This collection of award-winning short stories from young authors worldwide sheds light on climate change, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the transformative power of youth imagination.
The much-anticipated anthology Futures 2025: A Compilation of Short Stories from Young Authors from Around the World is now available, offering a unique and powerful collection of narratives that span continents and cultures. Edited by young sustainability leader, climate activist and scholar Nico Cordonier Gehring, Futures 2025 brings together twenty-eight award-winning short stories written by talented young authors from around the world, each addressing the most pressing issues of our time: climate change, sustainability, and the future of our planet.
From the resourceful adventure of a young girl who generates electricity from trash to the plight of a blue macaw fighting to save the Amazon rainforest, the anthology explores a wide range of perspectives on the global challenges posed by climate change. Through compelling narratives, readers are invited to discover what lurks in whispering forests, what secrets lie hidden in seascapes, and what lessons are waiting to be learned from a constellation of young mathematicians.
This creative and diverse collection is one of the initiatives of the Global Youth Council on Science, Law, and Sustainability (GYC), in partnership with the Voices of Future Generations Children's Initiative (VoFG CI). The Council itself was founded by passionate students, united in their mission to advance environmental education and advocate for the rights of children facing the harsh realities of climate change.
“We started with a small team and a contest, sending a call out to all our networks. We received over 200 hundred entries from more than 60 countries! The selection of the winning stories was made by an international panel of distinguished judges, who were really impressed with the creativity of the stories," shares Nico Roman, the British and Canadian young editor of Futures 2025. “Our book is dedicated to the children who speak up so that the voices of our generation can be heard.”
Through the power of storytelling, the young authors featured in Futures share their hopes for a better world—one where communities unite, where nature is preserved, and where no one is left behind. This anthology uplifts the voices and concerns of children and youth representing diverse regions and communities, revealing the transformative power of their ideals, imagination, and determination.
A key contributor to the selection process, Professor Pamela Towela Sambo, Chair of the UN Human Rights Commission of Zambia, shared her thoughts on the anthology: “Each story reveals the intersection of the SDGs with the rights of children – showing how education, health, gender equality, access to water and energy, and climate action are not unrealistic dreams, but part of an indivisible commitment to human dignity.”
Several of the young writers also served, along with VoFG CI Child Authors and Ambassadors, as instructors in a new online course offered by University of Cambridge colleges and institutes, teaching the key essentials of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, Sustainable Development and the Law.
Special gratitude was conveyed, during the book’s online launch on the International Day of Education in January 2025, to Rene Steiner from Steinergraphics whose art was deeply appreciated, and to Phoebe McElligott who supported the youth throughout the project, as well as to the panel of distinguished judges.
As the world grapples with pressing global sustainability and justice challenges, Futures serves as a call to action and an inspiration for all of us. It highlights the urgent need to listen to the voices of youth, empowering them to lead the way toward a brighter, more sustainable future for all.
The anthology is available for free as a downloadable PDF. Physical copies can also be purchased on Amazon.
To learn more about the young editor Nico Cordonier Gehring’s efforts to tackle climate change and speak up for nature, visit https://nicosnaturalworld.org.
About the Global Youth Council on Science, Law, and Sustainability
The Global Youth Council on Science, Law, and Sustainability is an international platform for youth engagement on critical environmental issues. Through publications, campaigns, and advocacy, the Council empowers young people to take action and raise awareness of the challenges that children face due to climate change. By fostering collaboration across borders, the Council promotes a global movement for sustainability and environmental justice.