Student Future Summit at the Paderborn University
How can we shape a sustainable future - together with the people who will shape it the most? On 21 November 2025, the Pupils' Future Summit took place at Paderborn University, following on from the World Climate Summit in Brazil. Around 220 students from secondary schools in the Paderborn area came together to discuss future topics, sustainability and sustainable research with researchers and experts. The event was organised by Pelizaeus-Gymnasium Paderborn in cooperation with the Sustainability Office of Paderborn University and the Paderborn Research Center for Sustainable Economy (PARSEC). Under the patronage of Prof. Dr. René Fahr, the summit offered a varied programme with lectures, live broadcasts and exchange formats.
In his short presentation,Prof Dr Philip Yang, spokesperson for PARSEC, highlighted the economic dimensions of sustainable transformation. He emphasised that viable solutions for the future can only be created if spatial, temporal and perspective levels are considered together. Using an analysis model specially modified for the Pupils' Future Summit, he illustrated how complex social and ecological challenges become when decisions take into account not only short-term effects, but also global connections and the interests of various stakeholders. According to Yang, sustainable transformation therefore requires a fundamental rethink - both individually and institutionally on an economic, ecological and social level. During two "dating" breaks, participants were able to find out about courses and current research topics related to sustainability at Paderborn University, ask questions and contribute their own ideas at dialogue stands. PARSEC presented current research on green skills, sustainable transformation and future skills.
"The aim of the Future Summit was to strengthen the dialogue between science and schools and to get young people excited about scientific perspectives on sustainability. The event impressively demonstrated how valuable the exchange between young perspectives and research is for shaping a sustainable future. We are impressed by the professional organisation by the students of the Pelizaeus-Gymnasium and are delighted that the university was able to support this day as a venue," said Prof. Dr. René Fahr, Vice President for Transfer and Sustainability at Paderborn University.
