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Ci a ion: B anquinho, C.; Xa ie , L.L.; And ade, C.; Fe ei a, T.; No onha, C.; Wainw igh , T.; de Ma os, M.G. We A e Conce ned abou he Fu u e and We A e He e o Suppo he Change: Le ’s Talk and Wo k Toge he ! Child en 2022,9, 1574. h ps://doi.o g/ 10.3390/child en9101574 Academic Edi o : Meng-Che Tsai Recei ed: 24 Augus 2022 Accep ed: 10 Oc obe 2022 Published: 18 Oc obe 2022 Publishe ’s No e: MDPI s ays neu al wi h ega d o ju isdic ional claims in published maps and ins i u ional a il- ia ions. Copy igh : © 2022 by he au ho s. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Swi ze land. This a icle is an open access a icle dis ibu ed unde he e ms and condi ions o he C ea i e Commons A ibu ion (CC BY) license (h ps:// c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by/ 4.0/). child en A icle We A e Conce ned abou he Fu u e and We A e He e o Suppo he Change: Le ’s Talk and Wo k Toge he ! Cá ia B anquinho 1,2 , Luís Lobo Xa ie 3, Ca a ina And ade 3, Tomás Fe ei a 2, Ca a ina No onha 1,2 , Tony Wainw igh 4and Ma ga ida Gaspa de Ma os 1,2,* 1ISAMB (En i onmen al Heal h Ins i u e), A en u a Social, Uni e si y o Lisbon, 1649-026 Lisbon, Po ugal 2#Gene a ionsWi hAVoice P ojec , A en u a Social & Calous e Gulbenkian Founda ion, Po ugal 3Calous e Gulbenkian Founda ion, 1067-001 Lisbon, Po ugal 4Depa men o Psychology, Uni e si y o Exe e , Exe e EX4 4QG, UK *Co espondence: ma ga ida.gaspa [email p o ec ed] Abs ac : Sca cely explo ed, in e gene a ional dialogue may suppo he e-encoun e be ween gene - a ions. Backg ound: Focused on in e gene a ional sha ing and on he iden i ica ion o di e ences be ween gene a ions, he p ojec #Gene a ionsWi hAVoice aims o iden i y gene a ional inequali- ies, wi h he aim o p omo ing awa eness o in e gene a ional challenges, boos ing public deba e and in e es in public policies. Me hods: Twen y ocus g oups we e de eloped, and an e alua ion ins umen was applied. Resul s: (i) Young people belie e ha hey ha e mo e knowledge, bu less p opensi y o ac ion, lea ing his ask o he ollowing gene a ions; (ii) he amily and housing eme ge as he issues wi h he g ea es numbe o p oblems iden i ied, bu also as impo an esou ces; (iii) go e nmen and poli ics, communi y and socie y, and he economy a e o less in e es and knowl- edge on he pa o his gene a ion; (i ) school seems o be he ideal scena io o he implemen a ion o s a egies ha lead o change. Conclusions: We highligh he ole o his wo k in he decons uc ion o belie s ega ding p e ious gene a ions, he de elopmen o knowledge, and he p omo ion o cohesion and social suppo . Keywo ds: you h pa icipa o y p og ams; gene a ional inequali ies; in e gene a ional dialogue; in e gene a ional jus ice; u u e conce ns; sus ainabili y 1. In oduc ion Al hough no widely s udied, he concep o in e gene a ional jus ice, o en e e ed o as in e gene a ional dialogue, in e gene a ional equali y, in e gene a ional equi y, in e gen- e a ional sus ainabili y, o in e gene a ional solida i y, ela es o he concep ha he sea ch o he well-being o oday’s gene a ions should no comp omise he oppo uni ies and esou ces o he ollowing gene a ions. Comp ising he dis ibu i e, p ocedu al, es o a i e, and e ibu i e dimensions [ 1 ], he concep o in e gene a ional jus ice can be applied o se e al a eas ha may impac human well-being [ 2 – 4 ], and can be concep ualized in ou majo a eas: (i) basic human needs; (ii) economic needs; (iii) en i onmen al needs; and (i ) subjec i e well-being [ 5 ]. Acco ding o hese au ho s, a sus ainable wo ld equi es ha he human needs o cu en gene a ions a e me wi hou comp omising he possibili y o u u e gene a ions o mee hei needs as well. When we alk abou in e gene a ional jus ice, we s ill alk mainly abou a eas such as public deb , social secu i y, he labo ma ke , and he en i onmen [ 6 , 7 ], bu i is impe a i e o include o he a eas wi h implica ions o p esen and u u e gene a ions, such as amily and housing, educa ion, heal h, communi y and socie y, go e nmen and policies, and cul u e. Caney’s [ 8 ] iew also ollows his line, a guing ha analyzing and in e ening independen ly in hese a eas may be oo di icul and ha e nega i e consequences, as policy esponses o one o hese a eas may a ec he o he s. Child en 2022,9, 1574. h ps://doi.o g/10.3390/child en9101574 h ps://www.mdpi.com/jou nal/child en Child en 2022,9, 1574 2 o 11 The incen i e o in e gene a ional jus ice in ol es no only aising awa eness and p o iding educa ion o cu en gene a ions, bu also implemen ing public policies ha p o ec u u e gene a ions [ 9 ]. This is s a ing o be a p io i y o he OECD [ 10 ] in c ea ing mo e and be e oppo uni ies o young people. Acco ding o Vanhuysse [ 7 ], he imple- men a ion o policy measu es such as (i) ax and social bene i s o subsidies o suppo pa en s o ca egi e s; (ii) axes and egula ion o ca bon emissions; (iii) an in es men ha enables a be e educa ion o he nex gene a ions and he c ea ion o educa ional p og ams; and (i ) he exis ence o a p oxy o e ha could be used by he pa en s o ca egi e s o he mino , could p omo e g ea e in e gene a ional jus ice. In complemen , Ribei o [ 11 ] adds he c ea ion o a cons i u ional p o ec ion o p o ec he ollowing gene a ions, imposing cons i u ional limi s in he cu en gene a ions. Based on a ecen sys ema ic li e a u e e- iew, he solu ion o g ea e in e gene a ional jus ice lies in closing he gene a ion gap om a social and his o ical pe spec i e; aising awa eness and ca ing o cu en gene a ions; and encou aging in e gene a ional dialogue, cohesion, and co-ac ion [12]. 1.1. You h Engagemen and Pa icipa ion Seen as a undamen al igh [ 13 ] enabling in ol emen in he de elopmen p ocess i sel , g ea e knowledge o human igh s, and mo e ac i e ci izenship [ 14 ], you h pa ici- pa ion has gained g ea e p ominence in ecen decades. Some o he mos well-known heo ies (e.g., Roge Ha ’s [ 15 ] “Pa icipa ion Ladde ”, Phil T esede ’s [ 16 ] “Le els o Pa icipa ion”, Ha y Shie ’s [ 17 ] “Pa icipa ion Pa hways”) ha e se ed as inspi a ion o in eg a ing you h pa icipa ion in o esea ch. The concep ualiza ion o hese p og ams, c ea ed by Rod iguez and B own [ 18 ], de e mines h ee p inciples: (a) hei ocus is es ablished on he li e expe iences and conce ns o young people; (b) he me hodological and pedagogical p ocesses a e based on he collabo a ion and pa icipa ion o young people; and (c) hey ha e a ans o ma i e cha ac e , con ibu ing o change heo ies and p ac ices ha imp o e he li es o young people, along wi h hei communi ies. Based on he p emise ha his gene a ion has aluable knowledge abou hei p ob- lems and needs [ 19 – 22 ] and ha hey should gi e hei oice in he i s pe son based on hei expe ience [ 23 ], pa icipa o y esea ch p og ams ha e p o en o be e ec i e in e - en ions in he p ocesses o indi idual de elopmen , heal h, and communi y. Acco ding o a sys ema ic li e a u e e iew conduc ed by Anyon e al. [ 24 ], hese p og ams ha e impo an impac s on agency, leade ship, academic (o p o essional), social, in e pe sonal, and cogni i e le els. In a con as ing model o adi ional pa adigms, in you h pa icipa o y esea ch p og ams, he esea che no longe speaks o he young pe son [ 25 ], bu he young pe son bene i s om he adul –young pe son men o ing ela ionship, sha ing powe du ing he p ocess, de eloping hei skills and consul ancy, encou aging deba e based on social change and he es ablishmen o alliances wi h s akeholde s [26]. 1.2. #Gene a ionsWi hAVoice Recognizing (i) he ole o he Y–AP (you h–adul pa ne ship) app oach in concep- ualizing p oblems and implemen ing ac ions [ 27 , 28 ]; (ii) ha you h oice, choices, and pa icipa ion a e undamen al o he sus ainabili y o he u u e [ 1 ]; and ha (iii) in e - gene a ional jus ice, i.e., he no ion ha he pu sui o well-being by cu en gene a ions should no jeopa dize oppo uni ies o he well-being o subsequen gene a ions, he #Gene a ionsWi hAVoice p ojec is p esen ed, in eg a ed in he Fu u e Fo um ini ia i e o he Calous e Gulbenkian Founda ion, which aims o in es iga e and p o ide knowledge abou omo ow’s challenges, an icipa ing hei a i al and encou aging public deba e. Cen e ed on a ecip ocal in e gene a ional sha ing (young–adul and adul –young), his p ojec aims o iden i y gene a ional inequali ies, ocused on a eas such as he en i- onmen (including clima e change and plane p o ec ion), amily and housing, educa ion, heal h, wo k, economy, communi y and socie y, go e nmen and poli ics, and cul u e, wi h Child en 2022,9, 1574 3 o 11 he aim o p omo ing awa eness o in e gene a ional challenges, boos ing public deba e and in e es in public policies, hus con ibu ing o a mo e posi i e, ai , equi able, and ac i e socie y. This p ojec has had he ollowing objec i es: (i) o in es iga e he dominan opinions o he younge gene a ions on he opics unde s udy; (ii) o p omo e in e gene a ional dialogue, s imula ing a sha ing o knowledge be ween gene a ions; (iii) o unde s and young people’s iews on s a egies o p omo e in e gene a ional jus ice, and on how o in luence decision-making p ocesses based on hei conce ns and in e es s; and (i ) o know he pe spec i e o young people on how o in luence ins i u ional and public policies acco ding o hei conce ns and in e es s. In an a emp o apply his p emise om an ea ly age, he esea ch eam o his p ojec is cu en ly de eloping he Lea n o Fly p ojec , which aims o de elop g ea e social pa icipa ion and dialogue be ween gene a ions h ough iden i ica ion and ac ion on ele an socie al issues. In addi ion, i is an icipa ed ha Lea n o Fly will de elop psychological lexibili y, openness, cu iosi y, au onomy, and sel - egula ion in child en a he beginning o hei school ca ee (5–6 yea s). Wi h he inclusion o educa o s, amilies, and child en, i is in ended ha , a e e alua ion, i will be included in he p e-school and school cu iculum [29]. In his s udy, gene a ion was conside ed as a g oup o people bo n in a gi en yea o pe iod. 2. Ma e ials and Me hods 2.1. P ocedu e and Pa icipan s De eloped du ing he pe iod Ma ch 2020 o Ap il 2021, du ing a pandemic scena io, #Gene a ionsWi hAVoice saw all i s me hodology adap ed o he online o ma . Ini ia ed wi h an awa eness aising e en , #Gene a ionsWi hAVoice began by in i ing 15 pa icipan s (young people, heal h and educa ion p o essionals linked o you h wo k) o an in e iew ocused on he hemes unde s udy and he ole o in e gene a ional jus ice, in o de o de elop a s o y elling ideo o use in dissemina ion o he p ojec in academia, and o aising awa eness in he communi y. The 15 in e iews had an a e age du a ion o 32 min, esul ing in he p oduc ion o 5 ideos: en i onmen ; amily and housing; employmen ; economy; and digi al gene a ion. The 15 pa icipan s we e ec ui ed h ough di ec in i a ion ia email, based on hei expe ience and expe ise, and he in e iews we e conduc ed in he pe iod om May o Oc obe 2020. Nine mon hs la e , ha ing accep ed ha he ace- o- ace me hodology would be impossible, con ac s we e eac i a ed wi h i e schools (one o each e i o ial uni in mainland Po ugal) con ac ed a he s a o he p ojec o acili a e a ocus g oup wi h young people bo n in 2002 ( o e s) and ano he ocus g oup wi h young people bo n in 2004 (non- o e s), and ocus g oups we e s a ed online. The a ionale o hese age g oups was unde s ood o be he ac ha becoming a “ o e ” would inc ease young people’s awa eness ega ding socie y, socie al issues, and communi y engagemen . The pa icipa ing schools we e sugges ed by he Di ec o a e-Gene al o Educa ion, and he pa icipa ing classes we e selec ed by he di ec o o he educa ional ins i u ion, based on he a ailabili y o a class eache o suppo he g oups, and he age o he s uden s (bo n in 2022—12 h g ade and in 2004—10 h g ade). The ocus g oups we e conduc ed om No embe 2020 o Janua y 2021. A o al o 20 ocus g oups we e conduc ed ( wo g oups pe egion × wo imes, be o e and a e he in e gene a ional dialogue), comp ising a minimum numbe o 4 and a maximum numbe o 22 pa icipan s, b inging oge he young people aged 16–17 yea s old (g oups co esponding o he younges g oup), and 18–19 yea s old (olde ). The g oups had an a e age du a ion o 58 min. The g oups we e un a wo di e en imes o each o he g oups in each school (16–17-yea -olds and 18–19-yea -olds), wi h an in e al o wo weeks. Du ing his pe iod, Child en 2022,9, 1574 4 o 11 he challenge was o encou age in e gene a ional dialogue h ough in e iews wi h pa en s, uncles, g andpa en s, eache s, o o he people om he “adul ” and “olde ” gene a ions o hei communi y, in o de o ecoun hei memo ies and expe iences ela ed o he hemes unde s udy. This dialogue was in ended o s imula e deba e in he second ocus g oup and o acili a e he iden i ica ion o solu ions o he p oblems and needs iden i ied in he i s ocus g oup. To suppo how in e gene a ional jus ice was unde s ood by he pa icipan s, a ques- ionnai e was de eloped o assess he impo ance, knowledge, conce n, and ac ion ha he young pa icipan s a ibu ed o each o he opics s udied, along wi h hei pe cep ion o u u e gene a ions, hei pa en s’ gene a ion, and hei g andpa en s’ gene a ion. Al hough his ques ionnai e was aimed a a p e- ( ocus g oup 1) and pos - es ( ocus g oup 2) s udy, due o he cons ain s wi hin he COVID-19 pandemic, i was only possible o collec 32 epo s om a single poin in ime (17.2 yea s; SD = 0.998). 2.2. Ins umen s In his wo k, h ee da a collec ion ins umen s we e de eloped: Ques ionnai e assessing he le el o impo ance, knowledge, conce n, and ac ion ha young people a ibu e o hei gene a ion, pas and hei u u e o sp ing—wi h 16 closed- esponse ques ions on a 10-poin Like - ype scale (1 = e y low o 10 = e y high), and one open ques ion wi h he possibili y o including commen s. Focus g oup in e iew guide ( i s s age)—in a semi-s uc u ed o ma , pa icipan s we e in i ed o e lec on he wo k hemes and he p oblems el by hei gene a ion and u u e gene a ions. Focus g oup in e iew guide (second s age)—simila o he p e ious one, he second s age ocused on pa icipan in e iews p omo ing in e gene a ional deba e and iden i ying s a egies o he p oblems p e iously iden i ied. Alongside, he ques ions we e in eg a ed: “How can communica ion and coope a ion be ween gene a ions be p omo ed?”; “Wha can young people do o ha e an impac on public policy by in luencing decision-making p ocesses ela ed o hei li es?”; “And because he COVID-19 pandemic had a g ea impac on he li es o all o us, how do you hink his i us will a ec he u u e gene a ion?”. 3. Resul s 3.1. Da a Analysis The in e en ions o he ocus g oup pa icipan s we e egis e ed by he co-in e iewe and eco ded by he pa icipa ing schools. The audio o each ocus g oup was sen by he pa icipa ing school, acili a ing he ansc ip ion p ocess and making i as eliable as possible. The da a we e subsequen ly analyzed as quali a i e da a. Quan i a i e da a collec ed h ough a ques ionnai e was analyzed using SPSS . 26. Based on a i s con en analysis, he ule o humb p inciple was used (line-by-line p o- cedu e). A o al o 1743 ex segmen s om he ocus g oups we e coded, leading o he ca ego iza ion sys em o indings o de ine p oblems and isks (699 segmen s), s a egies o in e gene a ional well-being (380 segmen s), and esou ces o g ea e in e gene a ional jus ice (222 segmen s). In addi ion, 33 ex segmen s on engaging young people in poli ical pa icipa ion, 99 on p omo ing in e gene a ional communica ion and coope a ion, and 104 on he impac o he pandemic on u u e gene a ions we e coded. 3.2. Quan i a i e S udy Fou a eas we e assessed ega ding he issues unde s udy: impo ance, knowledge, conce n, and ac ion. A o al o 32 esponses we e ob ained om he ocus g oups wi h young pa icipan s (mean age o 17.2 yea s, SD = 0.998, min. = 16 yea s, and max. = 19 yea s). O e all (Table 1), young people a ibu e a highe ega d o mos issues unde s udy ( amily and housing, wo k, sus ainabili y, e i emen , social secu i y, educa ion and heal h, Child en 2022,9, 1574 5 o 11 and cul u e) o hei gene a ion when compa ed wi h olde gene a ions. The only opic on which hey a ibu e a g ea e sense o impo ance o u u e gene a ions is he en i onmen . Table 1. Means o impo ance, knowledge, conce n, and ac ion [30]. Topics My Gene a ion Pa en s’ Gene a ion G andpa en s’ Gene a ion Fu u e Gene a ions M M M M I K C A I K C A I K C A I K C A En i onmen 9.2 7.6 8.5 7.1 6 5.4 5 4.8 4.5 3.8 3.6 3.5 9.4 9.1 9.2 8.7 Family and housing 8.8 7.9 8.5 7.5 7.7 7.3 7.5 7 7.3 6.4 6.6 6.5 8.1 7.9 8.2 7.8 Wo k 8.5 7.2 8.6 7.2 8.1 7.2 7.9 7.2 6.1 5.7 5.9 5.6 8.3 7.9 8.1 8.1 Sus ainabili y, e i emen , social secu i y, educa ion and heal h 97.5 8.8 7.1 8.2 7.5 7.8 7.8 7.2 6.3 6.9 6.3 8.6 8.5 8.2 8.3 Cul u e 8.2 7.6 7.6 6.8 7.5 6.8 6.7 6.5 6.8 6.2 6.5 6.2 7.7 7.5 7.1 7.2 No e: I = Impo ance; K = Knowledge; C = Conce n; A = Ac ion. The highe mean alues o Impo ance, Knowledge, Conce n, and Ac ion in each opic a e highligh ed. In e ms o knowledge, hey sel -assess hemsel es wi h a simila le el o knowledge ega ding he subjec s o amily and housing and a g ea e le el o knowledge ega ding cul u e when compa ed o olde gene a ions. In gene al, hey belie e ha u u e gene a ions will ha e a g ea e knowledge o mos subjec s ( he only excep ion is cul u e). When asked abou hei conce ns, hey a e ce ain ha hei gene a ion is he mos conce ned abou all issues s udied, wi h he excep ion o he en i onmen . In e ms o ac ion, he young people a ibu e o u u e gene a ions a g ea e p opensi y o ac ion on all he opics s udied. 3.3. Quali a i e S udy In he global quali a i e s udy, based on he ma e ial collec ed in all he ocus g oups ca ied ou in each o he i e egions o mainland Po ugal, he iden i ica ion o nume ous p oblems ela ed o amily and housing, educa ion, en i onmen , and wo k is obse ed. On he o he hand, amily and housing a e also men ioned as impo an esou ces, especially in amily ela ionships. A g ea e numbe o solu ions we e poin ed ou o he en i on- men ; young people seemed o mo e easily hink o solu ions o his opic. The opics o go e nmen and poli ics, as well as communi y and socie y, ha e ewe p oblems bu also ewe esou ces and s a egies ga he ed; hey appea o be he hemes ha young people a e mo e dis an abou . A compa a i e s udy was also ca ied ou wi h he goal o in es iga ing he di e en pe spec i es o he 2002 and 2004 gene a ions ( o e and non- o e you h). Some o he p oblems, esou ces, and s a egies iden i ied we e simila among young people om bo h g oups. In he opic o in luencing public policies, young people we e asked wha hey could do o in luence public policies. Bo h g oups ( o e s and non- o e s) iden i ied he school as a c i ical con ex o p omo ing you h poli ical pa icipa ion, speci ically h ough he de elopmen o ac i i ies and poli ical educa ion. Bo h also men ioned he need o p oac- i i y and pa icipa ion o young people in con ex s such as demons a ions, as well as he ep esen a ion o young people in Pa liamen . Communica ion h ough social media was also men ioned by bo h g oups as a possible means o exp essing he needs o he younge gene a ions. Young o e s e e ed o he exe cise o he igh o o e, he implemen a ion by he go e nmen o means o lis en o hei gene a ion (e.g., p og ams, pla o ms, o su eys), and he p omo ion o ac i i ies, no only a school bu also in he communi y. Child en 2022,9, 1574 6 o 11 Rega ding he iden i ica ion o solu ions o p omo ing in e gene a ional coope a ion and communica ion, he young people o bo h g oups poin ed ou open communica ion wi h adul s ( amily membe s and in school con ex ), and he c ea ion o p ojec s in schools. Young o e s also added he c ea ion o ac i i ies and p ojec s in he communi y, he use o echnology and social media o b ing he gene a ions oge he , b eaking p ejudices, sha ing knowledge, aluing o he s, educa ion, a ocus on common poin s be ween he gene a ions, and he c ea ion o a pla o m ha p omo es his communica ion. As o non- o ing you h, hey men ioned he c ea ion o oppo uni ies o hei gene - a ion o exp ess hei needs and a g ea e app ecia ion o hei oice by adul s. A he closing o each session, and because he pandemic was and con inues o be a eali y wi h a s ong impac on he li es o young people, hey we e asked abou he impac s o COVID-19 on subsequen gene a ions. Wi h simila commen s on mos o he iden i ied consequences, bo h g oups epo ed: (a) an inc eased seden a y li es yle; (b) he impac on ela ionships (social and wi h amily membe s); (c) an inc eased use o echnologies; (d) he possible main enance o elewo k- ing; (e) he economic impac and economic c isis; ( ) he main enance o heal h ca e and sani a ion; (g) he impac on heal h (bo h physical and men al); (h) he inc easingly di icul access o he labo ma ke . Young o e s also men ioned some addi ional, bo h posi i e and nega i e, conse- quences: he impac on educa ion and he ac ha he ocus on he pandemic has le o he impo an issues (such as he en i onmen and clima e change) in he backg ound, on he one hand; and he possibili y o close amily ela ionships, he posi i e impac on he en i onmen , and a g ea e ocus on collec i e well-being, on he o he hand. Non- o e s poin ed o addi ional nega i e ou comes, such as inc eased and unnec- essa y consume ism, he nega i e impac on cul u e, he eme gence o new diseases and u u e pandemics, and a dec eased sense o eedom; bu also, he immuni y o u u e gene a ions o he i us, on he o he hand. A compa a i e analysis o he p oblems o he wo ocus g oups ( i s and second momen ), be o e and a e young people we e asked o dialogue wi h people om o he gene a ions in hei li e con ex s, was conduc ed. The ollowing poin s we e obse ed: a be e p epa a ion o he iden i ica ion o s a egies in he second momen ; and g ea e awa eness o he p oblems and esou ces o he p e ious gene a ions in he second momen . In he i s momen , se e al imes hey a ibu ed he “blame” o cu en p oblems o pas gene a ions, especially en i onmen - ela ed issues; young people’s in e iews wi h people om o he gene a ions con ibu ed o a e hinking o his pe spec i e wi h con ibu- ions om he o he gene a ions’ pe spec i es. Wi h his in e gene a ional dialogue wi h pa en s, g andpa en s, and o he olde people o e e ence, young people con ex ualized some issues di e en ly (e.g., a he ime he e was no en i onmen al awa eness and also ewe esou ces). Young people seemed o unde s and ha a i udes ha p o ec ed he plane we e s ill adop ed back hen (e.g., he use o clo h bags o buy b ead, glass bo les o milk, o he lesse use o own ehicles, which no all amilies could a o d, o example). The amily issue was also add essed— hey unde s ood ha oday hey ha e pa en s wi h a mo e open mindse and ha i is possible o alk o hem and exp ess hei opinions; on he o he hand, nowadays hei pa en s spend less ime a home and ha e less ime o hei child en. They also discussed gende oles, a guing ha i a ew yea s ago, he man was he p o ide o he amily, nowadays bo h pa en s ha e o wo k o mee he amily expenses. Access o housing was also discussed, making hem e lec ha a he ime o hei pa - en s and g andpa en s i was mo e a o dable. Rega ding he wo k ma ke , hey compa ed he li elong jobs o he pas wi h oday’s eali y. They also conside ed hemsel es a mo e di e en ia ed gene a ion in e ms o quali ica ions, and e lec ed on he ac ha access o educa ion is now easie and mo e gene alized. Child en 2022,9, 1574 7 o 11 The opic o gende inequali y was also discussed, bu acco ding o young people, pas gene a ions a e no awa e o his issue. Rega ding heal h, hey a e unanimous in hei commen s and he gene al idea ha heal h ca e oday is be e and mo e accessible. F om he in e gene a ional in e iews and deba e o ideas, mo e sus ained and o ga- nized s a egies eme ged a he second momen (second ocus g oup). Young people a e ce ain ha hey a e be e p epa ed and sensi i e o deal wi h en i onmen al issues han p e ious gene a ions, and hey belie e ha awa eness should s a a an ea ly age. E en i hey eel li le suppo om adul s ega ding hei conce ns abou he en i onmen , hey will con inue sp eading in o ma ion and awa eness o p e ious gene a ions. In he amily, as s a egies o p e en he sha p decline in bi h a es o e he yea s, hey poin o he need o p o ide mo e suppo o amilies, as well as he c ea ion o mo e jobs. They ei e a e he impo ance o suppo om he go e nmen ega ding he di icul y o accessing housing and he delay in achie ing inancial au onomy, a ibu ed o he ac ha hey s a o wo k la e , and ha employabili y is dec easing. P essu ed by excessi e e alua ion and he choice o a p o essional a ea a an ea ly age, hey hink ha he educa ional sys em mus be upda ed and e o mula ed since i has been main ained since he ime o hei g andpa en s. They belie e ha in addi ion o aluing lea ning, he school should p omo e li e skills as well. In heal h, hey ad oca e o a es uc u ing and o ganiza ion o p ima y heal h se ices and conside ha men al heal h should be an in es men a ge and ee o cha ge. F om he in e gene a ional deba e, hey belie e ha hei pa en s and g andpa en s a e no awa e o he impo ance o his issue. Awa e o hei g andpa en s’ eali y in e ms o access o e i emen and pensions, hey hink ha his will be a majo p oblem o he ollowing gene a ions. They a e conce ned ha hey may become he i s gene a ion wi hou access o e i emen , pa ly because hey will en e he wo ld o wo k la e , p olonging he need o wo k longe . They a gue ha access o e i emen should be assessed on a case-by-case basis. Wi h he eeling ha hey a e li le o no a all hea d by he bodies o poli ical powe , hey suppo he in eg a ion o disciplines o ac i i ies o a poli ical na u e in o he school cu iculum, a s a egy ha hey belie e can inc ease he poli ical pa icipa ion o he cu en and subsequen gene a ions. Finally, ega ding cul u e, and ce ain ha his is one o he g ea na ional he i ages, hey suppo i s mode niza ion and access o i , since he p ices cha ged a e no always accessible o he en i e popula ion, and he ole o schools in aising awa eness o i s impo ance. They also belie e ha cul u e can be an impo an ehicle in p omo ing in e gene a ional deba e and ha his is he way o ensu e ha na ional adi ions do no become ex inc . 4. Discussion and Conclusions F om a young pe son’s pe spec i e . . . Th oughou he in es iga ion and, in pa icula , in he ea ly s ages, i is clea ha he younge gene a ion sel -assesses as he mos wo ied and dedica ed o all he g oups in ol ed ega ding he main p oblems o ou socie y ( hose app oached wi h his me hodol- ogy). Though i is no en i ely logical om a p ac ical s andpoin , his gene alized conce n is signi ican ly highe among young people, conside ing hey a e no di ec ly a ec ed by some o he p oblems unde he lens in his pape (e.g., pensions, axes, and housing). The ac ha his gene a ion claims o ha e a deepe unde s anding o said eali ies may e lec ei he inc eased in e es and u u e planning conce ns (which is a gi en a his poin ) o an exagge a ed sel -e alua ion o hei amilia i y wi h said subjec s ( ecall ha one common complain among eenage s is a lack o li e skills aining in school). Acco ding o Cassidy e al. [31] , e en hough school s anda ds and cu iculum change o e ime, he need o p omo e li e skills in s uden s emains cons an , a eali y ha he coun y s ill lacks. Child en 2022,9, 1574 8 o 11 They claim hei descendan s will ha e ewe conce ns on e e y subjec excep o he en i onmen , om which we can pe haps deduce ha (i) hey a e con iden o he changes o be in oduced once hey each in luen ial posi ions, and (ii) en i onmen al issues’ awa eness is mean o be a lag in u u e schools and communi ies. Howe e , al hough awa e o en i onmen al issues [ 32 ], acco ding o W ay-Lake e al. [ 33 ], young people end o a ibu e he esponsibili y o he en i onmen and plane o he go e nmen and consume s, no assuming hei esponsibili ies. On he con a y, hey conside ha he ollowing gene a ions will alue li le cul u e, some hing ha al eady happens in he coun y, and ha his gua an ee ha can encou age g ea e in e gene a ional jus ice [ 34 ] will be los o e he yea s. This gene a ion na u ally acknowledges hei lack o di ec in luence and e o igh s on poli ical issues and change-making, claiming a small sha e o he pa liamen . In a s udy ela ed o you h apa hy in democ a ic li e, i is sugges ed ha young people a e willing o engage bu ha e no in e es in he ocus and na u e o discou ses as well as poli ical li e, which hey belie e igno e hei needs and in e es s [ 35 ]. Thei sugges ions can be ague some imes, hough hey emphasize he po en ial o educa ion o aid hem in de eloping, among o he hings, poli ical li e acy. The ole o he school is ecognized in p omo ing you h pa icipa ion and poli ical educa ion [ 36 ]. This is suppo ed by he ac ha he e is a common and gene ic appeal o schools, chambe s/councils, and poli icians o dynamize a ely u he desc ibed ac i i ies o “sol e” he issues hey iden i y. Le ’s no e ha , as a esul o ou de eloping socie y, he cu en s a e o hings is undeniably an imp o emen o e he old s a us quo. Al hough i lacks changes, as is he case o he economy; housing, which is s ill a p oblem o he cu en gene a ion, as a esul o he sca ce job oppo uni ies; and educa ion, which seems o be losing ele ance, due o he excessi e ocus on assessmen and pe pe ua ion o an educa ion model ha is o e 50 yea s old [ 36 ], oday’s young people a e cha ac e ized as mo e lexible, be e educa ed, and mo e en ep eneu ial, a p o ile ha could be changed [ 37 ] o be e o wo se, based on he pandemic pe iod cu en ly being aced; heal h, a p oblem ha essen ially a ec s p e ious gene a ions, seems o ha e bene i ed g ea ly, e en mo e so wi h he echnology implemen ed du ing he pandemic. Conce ning he concep o amily, i is di icul o unde s and whe he he change was posi i e o nega i e, and al hough he adi ional amily o he 21s cen u y is mo e open and libe al, i is also less uni ed han p e ious gene a ions. Ano he s udy [ 38 ] con i med his. Rega dless o his, eens end o iden i y mo e issues ega ding he opics unde in es iga ion, al hough, in eali y, he p oblems one can aise abou hese opics a e mo e sca ce, which means he issues hey iden i y a e mo e speci ic, sugges ing his gene a ion is mo e c i ical o he wo ld hey li e in. When he deba e is se be ween he new and he old gene a ions, hough, a ue phe- nomenon occu s. A e changing insigh s wi h hei olde gene a ions, eens demons a e a clea e unde s anding o he eal p oblems hey should be iden i ying and sol ing. The e is now a ue unde s anding o he in e gene a ional “c isis,” and he ema kable e ec o he in e gene a ional deba e uly highligh s he impo ance o said deba e—e.g., he impo ance o an exchange o ideas be ween eens and adul s. In e gene a ional dialogue, ocused on a knowledge and ac ion app oach, has p o en ex emely ele an in imp o ing esou ces and oppo uni ies, hus suppo ing he achie emen o g ea e in e gene a ional jus ice [39]. Despi e he lack o ac ual decision powe and some imes less ambiguous sugges ions, he cu en gene a ion is no lacklus e in willpowe — hey p omise o keep on aising awa eness on he issues ha ma e o hem and hey will s ongly pe sis in acili a ing connec ion and discussion wi h adul s, making su e hey ha e hei insigh s conside ed in poli ical and public a ai s. This is no di e en be ween o e s and non- o e s. I is an ambi ious gene a ion ha aims o p epa e hemsel es and u u e gene a ions o e ec i ely deal wi h he pas gene a ions’ mis akes whils assu ing in e gene a ional jus ice. In he Child en 2022,9, 1574 9 o 11 opinion o s akeholde s linked o you h wo k, i is ecognized ha hei pa icipa ion in public policies should go h ough social ma ke ing [ 36 ], hus suppo ing beha io al change and posi i ely in luencing socie y [40]. As a esul o his e lec ion, which ook place du ing an unp eceden ed pe iod, i is now e en mo e u gen o p io i ize in e gene a ional dialogue and consequen in e gene a- ional jus ice, as a way o suppo ing he minimiza ion o he impac s o he pandemic on cu en and u u e gene a ions. 5. Key Messages 1. In e gene a ional jus ice has p o ed o be an impo an esou ce in he decons uc ion o belie s, in aising awa eness o he p oblems o p e ious gene a ions, and in inc easing he knowledge ha enables change. 2. Young people belie e in hei knowledge and ecognize he impo ance o he issues being discussed by hei gene a ion. They a ibu e a g ea e p opensi y o ac ion o u u e gene a ions. 3. Family and housing s and ou in mos o he p oblems iden i ied, bu also as an impo an esou ce in he p omo ion o g ea e in e gene a ional well-being. 4. The en i onmen ga he s a la ge numbe o s a egies, bu hei implemen a ion seems o be conside ed he esponsibili y o u u e gene a ions. 5. Issues ela ed o go e nmen and poli ics, communi y and socie y, and he economy do no aise much in e es and knowledge abou hem is sca ce. Awa eness- aising, aining, and suppo in he de elopmen o poli ical and li e skills seems o be a good educa ional s a egy, which will pass h ough schools and schooling. 6. Inc eased in e gene a ional jus ice will be achie ed h ough he c ea ion o means o acili a e and p omo e in e gene a ional dialogue, such as p og ams, pla o ms, o ques ionnai es. 7. Awa e o hei low pa icipa ion and ew oppo uni ies, young people belie e ha social ne wo ks could be a d i ing o ce in his ac ion. 8. Sensi i e and ale o he impac s o he pandemic, young people ad oca e g ea e suppo o he psychological heal h and well-being o hei gene a ion. 9. Holde s o g ea e knowledge, asc ibe s o g ea e impo ance, and hose mo e con- ce ned wi h cul u e, belie e ha his will end o be los in he ollowing gene a ions, who, al hough be e educa ed, will be less cul u ed. 10. Vo e s and non- o e s ha e simila and complemen a y discou ses, showing ha c i ical hinking is also a cha ac e is ic o he younges gene a ion. 6. S eng hs and Limi a ions As limi a ions o he s udy, we highligh he pandemic scena io in which i ook place, o cing he de elopmen o an exclusi ely online me hodology. In his con ex , he p esence o one eache pe g oup was manda o y in o de o ha e a acili a o ; he issues o in e ne signal and sound some imes educed he ime alloca ed o he g oups; and he impossibili y o con ol o e he numbe o elemen s pe g oup, as classes could no be sepa a ed by g oups due o he con ainmen measu es imposed by he pandemic. Howe e , he limi a ions a e hough o be minimized by he s udy’s pe inence and inno a ion, which places young people in he i s -pe son posi ion in he iden i ica ion o and ac ion on cu en p oblems and hose o u u e gene a ions. In addi ion, he di e si y and numbe o pa icipan s. Au ho Con ibu ions: Concep ualiza ion, C.B. and M.G.d.M.; me hodology, C.B. and M.G.d.M.; so wa e, C.B.; alida ion, L.L.X., C.A. and T.W.; o mal analysis, C.B. and M.G.d.M.; in es iga ion, C.B., C.N. and M.G.d.M.; da a cu a ion, C.B.; w i ing—o iginal d a p epa a ion, C.B. and T.F.; w i ing— e iew and edi ing, C.B. and M.G.d.M.; isualiza ion, L.L.X., C.A. and T.W.; supe ision, M.G.d.M.; p ojec adminis a ion, C.B. and C.N. All au ho s ha e ead and ag eed o he published e sion o he manusc ip .