On Thursday 18 September, we held the first session of our new webinar series “Our Future, Our Green Deal”, part of the project Imagining a Climate Just Future.

We began with a short introduction and a Mentimeter quiz to get participants involved. Then, Clara Presman, author of the new toolkit, officially launched the EU Green Deal Toolkit for Youth. She gave an overview of the topics covered and explained why they matter. Clara underlined the importance of an ecofeminist approach and reminded us that no group should be left out when shaping policies.

Our next speaker, Julie Bos, EU Climate Justice Policy Advisor at Oxfam, explained the background and main goals of the EU Green Deal. She described how, between 2019 and 2024, the EU put several policies in place to reach its climate targets. However, after the latest elections, many of these policies have been simplified or weakened

. Julie warned that this shift towards competitiveness and economic growth may take us backwards on environmental and social progress. There is still no clear emissions target for 2040, which raises concern among climate advocates.

Ariadne Prein, board member of the Young Climate Movement in the Netherlands, spoke about why involving young people in decision-making is essential. She pointed out that youth are often excluded, even though their participation makes climate action more effective. Ariadne encouraged young people who want to make a difference to choose an area they care about and focus their efforts there.

Finally, Anna Ackermann, policy analyst at the International Institute for Sustainable Development, shared insights from her work on the green reconstruction of Ukraine. She noted that although the current focus in Ukraine is not strongly on “green” policies, past regulations and progress remain in place. Anna suggested that adjusting how we talk about sustainability — for example, using “clean” instead of “green” — can help build broader support, even from more conservative audiences. She closed with a hopeful message, quoting human rights lawyer and 2022 Nobel Prize winner Oleksandra Matviichuk:
“Democracies need to win, because only the spread of freedom makes our world safer.”

At the end of the webinar, participants took part in a short reflection via Mentimeter, answering the question: “I feel empowered and hopeful that a fairer Europe is possible.” Most responded with “yes”, showing that the discussion left them feeling positive and inspired about building a fair and sustainable future.