Concern about declining young people’s participation in formal or traditional civic and political life, and what that means for “social cohesion”, is growing alongside a more sophisticated understanding of how young people are engaging in democracy differently.

Instead of joining existing political parties, young people are engaging in civil and political life through volunteering, community advocacy and local action.

Again and again, young people urged other young people to stop equating busyness with success.

It was a quietly radical message, and it came from the very generation that faces the increasing speed of an AI-enhanced future. This is a generation most often told to hurry up: to achieve more, build the résumé, and have the plan.

Here, young people were asking different questions. Who decides what success looks like? What are the barriers standing in the way for people and how do we remove them? What do we gain when we slow down enough to notice?

The most memorable ideas of the day weren’t about doing more. They were about asking better questions, noticing what we’ve been taught not to question, and making room – in our schedules, our institutions and our creative communities – for everyone to take part.