When Youth Voices Shape the Future of Universities: Reflections from Karlstad University

What does it mean when a university board pauses its long-term strategy discussions to ask young people for guidance on the future of education?

For me, that question became very real when I was invited to present to the Karlstad University Board as part of their 2040 strategic visioning process. Sitting in a space where decisions made today will shape how knowledge is created, shared, and protected for decades to come was both humbling and deeply energising not because I was there alone, but because I carried the collective thinking of the International Youth Think Tank into the room.

This opportunity was not about a single presentation. It was about whether youth perspectives, lived experience, and democratic values are being taken seriously at the highest levels of educational decision-making and, in this case, the answer was a clear yes. This opportunity was made possible through the trust and leadership of Urban Strandberg, whose guidance, strategic insight, and belief in youth expertise shaped both the direction and depth of the presentation. I am deeply grateful for his support, thoughtful feedback, and advisory role throughout the preparation process. It was a reminder that meaningful intergenerational collaboration is not just possible, it is powerful.

Why This Invitation Mattered

Universities across the world are navigating a period of profound transition. Digitalisation, shifting labour markets, rising populism, and growing public scepticism toward institutions of knowledge are reshaping the educational landscape. At the same time, universities remain among the few institutions tasked with safeguarding truth, evidence, and long-term thinking.

Karlstad University’s invitation to the IYTT signalled something important. It reflected a willingness to listen beyond traditional expertise, to include youth perspectives, and to reflect deeply on what it means to be a university in 2040. The brief was not about technological adaptability  alone. It was about relevance, legitimacy, and responsibility.

What We Brought into the Room

The presentation drew heavily from IYTT’s collective work, our Handbooks, policy ideas, youth panels, and lived experiences across regions and contexts. At its core was a simple but powerful proposition: lived experience is a form of knowledge, and universities that fail to recognise this risk losing trust and relevance in the decades ahead.

I spoke about youth navigating digital identities, adult learners returning to education after retrenchment, vocational professionals whose expertise is often undervalued, and second-generation immigrants whose transnational experiences enrich learning environments. These are not peripheral learners. They are the future of higher education.

In the presentation I also discussed how access, affordability, and eligibility must evolve together. Lifelong learning cannot remain a slogan; it must become an institutional reality. Recognition of prior learning, flexible pathways, and interdisciplinary approaches are essential if universities are to serve society as it truly is not as it once was.

Throughout the discussion, I emphasised Nordic values trust, equality, transparency, and collective responsibility as strategic assets rather than cultural assumptions. In a world where truth is increasingly contested, universities have a democratic obligation to remain spaces of evidence, dialogue, and inclusion.

The Response and What It Signals

The engagement from the Karlstad University Board was deeply encouraging. The discussion that followed reflected genuine openness to youth-informed perspectives and a strong alignment with many of the themes raised. The feedback affirmed something the IYTT has long championed: when young people are invited into strategic spaces with seriousness and respect, they do not offer slogans, they offer substance.

This was not a one-off intervention. It felt like the beginning of an ongoing dialogue about how universities can adapt with integrity, courage, and care.

What This Means for the IYTT Community

This experience belongs to all of us. It reflects years of collective thinking, dialogue, experimentation, and courage within the IYTT community. It shows that youth-led ideas on democracy, education, and inclusion are not only relevant, they are increasingly sought after by institutions willing to lead.

I hope this moment encourages more Youth Fellows to see themselves as strategic actors, capable of shaping systems, not just responding to them. The future of education will not be designed behind closed doors. It will be shaped through collaboration, lived experience, and intergenerational trust.

I am deeply thankful to Urban for his leadership and to the entire IYTT community for the ideas, values, and collective spirit that made this contribution possible. I look forward with optimism to seeing Karlstad University’s 2040 vision unfold  and to many more moments where youth voices help shape the institutions that shape our world.

A sincere thank you to the Karlstad University Board for this opportunity and for entrusting Urban, the International Youth Think Tank, and myself with the important task of contributing to the development of the university’s 2040 strategic vision.

Together, this is how we move from participation to transformation.

Image credit: Hope Dlamini (IYTT Fellow Stellenbosch 2024 Cohort)