of alternative educational programmes. This is certainly a good way to prepare the next generation for the challenges of the future.

What does this look like, in practice? On one hand, some schools of thought suggest showing the students that the learning takes place first and foremost outside of school walls and time. Students can and should be encouraged to learn from their reality and to follow their interests. Why not learn from traveling, for example? Observing a reality different from your own and meeting new people can be an eye-opening experience for just about anyone – bringing about a fresh understanding of both a new culture and reality, and of our own society and ways, too, out of contraposition.

On the other hand, there certainly are learning methodologies and techniques that, if taught and applied, would facilitate and smoothen out the students’ learning processes. To mention one out of many, Dewey’s formulation of ‘Learning by Doing’ is a very versatile tool that can help you understand what are the essential principles that stand at the base of efficient and memorable learning – and, ultimately, teach you how to learn.

Preparing the next generations for the future by helping them master their social skills

The future will certainly bring about challenges that will be better faced through togetherness and cooperation. Many of the issues we face, already – social struggles such as inequality and discrimination – are symptoms of a society unused to working together and unequipped with advanced social skills. Increasing individualism, some might argue, is leading us to be less and less able to work with each other – an indispensable skill, if we want to make a change in our collective reality and to construct functioning and inclusive societies, in the first place.

Luckily, social skills can be trained and learnt – this is why we ought to reverse the trend of increasing societal atomization and start promoting healthy social behaviors and capacities in schools. This will not only prepare our youth to unite and act upon the challenges of the future – but it will allow them to live healthier and more fulfilling lives, too.

Conclusion

These four ideas are our best shot at how we can prepare the next generations for the challenges of the future. Raising them to be healthy, strong individuals equipped with flexible skills that can be used in a variety of situations is perhaps the best way to face the fact that we don’t know, exactly, what their future will look like. Flexibility – exactly – is maybe the biggest takeaway of this article.

Another thought to conclude: although it might not seem obvious in most countries in the Global North, the crises have already started, and the actions and behaviours we take on today will have a direct impact on the future of the next generation. Why not start acting now?