Webinar Recording & Summary

Today’s decisions will impact all future generations. But do today’s leaders and decision-makers know what we want? Do they care?

Our latest webinar, titled ‘Next Gen: What we want!’ unpacked the reasons behind the disillusionment and fatigue felt by 70% of young people in Malta, opting to live, work or move abroad in the future.

Speakers

Jean Gatt opened the webinar by discussing the recent EY Generate Youth Survey, which highlighted that 70% of youths in Malta want to live, work or move abroad. Theorising reasons behind the stat; lack of innovation culture, overdevelopment, environmental neglect, fewer opportunities, and an identity crisis, were all pointed out by the panel. 

Quickly gearing the conversation towards solutions, Gatt opened up the floor once again, inviting the panel to discuss how we can improve Malta’s education system. Steven Coleiro spoke in-depth about subsidising and incentivising teachers as a means of encouraging and prospering better talent. However, in agreement with Alex Sciberras, the focus also needs to be on the individual. Parents and family members should take more of a responsibility for instilling the right core values of respect, hard work, and creativity in children, from an early age. 

Looking to the future, the discussion shifted to new opportunities within innovative industries. 

Coleiro mentioned Malta’s heavy reliance on imports to ensure smooth and continuous supply chains, which have come under recent pressure in moments of international conflict. Suggestions were made to focus on local industries, giving smaller innovative companies a voice rather than outsourcing to foreign talent, as well as moving towards renewable and self-sustaining resources.  

Continuing with this theme, Kristina Pace highlighted the gap between environmental goals set by the government and their level of execution. Better project management and transparency were mentioned to help Malta achieve the sustainability that was promised in a ticking time frame. Increasing awareness and education around the importance of agriculture and the preservation of land for Malta’s future landscape was also a key factor for Coleiro. 

To connect Malta in a better way, quick-fixes to infrastructure were discussed, such as improving bike lanes to meet the current and future demands of electric bikes and scooters. 

As a final thought, it was agreed that a bottom-up approach could pave the way forward. By harnessing young people’s frustrations and transforming them into a voice that gets heard, we will push Malta in a better direction, encouraging young people to stay and become the future entrepreneurs our country needs.