Below is a short summary of the Youth & Innovation Project's work. Every solution presented at the November 14thdialogue - rethinking work table will need a champion to carry it forward. This is a solution Ilona proposes to carry forward:
In an era where problems are more difficult to solve, experts agree that in order to adapt and thrive, we can no longer rely on a few leaders to find and implement solutions; we all need to become resilient problem solvers (Drayton, n.d.; Homer-Dixon, 2001; Ontario Public Service, 2016; Stauch & Cornelisse, 2016).An aging population necessitates that we pay particular attention to tapping into and valuing the unique abilities of young people.
We can no longer afford to let misunderstandings between generations get in our way. But at a time when society needs their talents now more than ever before, young people, 15 to 25 years old, are often left on the sidelines, unfounded stereotypes leaving their abilities undervalued and their voices unheard. The Youth & Innovation Project, a research project housed at the University of Waterloo was founded on the premise that meaningfully engaging young people in society and the economy is no longer 'just a nice thing to do' or of benefit only to young people; rather it is a social and economic imperative.
The Youth & Innovation Project works to ensure young people, 15 to 25 years old, are meaningfully engaged in finding and implementing solutions to social, environmental and economic problems, and are valued for the contributions they make. They provide businesses, civil society and government with the strategic and policy insight they need to support intergenerational collaboration. The Youth & Innovation Project's research suggests that "when young people with bold ideas are given access to decision-makers and work collaboratively in an intergenerational context it can be a means of effectively addressing complex social and environmental problems" (Dougherty & Clarke, 2017), meaningfully engaging young employees may make organizations more innovative and more able to thrive in an era of rapid change (Dougherty & Clarke, 2017).