We Are Not Waiting 2026: Young Changemakers Aged 14–35 Invited to Submit Abstracts for Global Youth-Led Systems Change Anthology

We Are Not Waiting is a global youth-led initiative inviting young people who are already creating fairer, more sustainable and socially just futures to put their work on the record through an open-access anthology co-produced by The 50 Percent at the Club of Rome and the UNESCO–MOST BRIDGES UK Hub.

The initiative is calling on young practitioners aged 14 to 35 who are actively working to transform communities and systems through areas such as regenerative economics, climate justice, circular living, peacebuilding, mutual aid, art, culture and storytelling.

Rather than focusing only on theories about what a better future could look like, We Are Not Waiting seeks to document what young people are already doing in practice. Across communities worldwide, young people are organising, restoring ecosystems, developing alternative economic models, creating networks of solidarity, strengthening social cohesion, using creativity to challenge dominant narratives and finding new approaches to persistent social and environmental problems.

Applicants do not need to be academics, professional researchers or established writers. The organisers are specifically interested in lived experience, practical action and original perspectives from young people who are actively engaged in the work they want to write about.

Interested participants must submit an abstract of no more than 500 words by 31 August 2026. Approximately 18 contributions are expected to form the final anthology. Applicants whose abstracts are selected will be invited to develop their ideas into full contributions of approximately 2,000 words, with editorial support provided throughout the writing process.

The resulting open-access anthology will contain six chapters covering six major themes of systems change, with the project aiming to launch the publication at the UNESCO MOST Forum 2027.

About the We Are Not Waiting Initiative

We Are Not Waiting: Amplifying Youth-Led Initiatives for Systems Change is designed around a simple but important idea: young people are not merely waiting for governments, institutions or established leaders to create solutions to the world’s interconnected challenges.

They are already building alternatives.

The project centres young people aged 14–35 as designers and practitioners of alternative systems that are already in motion. It aims to showcase real-world initiatives and create a durable record of how youth-led systems change is happening in communities.

The initiative has two major components:

1. An open-access anthology comprising six chapters across six themes, with the aim of launching at the UNESCO MOST Forum 2027.
2. A webinar series exploring the six themes through one question-and-answer session and two youth-led thematic sessions.

At the heart of the project is the anthology, which is intended to be much more than a traditional collection of essays. It will serve as a policy-relevant record of youth-led systems change grounded in practical experiences.

What Makes the We Are Not Waiting Anthology Different?

The anthology is being deliberately designed to place young people’s knowledge, experiences and perspectives at its centre.

Three characteristics distinguish the publication:

• It is written, reviewed and edited by young people themselves.
• It is grounded in real-world practice rather than abstract discussion alone.
• It will be published in an open-access format, making the resulting knowledge accessible to a wider audience.

The project provides young practitioners with an opportunity to document what they have learned through their initiatives while contributing to broader conversations about systemic change, social transformation and innovation.

Who Can Submit an Abstract?

The call is open to anyone aged 14 to 35 at the time of submission who is actively engaged in work connected to at least one of the anthology’s six themes.

Applicants do not need:

• Academic credentials;
• An institutional affiliation;
• To be professional researchers;
• To be established writers; or
• To have definitive solutions to the challenges they are addressing.

Instead, the central requirement is that the proposed contribution must be grounded in genuine lived experience and real engagement with the issue or initiative being discussed.

Applicants may submit either:

• Individually, or
• As part of a small team.

For team submissions, all contributing authors must satisfy the 14–35 age requirement.

The organisers particularly encourage contributions from the Global Majority and indigenous communities, helping ensure that perspectives and knowledge systems that may be underrepresented in conventional academic and policy discussions are included.

Special Submission Requirement for Applicants Aged 18 and Under

There is an additional submission procedure for younger participants.

If an entrant is 18 years old or younger, their submission must be made on their behalf by an adult, such as:

• A parent;
• A guardian; or
• A teacher.

The submission should include the young entrant’s details together with the adult’s contact information.

This does not change the emphasis on the young person’s ideas and experience; it is a procedural requirement for submitting the application.

What Should You Submit?

Applicants are invited to submit an abstract of no more than 500 words.

The abstract should be written in the applicant’s own voice using clear and accessible language. Academic or highly technical terminology is not required.

The organisers want submissions that communicate real experiences and original thinking rather than attempting to sound like conventional academic papers.

A strong abstract should address four key areas.

1. Describe Your Initiative, Project or Practice

Explain the initiative, project, activity, network or practice that you want to write about.

Applicants should provide enough context for reviewers to understand:

• What the work involves;
• Where or within what context it operates;
• What issue it seeks to address;
• Who is involved; and
• What the applicant’s connection to the initiative is.

2. Explain What Makes the Work Distinct

Applicants should explain what their work does differently.

Consider questions such as:

• What conventional approach does the initiative challenge?
• What does the work refuse or seek to change?
• What alternative does it provide?
• How does the initiative rethink an existing system or practice?

The objective is to demonstrate how the work contributes to creating or imagining different systems rather than merely reproducing existing approaches.

3. Ground the Contribution in Concrete Examples

The anthology is focused on practice.

Applicants should therefore show that their proposed full contribution will include real examples rather than relying exclusively on theoretical arguments.

This could include experiences from communities, projects, campaigns, organisations, networks, cultural initiatives, environmental actions or other practical work.

4. Reflect on Learning and Broader Systems Change

Applicants should also explain what they and their communities have learned through the work.

The abstract should indicate how the initiative has contributed, or could contribute, to broader systemic change.

The focus is therefore not simply on describing an activity but on examining what that activity reveals about how systems can be challenged, repaired, redesigned or transformed.

Six Themes for the We Are Not Waiting Anthology

Applicants must connect their abstract to one of six major themes.

Theme 1: Re-weaving the Future — Networks and Economies That Make the World Anew

This theme focuses on regenerative economics and community-centred alternatives to conventional economic systems.

The organisers are interested in projects and practices demonstrating how young people are redesigning systems involving:

• Exchange;
• Value creation;
• Resource sharing;
• Community economies;
• Regenerative approaches; and
• Networks built around relationships and collective wellbeing.

The emphasis is on a relational rather than merely technical approach to economic transformation.

Young people who are experimenting with alternative economic systems, community-led resource models or regenerative approaches may find this theme particularly relevant.

Theme 2: Building Resilience Through Ecological Resistance and Restoration

This theme centres on climate justice, ecological resistance and environmental restoration.

The organisers are seeking stories and experiences that demonstrate how young people are defending, restoring and renewing the living world.

Relevant work may involve areas such as:

• Climate justice activism;
• Ecosystem restoration;
• Community environmental action;
• Ecological resistance;
• Biodiversity protection;
• Environmental justice; and
• Relationships between communities and ecosystems.

The focus extends beyond simply managing environmental problems. Contributors are encouraged to reflect on what it means to actively defend and renew the living world.

Theme 3: Living Circular Futures — Small Changes, Big Difference

The third theme explores circular living and low-impact innovation.

The organisers are particularly interested in concrete and practice-oriented examples showing how people can adapt their ways of living, producing, consuming and sharing resources.

Contributions may explore change occurring at different levels, including:

• Personal practices;
• Community initiatives;
• Local innovation;
• Circular economic models;
• Low-impact approaches; and
• Broader systemic transformation.

Applicants should demonstrate what circularity looks like when translated from an idea into real-world practice.

Theme 4: Between Fracture and Repair — Youth-Led Peacebuilding and Social Cohesion

This theme examines the role young people play in peacebuilding and strengthening social cohesion.

It recognises that peace has both political and deeply personal dimensions.

Contributions may explore experiences involving:

• Youth-led peacebuilding;
• Community reconciliation;
• Social cohesion;
• Repairing fractured relationships;
• Conflict transformation;
• Freedom; and
• Everyday practices that contribute to peace.

The organisers welcome work that examines both large-scale political realities and the everyday experiences through which fractured communities seek repair.

Theme 5: Communities of Care — Youth-Led Networks Built on Solidarity, Not Charity

The fifth theme focuses on mutual aid and community solidarity.

The anthology seeks contributions that demonstrate the distinction between mutual aid and conventional charitable giving.

The central editorial perspective is community over individuality.

Applicants could examine how young people are developing structures and networks of care that:

• Prioritise solidarity;
• Strengthen communities;
• Share resources;
• Support collective wellbeing;
• Build reciprocal relationships; and
• Avoid reproducing dependency.

This theme is particularly relevant to young people working within community networks and grassroots initiatives where care is understood as a collective responsibility.

Theme 6: Stories That Move Systems — Art, Culture and Storytelling as Tools for Transformation

The final theme explores the role of art, culture, narrative and storytelling in systems change.

The organisers are seeking contributions showing how creative practices can actively shape transformation rather than simply illustrate social issues.

Relevant work could involve:

• Visual art;
• Cultural practice;
• Storytelling;
• Film;
• Performance;
• Literature;
• Community narratives;
• Creative campaigns; and
• Other forms of cultural expression.

Applicants should demonstrate how creative practice or storytelling functions as an instrument for changing systems, perspectives, narratives or relationships.

What Happens If Your Abstract Is Selected?

Successful applicants will move from the abstract stage into development of the full anthology.

Selected authors will be invited to prepare a contribution of approximately 2,000 words.

Importantly, authors will not be expected to navigate the development process alone. The project’s editorial team will provide editorial support throughout the process, helping contributors develop their initial abstracts into full pieces suitable for publication.

This support is particularly significant because applicants do not need previous academic publishing or professional writing experience.

The intention is to enable practitioners with valuable lived experience to communicate what they have learned in a clear and accessible way.

Approximately 18 Contributions Will Be Featured

The anthology is expected to bring together approximately 18 contributions from young practitioners.

These contributions will collectively cover the six themes and document different approaches to youth-led systems change.

By bringing these experiences together in one open-access publication, the project seeks to create a record that can contribute to discussions among young people, communities, researchers, institutions, practitioners and policymakers.

Planned Launch at UNESCO MOST Forum 2027

The project aims to launch the completed six-chapter anthology at the UNESCO MOST Forum 2027.

This gives selected contributors an opportunity for their experiences and perspectives to become part of a publication intended to contribute to wider conversations about social transformation and systems change.

The open-access format will also help make the anthology available beyond conventional academic or institutional audiences.

Important Guidance on Artificial Intelligence and LLM Use

Applicants should pay close attention to the project’s guidelines concerning artificial intelligence and large language models.

The organisers strongly emphasise that the call is designed to uncover original thinking, creativity and authentic perspectives from young practitioners.

For this reason, using AI language models to draft, substantially revise or generate sections of a submission is not advised.

The organisers explain that they expect to receive a large volume of submissions. Although AI-detection tools are imperfect, editors may recognise recurring patterns in language, tone and ideas that can cause an otherwise strong submission to appear less original or inspired.

According to the guidelines, submissions that appear to rely heavily on AI are therefore likely to receive a lower assessment than work produced without such use.

Limited AI Uses That Are Permitted

AI tools may be used for limited supporting purposes, including:

• Checking grammar and spelling;
• Formatting references;
• Translating source material from languages other than English; and
• Conducting initial literature searches, provided the information is subsequently independently verified.

Applicants who use AI in their contribution are required to include an AI declaration.

The declaration must identify:

1. The AI model and version used;
2. The purpose or purposes for which it was used; and
3. Confirmation that relevant data and references have been independently checked and verified by the author or authors.

Applicants should therefore ensure that the ideas, experiences, arguments and core writing in their submission genuinely represent their own perspective.

Why Young Practitioners Should Consider This Opportunity

We Are Not Waiting offers young changemakers an avenue to turn practical experience into a documented contribution to wider conversations about systems change.

For young people already engaged in community organising, environmental restoration, alternative economic practices, peacebuilding, mutual aid, cultural work or other transformative initiatives, the anthology provides an opportunity to:

• Document lessons from practical experience;
• Share approaches that may be useful to other communities;
• Contribute original youth perspectives to systems-change discussions;
• Develop a full written contribution with editorial support;
• Become part of an open-access publication;
• Connect practical grassroots experience with wider policy and systems-change conversations; and
• Help demonstrate that young people are already creating alternatives rather than simply waiting for future solutions.

The call is particularly accessible because applicants do not need formal academic credentials, professional writing experience or institutional affiliations.

The We Are Not Waiting Webinar Series

Alongside the anthology, the initiative has hosted a webinar series highlighting youth-led projects already modelling ethical, ecological and socially just futures.

Each session has been grounded in practical action and hosted, moderated and shaped by young people.

The webinar programme includes:

1. We Are Not Waiting: Q&A Webinar
2. Building New Systems: From Regenerative Economies to Climate Justice and Circular Living
3. The Human Side of Systems Change: Peacebuilding, Mutual Aid and Cultural Transformation

Prospective applicants can use these sessions, together with the project’s Q&A guide, to gain a clearer understanding of the themes, process and type of contributions being sought.

About The 50 Percent at the Club of Rome

The 50 Percent at the Club of Rome works to position youth leadership at the centre of systems change.

Its work supports and amplifies young people who are already developing and implementing transitions that established institutions may still be discussing or debating.

Within We Are Not Waiting, this philosophy is reflected in the emphasis on treating young people not simply as beneficiaries or future leaders, but as active designers and practitioners of systems change in the present.

About the UNESCO–MOST BRIDGES UK Hub

The UNESCO–MOST BRIDGES UK Hub generates humanities-informed research from the ground up.

Its approach works with inclusive knowledge systems to support social transformation and contribute to policy and practice.

Through the collaboration with The 50 Percent, the initiative seeks to connect practical youth-led knowledge and lived experience with broader research, policy and systems-change discussions.

How to Submit an Abstract

Applicants should first carefully review the programme information and Q&A guidance before preparing their abstract.

The submission process can be approached as follows:

1. Confirm that you are aged 14–35 at the time of submission.
2. Identify which of the six themes most closely relates to your work.
3. Choose a real initiative, project or practice in which you are genuinely engaged.
4. Prepare an abstract of no more than 500 words.
5. Explain the initiative and its context.
6. Describe what makes the work different from existing approaches.
7. Show how the proposed contribution will use concrete examples.
8. Reflect on what you and your community have learned and how the work relates to broader systems change.
9. Write in your own clear and accessible voice.
10. Review the project’s AI guidelines carefully.
11. If AI has been used within the permitted parameters, include the required AI declaration.
12. Submit the abstract through the official submission form before the deadline.

Applicants aged 18 or under should remember that an adult, such as a parent, guardian or teacher, must make the submission on their behalf and provide the required contact details.

Official programme information: https://the50percent.org/programmes/we-are-not-waiting/

Submit your abstract: https://airtable.com/appsPZlhB6lztA78J/pagdYt0xmDeMv4O85/form

Q&A guide: https://the50percent.org/news/we-are-not-waiting-a-qa-guide-to-the-youth-led-systems-change-anthology/

Application Deadline

The deadline to submit an abstract for the We Are Not Waiting youth-led systems change anthology is 31 August 2026.

Interested young practitioners should allow sufficient time to prepare an original abstract of no more than 500 words, ensure it addresses the required areas and complete the submission process before the deadline.

Conclusion

The We Are Not Waiting 2026 call for abstracts is an opportunity for young people who are already creating change to document their experiences and bring practical youth-led solutions into wider conversations about the future of societies, economies, communities and ecosystems.

Instead of asking applicants to speculate about what young people might accomplish someday, the initiative focuses on what they are already building today.

Whether that work involves regenerating ecosystems, developing community-centred economies, experimenting with circular living, repairing social divisions, building networks of mutual aid or using art and storytelling to transform narratives, the anthology seeks contributions grounded in action and lived experience.

With no requirement for academic credentials, institutional affiliation or professional writing experience, the call creates space for young practitioners whose knowledge has emerged directly from doing the work. Selected applicants will have the opportunity to transform their initial abstracts into approximately 2,000-word contributions with editorial support and potentially have their experiences documented in an open-access anthology planned for launch at the UNESCO MOST Forum 2027.

Young changemakers aged 14–35 who are actively working within one of the six themes should review the official guidance, prepare a clear and original abstract in their own voice, and submit their work by 31 August 2026.

Visit the OFY website for more opportunities on Global Competitions.