This World Children’s Day (20th Nov 2025) I’ve been reflecting on what being a child of the 2020s might be like, how uncertainty shapes their present and how their futures may unfurl.

Indeed, considering the volatility of compounding crises worldwide, it is no surprise that this quickly incites concern for their vulnerability and anger at the injustice –  namely, of being born onto a burning planet that has yet to achieve any lasting peace across or within borders. For those fortunate to be somewhere relatively safe for now, the impossibly massive amount of conflicting information available at their fingertips does little to guide and nurture.

So, how can we, as adults, show up for children?

One small glimmer amongst this overwhelming context is the idea or hope that children and young people might develop to become more resilient, sensitive and adaptable than previous generations have managed. As such, I’ve been considering the skills which might support them in this, and where they might be learnt.

For me, the conclusion that a different approach to learning and education is needed comes as little surprise. Our traditional schooling system was set up to train kids for a future that no longer exists. So, what are the skills and attributes that could better set up young people for an uncertain future?

• A willingness to engage with lifelong learning?

• Critical thinking?

• Flexible and questioning minds?

• Kindness and compassion?

• Emotional intelligence and skills to self-regulate?

• Social skills to community-build and connect?

Levelling-up or redesigning education is one thing, but accessing a good quality education is another. UNICEFsays that over 600 million children worldwide are currently unable to attain minimum proficiency levels in reading and Maths. I wonder what this means for the capacity of schools to adapt and adjust to the rapidly changing needs of children.

Worse still, millions of children are growing up in unsafe environments. 97% of schools in Gaza have been destroyed. In Sudan, 6.5 million children are displaced and thus can’t access stable schooling. In Afghanistan, 2.2 million girls are banned from accessing schooling beyond primary level.

All this to say, education is a basic human right that isn’t fulfilled for so many. This has profound implications for the future itself. Being denied access to quality education – and the opportunities it opens throughout a lifetime – locks people out of the ability to shape the world, ultimately limiting who gets to influence our collective future.

Yet all hope is not lost; meaningful work is already underway. Around the world, educators, communities and young people themselves are reimagining what learning can look and feel like.

Some places are already focused on developing young people’s resilience, their skill in cooperation, and their ability to regulate, find calm and feel grounded. From my research, Scandinavia’s Forest Preschools appear to be excellent frontrunners. Let us look to such examples and consider how their methods might be applied across different education settings.

After all, the way we design our learning environments directly shapes the kinds of learning we make possible – and the behaviours, values and ways of being that we choose to celebrate.