Grow the Future

Grow the Future - a network of green voices promotes the next generation of progressive voices in Germany by offering exceptional opportunities for international learning and dialogue on urgent policy challenges. It aims to create a network of promising young activists and professionals who are leading movements and initiatives to tackle the biggest challenges of our time—from fighting climate change, to protecting human rights and open societies, to ensuring a sustainable future for the next generation. We achieve this by bringing together groups working to create change in two of our topic areas on a study tour to the US in the spring or early summer and hosting an alumni meeting at the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Headquarters in Berlin in the fall.

In 2023, Grow the Future is about strengthening the alliance between the climate movement and labor organizations. A small group of participants will travel from June 21 to June 28 to Washington, DC and South Bend, Indiana, to share expertise between the US and Germany about strategies, tools, and policies to shape a green and just transition. The group will meet with policymakers, community leaders, environmental justice advocates, union representatives, and experts from academia and think tanks. The tour will provide opportunities to learn about the coalition behind the Green New Deal and discuss shared challenges and strategies with meeting partners.

Grow the Future promotes the next generation of Green voices by offering exceptional opportunities for international learning and dialogue on Green policy challenges. It aims to create a network of promising young policy makers, professionals and activists in Germany who are leading Green initiatives — to fight climate change, protect human rights and open societies, and ensure a sustainable future for the next generation. The network launched in 2020, when the first cohort traveled to Miami and New Orleans to understand how local communities respond to the challenges of the climate crisis and climate-induced migration. In 2022, the second cohort traveled to Canada and Pittsburgh to learn about smart and sustainable mobility.

From June 11 - 18, 2022, the 2022 cohort of promising young policy makers, professionals, and activists from different parts of Germany traveled to Toronto, Pittsburgh, and Washington, DC. The delegation met with city administrators and policymakers, the start-up community, experts from academia and think tanks, as well as civil society organizations. The tour provided opportunities to share experiences and discuss shared challenges and strategies on greener and more just transportation systems. Read about it below.