ONE DAY: The Conference is an annual event to inspire and promote youth leadership in Austria and beyond. By bringing together NGOs, academics, companies and passionate changemakers, the conference asks how we can change systems, specifically in regards to three core topics each year, and co-creates solutions with both students and experts.

With this aim, the conference offers actionable advice, practical workshops and conversations around systems change, social innovation and social entrepreneurship. The agenda included input by a set of diverse speakers, such as renowned university professor Dr. Markus Peschl, business and mindfulness coach Jan Phillipi, or social entrepreneur Okan McAllister, founder of the youth leadership and entrepreneurship initiative Primemovers and mastermind behind ONE DAY.

The BCSSS was featured in this list prominently as well: BCSSS Program Manager Angelika Schanda was invited to contribute as a facilitator for “How do systems change? Interactive workshop on change in systems using systems thinking” as well as a panelist for the “Fireside chat: Can you change systems? An interdisciplinary look into taking matters into your own hands” together with Johannes Stangl, activist and co-founder of Fridays For Future Austria.

Karin Huber-Heim, BCSSS leader of the Research Group Circular Economy Systems and Stefan Blachfellner, BCSSS Managing Director and leader of the Research Group Socio-Ecological Systems and Design were invited as experts in the afternoon ONE DAY Lab sessions, which allowed participants to explore systemic issues and develop solutions concerning Waste and Food Waste; Gender Equality; and Digitalisation.

Both the fireside chat and the lab sessions showed clearly the increased interest and demand for a better understanding of the systems around us. Young people participated eagerly, which created a highly interactive conference throughout the day. The event stood out especially due to its high level of youth involvement in the core team. The main activities in research, evaluation and event management are all pursued by enthusiastic and dedicated young people who handled the event both professionally and with a lot of positive spirit. In doing so, the core belief of ONE DAY comes to life and can be experienced first hand:

“The world is shaped by you.”

A world full of such proactive, kind and positive people certainly is something, that ONE DAY we can be proud of.