An intergenerationally fair world has to ensure that the challenges, realities and ideas of young people are recognised and therefore that their rights, opportunities and resources are at the centre of policy-making. Future generations also need to form part of our thinking today - otherwise we risk leaving a society and planet that jeopardises the right to a decent life for future generations. Whilst young people have faced challenges in every generation, some concerns are markedly
different and distinctive for today’s young generation compared to generations that came before. These challenges are not mere transitory lifecycle effects but clear intergenerational inequalities. Affordable home ownership is an increasingly impossible dream for young people. Unpaid internships have become a widespread exploitative practice almost entrenched as a ‘rite of passage’. The COVID19 pandemic - including through forced isolation and serious mental health implications - has significantly negatively affected young people in the longer term. Europe’s youth is battling a chronic mental health crisis. That's why we need policies that recognise youth rights, eliminate inequality, invest fairly in the future, and recognise the value that young people bring.