While young people are frequently presumed to possess inherent technological competence, they remain conspicuously absent from policy-making forums. As technology’s implementation increasingly prioritises commercial imperatives over public good, it’s clear that everyone is struggling. Different generations’ perspectives and skill sets are required to ensure that we harness the benefits of modern technology.
On 7 and 8 November 2025 we will host a two-day summit at the Valletta Design Cluster, bringing together policymakers, academics, media professionals, activists and young people to address some of the most urgent questions of our digital age.
Three Interconnected Themes
Our objective is for participants to engage with three interconnected themes which we believe are pertinent to the opportunities and challenges to be navigated by young people in the present and immediate future:
Young People, Digital Citizenship and the Media. The media landscape is rapidly changing. Information is more freely available than ever, but curating it is increasingly difficult. In this era of algorithmic curation, foreign actors, gullible people and amoral profiteers are shaping public discourse in increasingly undemocratic ways. How can we maintain both the media freedom and truth-telling required for a functioning democracy?
The Multigenerational Workplace in the Age of AI. The world of work is undergoing seismic shifts. Career pathways are dissolving, entry-level positions are vanishing, and generational tensions are intensifying—all whilst AI promises to accelerate these disruptions within the decade. How can we build cohesive, effective workforces when each generation brings radically different expectations and experiences to an already unstable landscape?
Core Skills for the AI Generation. As AI tools reshape cognitive work overnight, our education systems still prepare students for jobs that won’t exist by graduation. What capabilities remain uniquely human when machines can write, analyse, and create? Which skills become more valuable, not less, in an AI-saturated world, and how do we cultivate them?
These aren’t abstract policy questions; they’re daily realities for young people navigating education, entering workplaces, and building lives in our algorithmic age.
Capacity is limited. Book your ticket here.
Summit Agenda
The full programme is here. The full list of speakers and their respective biographies is here.
The summit is designed to foster dialogue across generations and sectors, ensuring young voices are not only included but placed at the centre of the debate.
Day One will feature expert panel discussions where policymakers and academics examine the opportunities and challenges posed by digital transformation, AI, and the future of work. Interactive Q&A sessions will give young participants the chance to engage directly with leading thinkers and practitioners.
Day Two is primarily driven by young people, with experts in support and advisory mode. Through case studies and interactive workshops, young people will lead discussions on real-world scenarios, while academics and policymakers will be invited to secure a better understanding of how Gen Z approaches critical social, media and geo-political issues.
Alongside the main programme, an exhibition at Spazju Kreattiv provides an informal space for networking, idea exchange, and creative engagement with the summit’s central themes.
Collateral Content
Key Texts
The conference will build on two key 3CL publications: The Young People and Information Manifesto and Beyond Digital Natives. This event will not only create a platform for intergenerational dialogue but will also serve as a pilot, informing the development of future cross-border research projects and collaborative initiatives. All proceedings will be recorded and shared under a Creative Commons licence, extending the summit’s impact beyond the event itself. Our venue is deliberately intimate to encourage meaningful conversation and networking.
Podcasts
The following podcasts were recorded in the run-up to the Summit with some of our guest speakers.
Conversations with Gege Gatt
Gege Gatt explains how AI poses a privacy risk and how he addresses this in his AI company, advocates for a common baseline of AI guardrails and provides advice for the next generation of entrepreneurs.
Conversations with Matthew Bartolo
This podcast focuses on men’s mental health and how digital technologies like dating apps and pornography are altering human relationships, dating dynamics and driving individualism.
Conversations with Alex Grech
In a conversation first broadcast on EUI’s research-led web radio, Radio Cavolo, Alex Grech challenges the “digital native” myth, arguing that being born with technology does not automatically equate to digital literacy. He highlights the complexities of critical digital literacies and the need for ethical awareness and critical thinking in navigating the digital world.
Conversations with Vladimir Sucha
Vladimir Šucha discusses the societal consequences of generative AI, from its impact on human agency and democracy to the growing need for mental resilience. Together, they call for Europe to lead with a values-driven approach and invest in defending democracy in the digital age.