Workshop 4:
A Future to Decide? Rethinking Participation, Power and Collaboration with Young People

Sarah Wenzinger

This workshop examines the participation of young people in cultural projects through the lens of the climate crisis, questioning whether current models of collaboration and hierarchy remain adequate. Drawing on insights from the accompanying research of the S.O.S. – Schools of Sustainability project at HKW Berlin and theories of radical education, we will explore how
cultural institutions can empower young people as active co-creators in shaping a shared future. The climate crisis exposes systemic limitations and emotional disconnects between facilitators and youth, amplifying the need to challenge how adults discuss and define youth participation. Too often, adults perpetuate patronizing narratives that undermine the radical potential of young people. History demonstrates that youth have consistently driven transformative movements, yet their contributions are frequently minimized or framed as supplementary. This workshop provides space to reflect on our roles within this complex field, encouraging participants to reconnect with their emotional responses beyond their institutional responsibilities. Following an impulse presentation, interactive methods will guide participants to critically evaluate existing frameworks of youth participation, map current projects, identify gaps, and envision more equitable and transformative directions for cultural engagement and education. Together, we will interrogate how institutional structures perpetuate hierarchies and discuss strategies to resist these tendencies by fostering solidarity-based collaboration. The session seeks to open often-avoided conversations, share strategies for participation that stand in solidarity with youth, and address the urgent challenge of creating a just future on an inhabitable planet.