A structured workshop for students and young people to discuss the future of education and contribute their perspectives to UNESCO’s global Post-2030 Education Agenda consultation.
About the Workshop
The Youth Workshop on Education Beyond 2030 provides students and young people with an opportunity to discuss the future of education, share their experiences and contribute their ideas to an international consultation led by UNESCO.
As the global community looks beyond 2030, important questions are being raised about what education and learning should look like in the years ahead. Young people will experience the long-term consequences of these decisions, making their perspectives an essential part of the conversation.
UNESCO’s consultation with youth and students is contributing to the development of a Post-2030 Youth Education and Learning Agenda, which will bring together young people’s experiences, priorities and ideas for the future of education.
Why This Workshop Matters
Education is changing rapidly. Technological developments, artificial intelligence, climate change, inequalities, changing labour markets, conflicts and social transformations are influencing how people learn and what skills they need for the future.
At the same time, young people experience education systems from a unique perspective. They understand the opportunities available to them, but also the barriers that can prevent learners from participating fully and benefiting from quality education.
The Youth Workshop on Education Beyond 2030 creates a space for participants to discuss these issues openly and consider what needs to change.
The purpose is not to provide predetermined answers. Instead, participants are encouraged to bring their own experiences, ideas and priorities to the discussion.
Workshop Objectives
The workshop aims to:
- Provide students and young people with a meaningful opportunity to contribute to global education discussions.
- Explore participants’ experiences and expectations regarding education and learning.
- Identify the changes young people would like to see in education beyond 2030.
- Encourage dialogue between participants with different experiences and perspectives.
- Develop practical ideas and recommendations from a youth perspective.
- Contribute a collective youth response to UNESCO’s global consultation.
Key Discussion Areas
The World We Want
Participants will begin by considering the future they want to see.
What kind of world do young people want to live in, and what role should education play in creating that future?
The discussion can explore issues such as equality, sustainability, peace, social inclusion, employment, technology and lifelong learning.
The Education We Need
Participants will then reflect on their own experiences of education and identify the changes they believe are most important.
Possible topics include:
- Curriculum and learning content
- Teaching and learning approaches
- Digital technologies and artificial intelligence
- Skills for the future
- Inclusion and accessibility
- Student well-being
- Equal access to learning opportunities
- Education and employment
- Lifelong learning
- Youth participation in education policy
Young People as Partners in Change
The final discussion will focus on participation and action.
How can young people contribute to positive change, and what support do they need to participate meaningfully in decisions about education?
Participants will be encouraged to move from identifying challenges to considering practical actions that young people, universities, communities and policymakers could take.
Who Can Participate?
The UNESCO youth consultation focuses on young people aged 11–30, with discussion materials adapted for different age groups.
The workshop can therefore be organized for the appropriate student or youth group within this age range.
Particular attention should be given to ensuring meaningful participation from young people whose perspectives are often underrepresented in public consultations, including refugees and displaced people, youth in rural and remote areas, young people with disabilities, out-of-school youth, and those affected by poverty, discrimination or crisis.
Suggested Workshop Format
The workshop can be adapted to the needs of the participating institution. A 60–90 minute interactive session is recommended as a practical format.
1. Introduction — 10 minutes
Introduce the UNESCO Post-2030 Education Agenda consultation and explain the purpose of the youth discussion.
2. Small-Group Discussion — 30–40 minutes
Participants discuss the consultation questions in small groups and record the key points raised.
3. Sharing Perspectives — 15–20 minutes
Each group presents its main ideas, concerns and recommendations to the wider group.
4. Prioritization — 10 minutes
Participants identify the issues they consider most important and agree on the key messages that should be reflected in the collective response.
5. Closing and Next Steps — 5–10 minutes
The facilitator explains how the workshop outcomes can be summarized and submitted to UNESCO through the Global Youth Survey.
UNESCO Guidance for Youth Debates
UNESCO has prepared guidance documents to support youth leaders, youth organizations, teachers, educators, student unions and other partners in organizing structured debates around the Global Youth Survey.
Guidance for Ages 11–14
Download the UNESCO Guidance Document for Ages 11–14
Guidance for Ages 15–18
Download the UNESCO Guidance Document for Ages 15–18
Guidance for Ages 19–30
Download the UNESCO Guidance Document for Ages 19–30
UNESCO has also prepared a communication toolkit that partners can use to promote the youth consultation through social media and other communication channels.
Download the UNESCO Communication Toolkit
From Workshop Discussion to Global Consultation
The Youth Workshop on Education Beyond 2030 is designed to connect local student discussions with a wider international process.
Following the workshop, organizers can prepare a debate report summarizing the perspectives expressed by participants and submit a group response through UNESCO’s Global Youth Survey.
This allows ideas discussed in a university or youth setting to become part of a broader consultation involving young people from different countries and communities.
The consultation will contribute to the Post-2030 Youth Education and Learning Agenda, which is intended to bring young people’s voices into the wider process of shaping education beyond 2030.
Take Part in the Global Youth Survey
Students and young people can also participate individually in UNESCO’s Global Youth Survey and share it with their peers.
Visit the UNESCO Global Youth and Student Consultation
For broader information about the Post-2030 Education Agenda and the different consultation phases, visit:
UNESCO Post-2030 Education Consultations
Response Deadline
The UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs Programme communication specifies 30 September 2026 as the deadline for responses.
Universities and youth organizations planning a workshop are encouraged to allow sufficient time for discussion, preparation of the group response and submission through the Global Youth Survey.
For questions about the initiative, the SDG 4 Youth & Student Network Secretariat can be contacted at sdg4youth@unesco.org.
Make Your Voice Count
The future of education will shape the lives of today’s students and future generations.
The Youth Workshop on Education Beyond 2030 offers an opportunity for young people to move from being recipients of education to active contributors to the conversation about what education should become.
Share your experience. Discuss the future. Help shape education beyond 2030.
