Intergenerational Thinking: A Youth Perspective

There is no doubt that Thomas Blakie is a rangatahi who is already making a positive impact in Aotearoa and beyond. During this webinar Thomas will share some of his recent experiences, especially in being an active participant at the Futures Generation Forum in Cardiff, Wales. This Forum was part of an ongoing global conversation regarding the role of youth to contribute to decision making and to the importance of intergenerational fairness. Thomas will share key ideas about intergenerational thinking, make connections between Aotearoa and the international youth community and discuss ways that will help us all to keep intergenerational thinking to the fore.

Thomas will also:

share Information about the group of young people who want to start up an organisation advocating for more intergenerational thinking in decision making in Aotearoa's context.
challenge us to push for more intergenerational thinking in organisations and government.

How can we push the discourse towards the future rather than the short term?

How can we frame the conversation using future generations and indigenous systems of thinking?

What can be done at a local and community level/at a national govt level.?

The natural power of indigenous systems of thinking is an intergenerational system of thinking.

About Thomas Blakie (Ngāi Tahu):

Thomas is an experienced youth ambassador and leader. He is a trustee for Te Pūtahi Centre for Architecture & City Making, a UNICEF Young Ambassador, and a SDSN Local Pathways Fellow. He has served as Student Research Analyst at the Christchurch City Council and has now taken up a role of Strategy and Influence Intern at Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu.

In May 2024 Thomas attended the Futures Generation Forum in Cardiff, Wales, with support from The Office of the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales and the School of International Futures (SOIF) Thomas was able to interact with the diverse perspectives of 100+ global and national youth and key influencers. This event was in preparation for the UN Summit of the Future to be held in September 2024, where intergenerational thinking must take centre stage. Thomas combines a passion for our cities, people and communities with the desire to make a positive difference through action.

Cheryl Doig: Host

Dr Cheryl Doig is a leadership futurist, weaver and connector, often known as the #futuresaunty. She is chair of Ako Ōtautahi Learning City Christchurch and has a passion for growing futures fluency, supporting intergenerational fairness and citizen grown movements for change. She is the founder of the Ōtautahi Futures Collective, Aotearoa Futures and Oceania Futures.

She is an Adjunct Senior Fellow at the University of Canterbury, a professional member of the Association for Professional Futurists and a reviewer for the Journal of Future Studies.