The Dreams of the Youth 2024

by Jonathan Hadberg Stephansen | Oct 2, 2024 | Meaningful Societies

Meaningful Societies

The Dreams of the Youth 2024

Voluntās has supported The Tuborg Foundation in conducting a comprehensive and representative study titled “Unges Drømme 2024” (The Dreams of the Youth 2024), providing deep insights into the dreams, hopes, and concerns among 1,507 young Danish people aged 16 to 29.

Key Findings:

Young people dream of starting a family: When asked openly, their main dreams revolve around having children, finding a life partner, and creating a loving home. Supporting this conclusion, 64% of respondents ranked “spending time with close relationships” as either their first or second most meaningful activity in life.
Young people want less pressure and perfection in education: Many young people dream of an inclusive education system with less performance pressure. When asked broadly to suggest one initiative for a hopeful future, most focus on rethinking education to reduce stress and better prepare them for life, including teaching practical skills like personal finance, taxes, and digital literacy.
Young people are concerned about climate and war: The climate crisis emerged as the top concern for 27% of respondents, followed by fears of war and global instability (17%)
Mental well-being and welfare are most important to prioritize: When asked about various areas, 62% of young people believe that “Mental well-being and welfare” should be the top priority. Additionally, just under half of young Danes consider the most important areas to be “Human rights” (48%), “Physical well-being” (46%), “Climate change, sustainability, and biodiversity” (46%), and “Education and research” (44%).

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Nicolai E. E. Iversen

nei@voluntas.com

Jacob Mittun

jmi@voluntas.com

Rasmus Hjalgrim

rhj@voluntas.com

Situation

The Danish foundation, Tuborgfondet, wanted to better understand the aspirations and concerns among young people across the country to shape initiatives that truly resonate with them. They partnered with Voluntās to conduct an extensive survey involving over 1,500 young people between the ages of 16 and 29, aiming to explore their dreams for the future, the issues that matter most to them, and how these vary across different demographics.

Challenge

The challenge lay in ensuring that the findings accurately represented the diverse voices of Danish youth while also uncovering the deeper patterns in their hopes and concerns. There was a need to gather not only quantitative data but also meaningful qualitative insights to provide a full picture of their perspectives.

Solution

Voluntās developed a research design that included both survey questions and open-ended responses, allowing young people to express their individual views. To maintain neutrality, Tuborgfondet’s name was kept anonymous during data collection, ensuring the responses were free of potential bias. With data analysis and in-depth interpretation, Voluntās provided a clear, representative narrative of what the future looks like to Danish youth.

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The Tuborg Foundation provides opportunities for young people to collectively create a hopeful and sustainable future. The Tuborg Foundation was established in 1931 to benefit society, with a particular focus on supporting Danish businesses. Over time, this purpose has been translated into concrete actions, with respect for both the founder’s intent and the current societal challenges and opportunities that shape the foundation’s work.

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A Call to Action: Elevating Youth Meaningfulness in the Global Mental Health Crisis

by Jonathan Hadberg Stephansen | Sep 23, 2024 | Meaningful Societies

Meaningful societies

A Call to Action: Elevating Youth Meaningfulness in the Global Mental Health Crisis

Fanny Marchand

fma@voluntas.com

With world leaders having just gathered at the Summit of the Future and the United Nations General Assembly in New York, we now have a unique opportunity to rethink our approach to addressing the mental health and well-being of young people, particularly those in conflict-affected and fragile environments. The global challenges of today—armed conflicts, social inequality, and climate change—demand more than just addressing immediate survival needs.[1] To truly support future generations, as articulated in the Declaration on Future Generations, we must ensure that young people are not only heard but that their experiences inform policies that foster meaning and fulfillment in their lives.

The Declaration on Future Generations that was just adopted as an outcome of the Summit recognizes youth as agents of change and emphasizes the importance of engaging them in intergenerational dialogue to shape future policies. Beyond participation, we must focus on using the subjective experiences of young people to inform the design of more effective policies that enhance their mental health and well-being. The ultimate goal is to provide young people with the agency to shape environments that enable them to realize their full potential, thereby laying the foundation for future healthier, more sustainable societies.

While UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is calling for “meaningful” youth engagement,[2] and great efforts have been made to consult young people on issues like education and employment, we are simultaneously confronted with alarming statistics on school violence, substance abuse, and online bullying.[3] Although we live in an age of unprecedented wealth, the mental health crisis—especially among youth—has never been more severe. Are we truly listening to them? Are we asking the right questions, creating the right platforms for expression, and, most importantly, acting on what they tell us?

[1] Niklas Kabel Pedersen. Voluntās. Beyond Basic Needs: Redefining Social Impact for the Realization of Human Potential. (2024).

[2] Antonio Guterres. Launch of the Common Agenda policy brief Meaningful for Youth Engagement in Policymaking and Decision-Making Processes ahead of the Summit of the Future. (April 2023).

[3] World Health Organization. One in six school-aged children experiences cyberbullying. (2024).

FOSTERING EMOTIONAL WELLBEING AND RESILIENCE

Through Feeling-Inspired Policies

We argue that the feelings of individuals are facts by virtue of their existence. They should not be suppressed in favor of reason, particularly when creating policies for young people who grapple with emotional complexity. In crisis settings, the focus on basic needs often leaves little room for mental health considerations. Programs still tend to prioritize measurable outputs—how many children attend school, how many kits are distributed, how many trainings are completed, etc. At most, we ask people whether they were satisfied with the assistance, rarely questioning whether it truly addressed their deeper needs.

What if we asked young people what matters most to them in their own words? What if we asked them what cheers them up when they are sad and gives them hope? What if we designed programs that enabled them to experience purpose, dignity, and connection within their communities? Beyond fulfilling basic needs, we should aim to foster environments that promote emotional well-being and personal growth.

Research consistently shows that youth who report a sense of meaning in their lives demonstrate better psychological health, higher life satisfaction, and greater resilience.[4] Social connectivity, purpose, self-care, and physical and cognitive engagement are key drivers of this meaningfulness. Policies aimed at supporting youth must account for these factors.

The main challenge remains: how do we “measure” how children feel and how they experience meaning? The Youth Meaningfulness Index (YMI), developed by Voluntās and its partners, provides insights into the subjective experiences of youth. Supported by our academic advisory board and our youth advisory committee, and drawing from our work on the Global Meaningfulness Index, we first conducted research with several thousand children to identify the drivers of meaning in their lives and then developed a tool to measure these across geographies and at scale. In partnership with UNICEF, UNESCO, and grassroots organizations, we are now measuring the level of meaning experienced by children in Algeria, India, Kenya, Morocco, Norway, Peru, and Ukraine. But it is not just about collecting data—it is about translating those insights into actionable policies and programs that promote emotional resilience and personal growth for institutions, school organizations, governments, and the global community.

[4] For example, Krok, D. When is Meaning in Life Most Beneficial to Young People? Styles of Meaning in Life and Well-Being Among Late Adolescents. J Adult Dev 25, 96–106 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10804-017-9280-y
For example, Brouzos, Andreas & Vassilopoulos, Stephanos & Boumpouli, Christina. (2016). Adolescents’ subjective and psychological well-being: The role of meaning in life. Hellenic Journal of Psychology. 13. 153-169.

At Voluntās, we have witnessed how young people’s involvement in shaping their environments leads to greater resilience and hope. In Ukraine for instance, where youth face the profound challenges of war, applying the YMI has revealed that young people find meaning through community involvement and personal agency. These findings highlight the critical importance of creating environments where youth can engage in meaningful activities, not only to improve their mental health but also to empower them to navigate challenges and build resilience. This initiative is now being expanded with UNESCO and a cadre of Young Researchers of Meaning, where youth-led engagements across the country are helping to better understand how the lives of more children can be filled with meaning. This effort will subsequently lead to the identification of youth-led local initiatives to be implemented in 2025 with the same goal.

The insights gained from tools like the YMI offer a valuable foundation for designing policies that go beyond traditional metrics. Meaningful policy development requires systems that allow youth to overcome challenges while fostering their ability to lead self-directed, purposeful lives. This approach is not just beneficial for youth—it is essential for building resilient, socially cohesive, and sustainable societies.

REDEFINE SUCCESS IN HUMANITARIAN AND DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS

Thanks To Meaning-driven Programs

As the Summit of the Future comes to an end, we must continue to rethink how we approach youth in crisis and development settings. The Declaration on Future Generations calls for intergenerational solidarity and a responsibility to safeguard the well-being of future generations. This responsibility extends to ensuring that today’s youth are provided with the opportunities and environments to experience meaning in life. By incorporating their perspectives into decision-making, we can design policies that reflect what truly matters to them—policies that foster emotional, social, and cognitive growth.

We need to redefine success in humanitarian and development efforts. The future of development strategies must shift from addressing basic needs to creating meaning-driven programs.

At Voluntās, our mission is to ensure that every human being and every young person has the opportunity to live a meaningful life—one filled with purpose, self-awareness, and engagement. By prioritizing meaningfulness and mental health, we can help young people live more fulfilled lives and create a brighter, more sustainable future for all.

Get in touch with the Youth Meaningfulness Index

Do you want to hear more YMI and how to use it for your work?

The Youth Meaningfulness Index (YMI) aims to explore and measure how youth experience meaning in their lives. Young people are facing an unprecedented mental health crisis. At the same time, research indicates a growing trend among youth towards conscious living a meaningful life. We believe that the YMI will be a powerful tool for policy makers to help young people increase meaning in their lives.

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Beyond Basic Needs: Redefining Social Impact for the Realization of Human Potential

by Jonathan Hadberg Stephansen | Sep 16, 2024 | Meaningful Societies

Meaningful societies

Beyond Basic Needs: Redefining Social Impact for the Realization of Human Potential

Niklas Kabel Pedersen

nkp@voluntas.com

The international development sector has long prioritized addressing the immediate needs of crisis-affected populations. Providing lifesaving assistance is undeniably crucial, but this focus has much too often led to an underlying assumption that impact of programs and projects can be measured almost solely on progress related to physical well-being, thus overlooking more subjective factors that contribute to individuals living meaningful lives. At Voluntas, we argue that understanding, providing for, and measuring these subjective needs is not only as important, but should be considered a fundamental right.

Recognition of this broader perspective has gained momentum in recent years. UN Secretary-General António Guterres recently highlighted the need for a paradigm shift in how we measure progress, “so that we can capture data on the activities and outcomes that societies truly value, and then use the data to better inform our policy and financial decisions.”[1]

Having lived and worked in some of the most challenging and fragile contexts over the past 15 years, I have witnessed firsthand the need to rethink our approaches. Human beings have a fundamental need to feel hope and dignity in their lives. My experiences in Iran, Jordan, Libya, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Ukraine, and Yemen have shaped my belief in the importance of ensuring that crisis-affected populations have a voice in decisions shaping their future. This inclusion is essential because it fosters feelings of agency and meaning.

[1] Valuing What Counts: Framework to Progress Beyond Gross Domestic Product | LinkedIn

“At Voluntās, we call it “meaningful societies”. However, in reality it is our commitment to having a positive impact on the meaning people feel in their lives by upholding the fundamental dignity and rights of every individual, regardless of their circumstances.”

Niklas Kabel Pedersen, Senior Partner & COO

DIGNITY, HOPE, AND MEANING

Evolving Metrics of Well-being

The measurement of societal progress, welfare, and quality of life has evolved significantly over time. Initially centered on economic, financial, or material well-being, Simon Kuznets introduced Gross Domestic Product (GDP) between the Great Depression and World War II to comprehensively capture economic production.[2] In the 1970s, Nobel laureate Amartya Sen criticized GDP’s limitations, advocating for a measure of societal welfare based on the freedom to pursue what individuals value, known as the capabilities approach.[3]

[2] Fioramonti, L. (2013). Gross domestic problem: The politics behind the world’s most powerful number. Zed Books.

[3] Sen, A. (1999). Development as freedom. Knopf.

This perspective led to the creation of the United Nations’ Human Development Index (HDI) and the Global Happiness Index, which attempt to capture a broader spectrum of human-centered well-being. However, these measures face conceptual and methodological challenges. Happiness is a transient state and not something that can be sustained perpetually. Furthermore, the capabilities approach does not always account for internal barriers to freedom – i.e., it doesn’t fully acknowledge psychological limitations of human beings. Recent indices, such as the Human Flourishing Index and the Subjective Well-Being Index, focus on evaluative and affective dimensions but often overlook eudaimonic aspects such as feelings of purpose and meaning.[4]

[4] VanderWeele, T. J. (2019). On the promotion of human flourishing. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 114(31), 8148-8156. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1702996114 and Diener, E., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). Beyond money: Toward an economy of well-being. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 5(1), 1-31. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0963-7214.2004.00501001.x

According to these existing indices, globally, we have unprecedented levels of wealth and material prosperity. While not evenly distributed, since 2010, global GDP has increased by nearly 70 percent.[5] Simultaneously, human development as measured by the UN has reached new heights across most societies.[6] Despite this, significant levels of conflict and war persist, and numerous studies document the severe and increasing impact of stress, anxiety, depression, and other mental health disorders on societies. Depression is one of the leading causes of disability, and suicide is the fourth leading cause of death among 15-29-year-olds.[7] In conflict and adverse humanitarian settings, this is even more pronounced.[8]

These statistics highlight the shortcomings of conventional measures of societal well-being, which often overlook less tangible yet crucial aspects of development. Addressing these gaps requires a more holistic approach to measuring what truly matters for humans, incorporating elements of dignity, hope, and meaning into our understanding of societal progress.

[5] GDP (current US$) | Data (worldbank.org)

[6] Human Development Index | Human Development Reports (undp.org)

[7] Mental health (who.int)

[8] Murthy, R. S., & Lakshminarayana, R. (2006). Mental health consequences of war: A brief review of research findings. World Psychiatry, 5(1), 25-30.

GMI compared to HDI

Source: www.globalmeaningfulness.report

[9] https://voluntas.com/centers-of-curiosity/people-culture/

[10] https://voluntas.com/foundation/#gmi

[11] https://www.linkedin.com/posts/youth-meaningfulness-index_we-are-happy-to-announce-the-publication-activity-7226851052334047232-ceYY?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

[12] CDA-UCLA Center for the Developing Adolescent. (2024, June 5). UCLA Center for the Developing Adolescent. Retrieved from https://developingadolescent.semel.ucla.edu

[13] Steger, M. F., O’Donnell, M. B., & Morse, J. L. (2021). Helping students find their way to meaning: meaning and purpose in education. In The Palgrave handbook of positive education (pp. 551-579). Cham: Springer International Publishing.

PURPOSE, LEADERSHIP, BELONGING, AND PERSONAL GROWTH

Measuring Impact Through Meaning

For the past decade, Voluntas has been dedicated to creating human-centered, meaning-driven metrics that offer a more comprehensive measure of impact. Initially, our focus was on assessing the sense of meaning felt by employees within organizations and corporations. Based on collaboration with academic institutions and research involving input from hundreds of thousands of individuals, we saw that the primary drivers of meaning can be defined as feelings of purpose, leadership, belonging, and personal growth.[9]

This focus has since evolved to measuring levels of meaningfulness within societies and communities at large. In 2023, we published the world’s first Global Meaningfulness Index (GMI) report,[10] which surveyed 20.000 respondents across 24 countries on how they experience meaning in their lives. Understanding this sense of meaning will provide insights to inform policies on both micro and macro levels. In 2024, the GMI will be even bigger as we reach more than 30 countries. Findings from these studies indicate that we are onto something. In fact, our data shows an inverse correlation between the general sense of meaning in life of a country’s citizens and the Human Development Index (HDI) score of that same country. In other words, as a country’s HDI score increases, the average level of meaning felt is likely to decrease. This challenges our common assumptions about societal well-being.

Similarly, we developed the Youth Meaningfulness Index (YMI) – a tool which examines how children and youth experience meaning in their lives – based on data collected from over 7.000 children in Denmark, India, and Norway. The tool has subsequently been applied among youth in war-torn Ukraine.[11] Research has demonstrated that youth and adolescents who report their lives as meaningful tend to have better psychological health markers, higher life satisfaction, and overall emotional well-being.[12] Finding meaning in daily activities and corresponding purpose in life is associated with greater emotional well-being, academic success, and resilience.[13] As a result, meaningfulness is a metric that better reflects human well-being and societal progress for youth.

Such innovative metrics should also be applied to programmatic activities to ensure that impact is measured and accounted for comprehensively.

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Nos Racines – Our Roots

by Jonathan Hadberg Stephansen | Jun 14, 2024 | Meaningful Societies

Meaningful societies

Nos Racines – Our Roots

Niklas Kabel Pedersen

nkp@voluntas.com

Voluntās launches “Nos Racines – Our Roots”: Preventing violent extremism in Tunisia, with a special focus on youth and women.

Supporting the Tunisian population and its institutions in their fight against violent extremism and radicalisation in Tunisia.

In recent years, Tunisia has undergone profound political and social changes and currently faces a severe economic crisis The unemployment rate reached 18.4% in 2021, with 40% of under 25s and 24.8% of women out of work. There are growing disparities in living standards between regions and political participation has declined.

Within this context, radicalisation, and exposure to violent extremism –in part linked to the phenomenon of the return of jihadist fighters (foreign fighters) – is a major challenge in Tunisia, particularly among marginalized youth. This risk is aggravated by the lack of detection mechanisms throughout the country and the absence of continuous dialogue between young people and public authorities, particularly the security sector.

An integrated approach through actions at local, national, and institutional levels targeting a range of actors with complementary roles and responsibilities.

Based on best practices drawn from the final evaluation of the EU-funded IcSP actions carried out by Voluntas between February and June 2021, “Nos Racines” has been designed under a cascading grants funding format. This approach will be implemented through partners, ICCG and FACE Tunisia, with local non-state actors (civil society organisations) operating on different sub-themes. This will ensure the territorial anchorage of the implemented actions, while responding to different local needs in a mosaic approach, thus allowing for a better adaptability of the project toolbox, and a refinement of both territorial and beneficiary targeting.

Some key figures

The project was launched on 8 March 2022 for an implementation period of 18 months.
EU funding for a total amount of 3 million Euros.

The project is implemented by Voluntas as Lead Partner, and ICCG and FACE as co-partners. The project will also include partnerships with institutional and local actors

Project activities implemented with non-state actors and institutional partners in nine governorates across Tunisia.

Ifrikya Center for Common Ground (ICCG) will empower its local civil society partners to conduct a process of multi-stakeholder community dialogues, thus building trust between key stakeholders (youth, local authorities, security forces, etc.) targeted by the project. ICCG will also build women’s capacity and empowerment to identify and prevent early signs of vulnerability among young people, with the support and collaboration of local women’s organisations and institutions in the target localities (Mothers’ Brigade).

Foundation FACE Tunisia aims to have an impact within communities as part of a local approach, by strengthening the resilience of those most at risk from violent extremism, but also by playing a key role in preventing violence itself. The action will promote the social and professional (re)integration of young Tunisians in vulnerable situations, with a particular focus on women and youth ex detainees.

Voluntās, while leading the overall project, will implement capacity building sessions for 100 preachers and imams selected by the Ministry of Religious Affairs. The aim is to provide technical support in modern mediation and communication skills, in order to bring imams/preachers closer to their respective communities, especially youth. This will help limit the exposure of the most vulnerable populations to potentially extremist religious discourse.

Voluntas will also support the institutional and technical development of the National Commission for the Fight against Terrorism (CNLCT), in order to contribute to the strengthening of its capacity as a key actor of preventing violent extremism in Tunisia.

European Union Delegation in Tunisia

The 2011 Revolution marked a turning point in the EU-Tunisia partnership. Since then, the EU has been a key partner supporting Tunisia’s transition towards a modern democracy. Through all its instruments, the EU is supporting democratic and socioeconomic reforms, accompanying electoral processes, promoting human rights, strengthening civil society actors, enhancing economic and trade integration, and improving security. Since 2011, EU assistance to Tunisia has amounted to almost €3 billion with over €2 billion in grants and €1.1 billion in macro-financial assistance (concessional loans).

Creating Meaningful Societies with IBTCI in Tunisia and Libya

by Jonathan Hadberg Stephansen | Jun 11, 2024 | Meaningful Societies

Meaningful Societies

Creating Meaningful Societies with IBTCI in Tunisia and Libya

Rebecca John

rjo@voluntas.com

Meet Lisa Gilliam, Chief of Party at International Business & Technical Consultants Inc. (IBTCI), USAID – US Agency for International Development Monitoring and Evaluation in Tunisia and Libya.

Voluntās has worked with IBTCI in Tunisia and Libya for several years and is one of our most valued clients in the region. We have collaborated together on several projects, including donor mapping, context monitoring in Libya, and a series of policy papers in Tunisia.