10 years for Green Future were inspired by the 2019 Youth Voices Policy Choices initiative, sharing the same goal, with a slightly adapted structure. An opportunity was created for young water specialists to meet with high-level decision makers to discuss water- and climate-related pressing matters, and how both parties can cooperate to mitigate them, using the Visegrad Funds initiative. The idea of 10 years for Green Future is to show the value and potential of young water specialists to become the leaders of action and, together with their counterparts, propose and partially develop a project idea that will compete against other nations. The results were presented at COP 26, and later on, the young specialists were invited to Budapest, Hungary to visit the Planet Budapest expo.
The first phase took place on a national level. Chosen participants worked together with GWP CEE and respective CWPs on the content of the dialogue, to ensure maximum precision within each nation to address the correct topics.
During the second phase, the representatives of the national dialogues shared their findings and proposals during a joint session at COP26 and Planet Budapest. Due to COVID restrictions, the COP26 youth session took a form of online joint cooperation of multiple organizations. The youth representatives were given a chance to present their findings in front of an international audience with a chance to collect suggestions and new ideas. For the same reason, the Planet Budapest organizers scaled down their program as well. Nevertheless, the youth visit at the expo was a success, and new partnerships in between the youth and attending specialists were established.
In the final stage, GWP CEE secretariat will choose one or more project proposals that will be submitted to Visegrad Funds. Once approved, the creator of this initiative will be invited to cooperate on the realization of the actual project.
To sum it up, 10 years for Green Future will strive to open a new channel for young water specialists to discuss their concerns, ideas, and future involvement in decision-making processes as well as realization of their own ideas for future project proposals. High-level decision-makers will in turn have a chance to preserve their legacy and direct the new generation of specialists towards the most efficient way of achieving mutual goals.