“A society that listens to its young people is not simply preparing for the future—it is already building it.”
One of the greatest challenges facing contemporary societies is not whether young people have opinions, ideas, or aspirations. It is whether adults are willing to listen to them. Too often, children and young people are viewed primarily through the lens of what they might become someday, rather than being recognized for what they already are: citizens, participants, thinkers, creators, and contributors to the communities in which they live.
It was this reality that Praia da Vitória Mayor Vânia Ferreira addressed during the opening of the seminar Invisible Generations? Challenges of Ageism in Childhood and Youth, held at the Terceira Island Youth and Arts Academy as part of the observance of World Children’s Day.
Her message was both simple and profound. If society genuinely wishes to encourage civic participation among younger generations, it must begin by ensuring that their voices are heard without restrictions, prejudices, or conditions. Participation cannot be reduced to symbolic gestures. It must become a lived reality in schools, families, institutions, and public life.
According to the mayor, this commitment requires more participatory schools, families that embrace dialogue, and public policies that truly recognize the role of children and young people in society. Such an approach is not merely about protecting rights. It is about acknowledging that young people possess perspectives capable of enriching public debate and strengthening communities.
Her remarks touched upon an increasingly important issue throughout Europe and beyond: ageism directed not only toward older generations but also toward younger ones. While discussions about discrimination often focus on race, gender, or social status, there remains a tendency to dismiss the ideas of young people simply because of their age. Their concerns are sometimes treated as premature, their opinions as uninformed, and their aspirations as something to be postponed until adulthood.
Yet history repeatedly demonstrates that social progress often begins with those willing to imagine possibilities that others cannot yet see.
As Vânia Ferreira observed, a society that ignores its younger generations risks losing ideas, talent, creativity, and hope. Conversely, a society that creates space for young voices is investing in a more democratic, inclusive, and humane future. This investment yields benefits not only for the young themselves but for the entire community.
Perhaps the most compelling question raised during the seminar was also the simplest: Do we want children who merely learn to listen, or do we want children and young people who are encouraged to speak, participate, and help transform the world around them?
The answer may seem obvious, yet its implications are significant. Encouraging participation means accepting that young people may challenge established assumptions. It means recognizing that they often see problems differently and may propose solutions that older generations have overlooked. It requires institutions to move beyond consultation and toward genuine engagement.
The municipality of Praia da Vitória has sought to create some of these opportunities through initiatives such as the Municipal Youth Council, but as the mayor herself acknowledged, much remains to be done. Building a culture of participation is an ongoing process rather than a completed achievement.
When children and young people are taken seriously, communities benefit from fresh perspectives and renewed energy. They remind society of values that can sometimes become obscured amid political disagreements and daily pressures: justice, empathy, curiosity, and the courage to imagine something better.
Indeed, it may be precisely this capacity to imagine different futures that makes young voices so valuable. They are often less constrained by assumptions about what cannot be changed and more willing to ask why things must remain as they are.
The seminar, organized by the Azores Commissioner for Childhood, brought together several national speakers, including Dulce Rocha, President of the Child Support Institute; Raquel Soares, identified as Portugal’s youngest mayor; and José Carreira, President of the STOP Ageism Association. Their participation reinforced a central theme that resonates far beyond the Azores.
Children and young people are not merely the future of society. They are already part of its present.
Listening to them is not an act of generosity. It is an act of wisdom.
Translated and adapted from Diário Insular, José Lourenço-director. Photos from Câmara Municipal.
