When Katherine Carias, representing Brookdale Community College, joined a global research initiative led by Columbia University’s Committee on Global Thought, she didn’t just participate in a workshop; she helped shape an international dialogue on how young people see their place in an increasingly complex world.
In 2019, Carias and several of her classmates participated in Youth in a Changing World (YCW), a multi-year project that invited young people from 10 countries to share their experiences, aspirations, and concerns amid a rapidly evolving social, political, and technological landscape. The project was spearheaded by Laura Neitzel, Ph.D., a former Brookdale faculty member and then-senior researcher with Columbia University, who was instrumental in connecting Brookdale students to the conversation.
“The workshop delivered the promise of making mine and others’ ideas come to life as we were able to freely share, connect, and build on each other’s thoughts,” said Carias, reflecting on her experience.
The Youth in a Changing World initiative began in 2017 when Columbia University convened a virtual “Global Think-in” with scholars, government leaders, journalists, and students from nine cities around the world. Despite differences in geography and culture, participants voiced a common concern: the future of youth amid climate change, political polarization, economic inequality, and technological disruption.
This shared realization inspired the Committee on Global Thought to launch a collaborative, youth-centered research project designed to listen deeply to the generation that will inherit these challenges, and lead the world into the future.
From its inception, YCW prioritized youth leadership at every stage of the process. Young people helped design the research, facilitated peer-led discussions, contributed to website development, and even assisted with coding and analyzing transcripts. Rather than serving merely as subjects of study, they became co-researchers and co-creators, shaping the project’s direction in real time.
Workshops were intentionally held in familiar, community-based spaces, including college campuses, and conducted in participants’ native languages to encourage authenticity and trust. The goal was not to lecture or survey but to create a space where youth could speak openly with one another about their experiences, hopes, and fears for the future.
Between 2018 and 2021, more than 400 young people from over 25 nationalities participated in workshops across 10 countries, including Brazil, China, France, India, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Tunisia, Türkiye, and the United States.
In the U.S., conversations took place at Columbia University, Broward College in Florida, and Brookdale Community College in New Jersey, where Carias served as a trained facilitator, guiding student discussions. Participants brought forward critical perspectives shaped by their lived experience on the topics of immigration, climate change, and political instability.”
A distinctive feature of the YCW workshops was the use of collaborative drawing as a tool for dialogue. Participants built on their conversations by creating visual representations of their ideas, illustrating their visions of the future, mapping challenges, and imagining solutions together. This creative, hands-on approach helped bridge language and cultural divides, allowing complex emotions and insights to emerge that might not have surfaced through conversation alone.
Across 185 hours of conversations and collaborative drawing, five major areas of insight emerged, revealing how young people understand themselves and their world:
- Generational Identity in a Changing World – Participants described themselves as globally aware, empathetic, and determined to challenge outdated ideas and prejudices.
- Global Awareness and Connectivity – Social media and technology were cited as powerful tools that expand perspectives and connect youth across borders.
- Frustration with Education Systems – Many felt their schooling was outdated and failed to prepare them for the realities of the workforce.
- Confronting Unprecedented Challenges – Climate change, inequality, and political instability were seen as defining challenges their generation will inherit.
- A Desire to Shape the Future – Despite uncertainty, participants expressed hope, determination, and a belief in their capacity to create meaningful change.
One Brookdale participant captured the mood shared by many:
“There is so much instability in the world, and we don’t know where the world is headed. But we want to make a change. Some of us don’t know how. What is the future? We are the future.”
Brookdale’s involvement in Youth in a Changing World underscores the college’s commitment to preparing students not just for careers, but for global citizenship. For Katherine Carias, the project was more than an academic experience. It was a transformative opportunity to have her voice heard and contribute to a worldwide conversation about the future.
“Being part of this project reminded me that our ideas matter, and that change starts with conversations like these,” she said.
On September 29, Janice Thomas, Ph.D., director of the International Education Center at Brookdale Community College, and Carias, now the center’s coordinator, attended the project’s official launch at Columbia University. The conversation around YCW will continue at Brookdale next year during Civility Week. At Carias’s suggestion, Dr. Neitzel will return to Brookdale to facilitate the Civility Week event.
As the findings from YCW continue to inform discussions on education, policy, and social change, Brookdale’s contributions and the voices of its students stand as a testament to the power of community college education to shape not only individual futures but also the future of the world.