The Eight Best Nuggets of Wisdom From Festival for the Future 2016

Festival for the Future has brought together young people (and, as one speaker tactfully put it, the young at heart) from all over the country once again. This year, over 900 attendees congregated in the Aotea Centre to listen, question and workshop their way to a desirable future for all. Guy Ryan, the director of the festival, is also behind the Inspiring Stories Trust. He was named the Young New Zealander of the Year last year for his tireless efforts to engage and inspire the youth community. His title was rightfully earned, if the The Festival for the Future is anything to go by. The atmosphere on both days of the Festival was abuzz with positive vibes, friendly faces and a desire to solve some of our society's biggest problems, and instigate positive change. Here are some nuggets of wisdom gathered from the weekend, for those who didn't make it in person.

We need to change our relationship to nature

The main message of the panel for the Future of Environment was our need to shift our relationship to nature. Historically, Western culture has separated itself from nature. The very concept of nature is an alienating word. Sean Weaver, executive director of Ekos, was born in Fiji, and there the word nature doesn't exist. Why? Because there is no separation between nature and culture on the islands, they are too intertwined. The perceived separation is artificial. To effectively combat climate change it is necessary for us to see how embedded and dependant we are on our environment. When we connect, we care. Also, being in natural surroundings makes us happier, healthier and even more creative. Score! So, get to your closest beach and feel the sand between your toes. Or go for a walk in the bush. Breath in full lungful of delicious fresh air. Maybe, if you feel so inspired, even give that giant totara a hug, I won't judge you.

Everyone can be a champion in their community

One of the first speakers on Saturday was Rez Gardi. Gardi was born in a United Nations refugee camp in Pakistan, where her parents spent nine years. The family was lucky enough to be resettled in New Zealand, where Gardi became the first university graduate in her family. Now a law clerk and activist, she has raised money to establish several scholarships for refugees at the University of Auckland. She maintains that anyone can be a champion in their community. There are plenty of things that could be improved in any community, which otherwise would take forever if accomplished via formal institutions. As Alejandra Jensen of Te Ahu Tuu Roa Enviroschools programme noted, her home town Whaingaroa (Raglan) has 200 not for profit organisations, all chipping away at making it a better place to live. So, if you see something that you want to change…just do it! Once you take the first step, you will attract the right people to help you further your cause.

We need to bring love back into politics

There was a whole lot of aroha in the room at the Festival for the Future. A lot of conversations mentioned the importance of care, of respect, of guardianship and plain old love. Economist Shamubeel Eaqub volunteered that, to fix some of our current problems, we really need to bring love back into politics. As CEO of OneBeep, Vinny Lohan, noted, our world runs on fear. Political systems, the tech community and the media—all of these spaces are driven by fear. Donald Trump has risen to prominence because of a chunk of the population in the United States is afraid of dangers real and perceived, and he knows how to fan the fire. Acting from a place of love and care sets up a completely different conversation. If that sounds cheesy to you, well, it kind of is. But go on, admit it, it's true.

Learn some Te Reo Maori

Te Reo Maori is one of the richest cultural treasures we have in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Globally, environmental movements are finally beginning to recognise the wisdom of the indigenous peoples the world over. Learning a language is a gateway to understanding and respecting the culture it belongs to. Te Reo holds much wisdom that can help us all reconnect with the land and fix some imbalances that are causing climate change, amongst other things. As Sam Judd of Sustainable Coastlines said, he found conversations around nature with tangata whenua humbling and super valuable to the awesome work his organisation does in helping make our oceans and waterways spick and span. It helped him understand ways in which he could help people connect to their natural environment—one of his biggest objectives. One of my favourite sayings, heard multiple times throughout the festival was 'Aroha mai, aroha atu' — approximately translating to 'when love is given, love is returned.' What a motto to live by.

Tech may not save the world, but it can be a democratising tool

Anna Curzon, Managing Director at Zero, has a strong belief in the democratising potential of digital technology. Becoming more tech savvy opens up job opportunities; tech can help increase access to education, and allows marginalised people to have a voice. Learn to code, and you will be sorted for work, that's pretty certain. Despite the buzz around tech and its transformative potential, the panel for the Future of Economy agreed that access to a good internet connection is necessary for these benefits to materialise and New Zealand still has a way to go in this area. The importance of building a diverse work force was also emphasised, as numbers of women and people of diverse cultural backgrounds are still very low. We need tech products created by the people who use them, not just an elite few white dudes in Silicon Valley. Curzon presented Facebook as an example: a larger percentage of women than men use the social media site, but only about 15% of tech roles at Facebook are taken up by women.

You have to get your hands dirty

To make real change happen, you have to get stuck in and get your hands dirty. Literally — by planting trees or doing a beach clean up. But metaphorically too. Things aren't going to happen themselves. And we can only do so much via the magic of the internet. People power still propels movements and quietly gets things done behind the scenes. So put some action behind the pondering and get stuck into it. Really though, get your hands dirty and plant some trees. This is one of the most important things you can do for the planet, for the waterways, for our ecosystems. Get muddy, dig some holes, instigate some carbon dioxide absorbing growth and finish it off with some well-earned kai. There are plenty of planned community tree planting sessions you can join all year round, you normally just need to bring some gloves and don some hardy footwear.

Youth are the future leaders, and the future is now

Millennials are the largest generation by number, of all generations. As economist Shamubeel Eaqub, the excellent moderator of the Future of Economy panel said, if all millennials all voted we could get rid of the older, out of touch politicians we complain about. Young people are the leaders of tomorrow, it is often said. But we can be leaders today. If you are passionate about a cause, then there are plenty of organisations around who can help you decide how to make your idea happen. Live the Dream is an amazing accelerator programme to check out. The easiest and most important thing you can do right now though, is vote! Vote in your local body elections. One message that was repeated over and over again at the Festival for the Future is the importance of voting. Go on, get amongst some democracy in action.

Before trying to get others to change their ways, take a look at yourself

Many attendees at the Festival for the Future were super keen to tackle some of the country's, and the planet's, biggest problems. It's easy to point a finger at things that are going wrong. But, as Philip Patston, Managing Director of Diversity of Aoetearoa and veteran comedian wisely said, before trying to tell others what to do, we should really take a good look at ourselves. What would can we change about our behaviours, in the first instance? After all, it's better to lead by example, rather than by words alone. Vinny Lohan, suggested that everyone spend a day sitting under a tree (if there's a suitable tree about, and NZ has trees aplenty) and just thinking. No iPhone, no book, just you and your thoughts. Sounds terrifying, but it's bound to be insightful.