From Neighbourhood Democracy to Leadership: Our Journey into Stena's 100 Days Programme

Democracy, we have come to understand, is not a monument to be observed from a distance, but a garden to be tended in the everyday. It grows not in parliament chambers alone, but in the quiet spaces between neighbours, in the questions we ask of our communities, and in the small, courageous acts of participation that shape our shared life. This is what our journey with the International Youth Think Tank has taught us, that democracy lives where we live, breathes where we breathe, and takes root in the relationships we build.

Through the Neighbourhooding Democracy explorations, we were encouraged to step outside conventional spaces of discussion and engage directly with the environments and communities around us. By observing, questioning and reflecting on how people experience public spaces, belonging and participation, we began to see how democracy can be present in the seemingly ordinary aspects of everyday life. This reflects one of the things that makes IYTT particularly meaningful to us, it creates space for young people to listen, question, engage and ultimately turn those experiences into ideas and action. Our participation in IYTT has also challenged us to think about our own agency. Rather than simply being young people with opinions about the world, we have been encouraged to see ourselves as participants in shaping it. IYTT brings young people from different backgrounds into conversation with decision-makers from politics, academia, civil society and industry, giving us the opportunity to develop our voices while also learning how to engage constructively with people and institutions.

It is from this perspective that we are approaching Stena AB’s 100 Days Leadership Programme. We see it as a natural continuation of the journey we have already begun through IYTT. If IYTT has encouraged us to ask what kind of society we want to contribute to, the 100 Days programme gives us an opportunity to ask what kind of leaders we need to become in order to contribute to that society. We are particularly excited about learning within a different environment and engaging with Stena’s people, experiences and perspectives. We hope to develop practical leadership skills, broaden our understanding of how leadership operates within an organisation, and learn how values such as openness, responsibility, collaboration and inclusion can translate into everyday leadership.

For us, this experience also represents a valuable opportunity for intergenerational learning. As young people, we carry with us the perspectives and energy of our generation, but we are just as eager to learn from the experience and wisdom of the Stena team and other participants. We believe that the most meaningful development happens not in isolation, but within a community that reflects the heterogeneity of the world itself, diverse in age, profession, and background. It is in this real-life practice, this collective exchange of ideas, that we can develop our skills and leadership together. We see our participation in the 100 Days programme as a space where this community can form, and where we, as “youth” representing a new generation, can both contribute and learn, ensuring that the future we co-create is shaped by a multitude of voices and perspectives. Most importantly, we hope to carry the spirit of IYTT with us into the programme, to remain curious, to listen to different perspectives, to question what can be improved, and to recognise that meaningful change begins when people are given the confidence and opportunity to participate.

In our view, the 100 Days programme is therefore not a departure from our IYTT journey, but another space in which that journey can continue. another garden to tend, another community to nurture, another opportunity to grow. From understanding our communities, to finding our voices, to developing the leadership capacity to help shape the future we want to see, we step forward knowing that the work of democracy and the work of leadership are one and the same, the patient, courageous act of tending to the world we share.