Over the past six weeks, Karolina Rucinska and Camille Lovgreen have shared a series of short stories, each one highlighting a key element of sustainable development that has helped shape a post-Net Zero Wales of 2051.

In this post, we aim to distil the key lessons we’ve learned and talk about how we came to write the stories. We know from trailblazers like the Arts Council of Wales and Futerra how important storytelling can be in moving towards transformational change. We also know that these stories need to reflect people from all walks of life and recognise that we can all drive change, whatever our role or job title. These stories aim to ignite conversations and add more puzzle pieces to the exciting, complex mix of solutions we’ll need to reach a fairer, more secure future. 

Whether it’s through sharing these stories, applying some of these initiatives in practice, or sparking conversations about sustainable development, we believe that each of us has a part to play in this ongoing narrative. 

How it all started

We, Camille and Karolina, originally wanted to organise a series of hands-on workshops to help SMEs explore how different, and sometimes overlooked, skills can help ready their workforce for a low-carbon economy. 

But to do so we needed an introduction, preferably a vision-setting piece that describes the impact green skills can make on one’s work. And we wanted to describe the impact of green skills in every line of work, not just in the energy or manufacturing sector.  

Before we knew it, we had created six characters and a future vision in which people in Wales live better lives through a complete system makeover. 

How it went

Every week, we published a story, set in the future, describing a day in the life of a person who meets a journalist who wants to learn about what went well for Wales.  

In doing so, we described what Wales could look like and what work, housing, schooling, farming and local governance could look like.   

In telling these short stories and giving voice to our six characters – Adi, Cameron, Luke, Aman, Cleo, and Gwen-Eddo – we wanted to highlight the role of skills that made that future possible and, more importantly, the role of government in creating conditions to use, elevate, and apply diverse skills, knowledge, capabilities and lived experiences.  

Although it was fiction, we drew inspiration from real people, social enterprises and initiatives, and the solutions we hear and read about but which have not yet become mainstream.  

Many ideas we presented in our stories were based on Welsh social enterprises. Having lived, studied, and worked outside Wales, we also drew on inspiring examples from other countries that show different, more inclusive, more holistic ways of doing things. We know that there are many more examples, from all sectors, that we could not include. 

When writing the stories, it became apparent that each sector we described, whether infrastructure, farming, or education, had to support another sector and that the demise of one business can negatively impact the ability of another business to stay afloat. This reinforced us in the conviction that all sectors are connected, and with them, the lives of our characters and the lives of people now, here in Wales and the world. 

The creative aspect of writing was relatively easy compared to our efforts to translate the vision of green skills into recommendations for hiring managers, recruiters, and directors of small and large organisations.  

To do so, we had to come back to reality and create events in which we explained green skills by giving examples, showing ways to embed these into existing jobs, and exploring what the future could hold for all families. We drew on existing toolkits, live job descriptions and reports to inform two online sessions.  

The Wales 2051 story series and practical sessions we delivered made us realise that the green skills agenda must not be taken for granted. It needs continuous reinforcement, whether through training, events, tutorials, or storytelling, to show that green skills matter to every job.

Where next?

This exercise has sparked excitement across our team as to how else we can use storytelling and initiatives like the Wales 2051 series to make sustainability concepts more relatable and achievable. We invite you, the reader, to share any ideas about how these stories can be further built upon and utilised. 

We’d like to thank all the individuals and organisations that provided the inspiration for this set of stories. You can find some of them below. We also drew from our experience in supporting the Mainstreaming Evidence in the Just Transition evidence panel and discussions around future skills linked to the foundational economy. 

We hope these stories and others like them become a talking point around creating conditions for everyone to thrive. 

If you would like Karolina and Camille to share more insights from this creative process, the role of storytelling in bringing about change, and of course our suggestions around recognising, valuing and embedding green skills, please get in touch! Email us at shwmae@cynnalcymru.com.

Please note that some AI-generated content is included in the featured image for this piece.

List of inspiration: 

Infrastructure

• Legal and General 
• Future Generation’s Leadership academy 
• National Assembly for Wales 

Education

• Health WellBeing (Hwb) group 
• Wales Biodiversity Partnership 

Business collaboration

• CEIC Wales 

Farming

• Refugee Employment Network 
• The Experimental Farm Network 

Health care

• Hilary Cottam – Radical Help – Wellogram Programme 
• Public Health Wales: Applying long-term thinking to reduce health inequalities 
• https://neweconomics.org/uploads/files/5abec531b2a775dc8d_qjm6bqzpt.pdf

Policy/community engagement

• https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/27/taiwan-civic-hackers-polis-consensus-social-media-platform

General organisations and initiatives that have inspired us: 

• Arup 
• The Design Council 
• Ellen MacArthur Foundation 
• SME Climate Hub 
• UN Global Compact Network UK 
• Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) 
• Business in the Community 
• Slow Food Movement 

Following a stimulating visit to a city-based community farm the day before, the journalist travelled to a more rural area to meet Cleo – a doctor at a community practice known for its innovative approaches to health challenges. 

A day in the life of Cleo  

When he entered the practice, he met Cleo and a team of five nurses in a clinic that contained three medical examination rooms, the reception area, an office space and lounge area for the staff.   

The journalist was keen to know what made this clinic so different to the others he had visited on his European journey.  

Cleo responded, “Well, a lot of our work deals with public health and prevention. One example is our work with schools, as we used to see so many kids under ten with cavities and poor dental hygiene. 

“Several times a year we visit schools and work with the teachers to find fun ways to teach kids and their parents the right way to brush teeth. It’s a simple intervention, but we collaborate with the two dental offices in town and so we know it’s effective. Engaging with the children at their own pace and in ways that they can relate to have been important strategies. 

“We also have a programme to support parents, and particularly pregnant mothers, with nutrition and access to healthy, affordable food – sometimes connecting them with cookalong clubs or food co-ops. We listen to the challenges that people face – which might be money, time, fussy eaters, allergies – and find solutions that can work for the whole family. 

“Although the visits are only a small part of our work, it has been rewarding to see a decline in the number of children coming in with basic, preventable health conditions. This gives us more time to deal with more challenging health cases, and it feels like we’re building a closer connection to our community.”

Sharing is caring   

“Another initiative we have successfully implemented focuses on reciprocity – capturing the enthusiasm of many recovered patients to ‘give back’ to services that supported them. The programme allows previous patients to help current or recovering ones – for example those leaving hospital who may not yet be completely independent.  

“For those where practical and emotional support cannot be provided adequately by friends or family, our programme can help. Regular visits from a previous patient who has undergone the same thing helps manage isolation during recovery. Practical support lets patients recover faster with less worry about tasks such as cleaning or shopping. 

“This approach, building on the successful Helpforce programme, has been instrumental in enabling nurses and other staff to focus on duties where their competencies are more acutely needed.  

“It’s an optional programme, but many former patients have themselves thrived on the reciprocity and love it so much that they have become permanent volunteers in the programme. 

“It works because we are constantly listening to what our patients and volunteers need, so we know how best to use their skills and benefit from their ideas.” 

Relating and tuning into systems   

“Another important programme we run has been inspired by Hilary Cottam’s Wellogram Programme. 

“Like other social prescribing models, it’s for our patients who suffer from a complex range of social, emotional, economic and physical ailments that cannot be solved in one doctor’s visit.  

“We have trained ‘listening’ workers who take time to meet with these patients to simply listen and understand their challenges and needs – and the barriers that may be blocking good physical and mental health.   

“A plan is then decided together, to be worked on at a patient’s own pace, which may or may not involve medication. Other options to combat loneliness, increase exercise, provide more access to nutritious food or help solve financial or emotional anxieties can be equally important. 

“This programme also works to build trusted relationships, support continued good habits, and combat the social isolation that underpins so many problems. Being patient-led is a key ingredient.” 

Supporting patients to take active steps towards healthy lifestyle changes was not only empowering, Cleo explained, but was effective in reducing patients’ ailments. “I feel immensely proud to have seen the changes over the past fourteen years that have successfully tackled some of the issues related to low incomes, poor diets and limited access to or confidence around healthy food and lifestyles.”  

The journalist asked how people on low incomes now had access to nutritious food. Cleo replied that many community-led initiatives had highlighted the health issues of a food system where cheap junk food dominated less affordable fresh, whole foods.  

The response, backed by communities and public bodies, was to encourage and support more home growing, more community allotments, and increased investment into organic farming. Initiatives to support both community and commercial farmers to secure a decent income from sustainable practices had also flourished. 

“And how are all these programmes funded?” the journalist asked. It seemed to him that such programmes would require a lot of funding and resources, and where had that come from?  

Cleo explained that all medical services in the local area shared an allotted health care tax, but just sharing out the money hadn’t been enough to guarantee effective responses. So they had decided to collaborate, to refer patients across the different services, to support and learn from each other’s innovations, and take the best practices forward.  

In addition, the programme’s focus on reciprocity, volunteering and learning actively saved money that could then be invested in other programmes, as well as delivering social and well-being returns. 

Drawing on personal experiences  

Intrigued by what he had heard, the journalist asked how Cleo herself had ended up trialling these programmes. 

“Well, as a kid I looked after my younger brother a lot,” Cleo said. “Which ended up being my entry into care. He’s blind and so needed a lot of assistance.  I learned to simply listen to him, to understand the challenges he was facing, his need for emotional support and the best ways to help him. I realised that I enjoyed it a lot and it let me be closer to my brother.  

“Later, I found a medical degree that looked at new ways of managing public health services. There were three mandatory internships as part of the programme, so I learned from different practices. I was also lucky enough to travel to different parts of the world that had innovative social health care programmes, where I either volunteered or was hired for entry level positions. 

“When I came back to Wales I was eager to experiment with several of the models I’d seen and experienced, and I was fortunate to find a practice already involved with social prescribing and community connectors. By collaborating with others in the region, we have developed more activities and programmes – and here we are!” 

The next week we introduce our last but most important character of all, Gwen-Eddo, a local wellbeing-of-future-generations officer.  

Did you like this story? How did it make you feel? What aspects of the story provoked you the most? Email us on your response on shwmae@cynnalcymru.com  

How can we develop and use the skills needed to create a 2051 we are proud of?    

Have a look at our range of sustainability advice and training services.

Please note that some AI-generated content is included in the featured image for this piece.

Our previous story was about eleven-year-old Cameron, who told the journalist about his education system and the way it equips students with the skills they need to tackle relevant societal challenges. After hearing Cameron’s story, our journalist seizes the opportunity to interview Cameron’s father, Luke, an innovative business developer who has restructured the way businesses operate in Swansea in 2051.   

A day in the life of Luke

Just as Luke was about to bid farewell to the journalist, Adi said, “I think you should show him what you do.” So Luke found himself agreeing to show the journalist around and explain how he had become a business owner. He had hesitated at first, because deep down he felt his business was nothing special. But in fact, his company had tried a different operating method to the traditional shareholder-owned, value-driven business. The next day Luke and the journalist met on the outskirts of Swansea in a circular business hub. The site had plenty of greenery, a network of cycle lanes, the occasional EV delivery truck, painted murals and sculptures, and above all the rhythmic beat of music. The journalist stopped in some surprise. “I didn’t know you were a musician,” he said to Luke.

Luke smiled. “I’m not. I’m a circular economy coordinator, and this is the beating hub of the region.” The journalist’s brow furrowed, and he murmured something polite about the nearby artwork, hoping he hadn’t made it too obvious that he had no idea what Luke meant. If this is some kind of industrial estate, he thought to himself, then why does it have the vibe of a festival?  

Luke pointed out, in a very matter-of-fact way, a bird sanctuary, a vertical farm, a playground for both adults and their children, a canteen full of colourful produce, a walkway up in the sky, and a stream. Amid all of this were rows of warehouses with green walls, containers covered with solar panels, and what looked like a shop. 

It looked like something well-to-do neighbourhoods used to have decades earlier, but in 2051, it was an industrial estate.  

A little sheepishly the journalist admitted that he knew nothing about this hub, so Luke decided to tell him how it came about, what was being produced here, and how it benefitted everyone. 

Luke’s humble entry as a social enterpriser 

“It might surprise you,” Luke began, “to know that I wasn’t into this at all. I was nineteen when the world started falling apart, and I thought, ‘Ah, this is just a temporary downturn.’ Neither my parents nor my mates believed that climate change was going to affect us, and I thought that in no time at all I would be back to renovating houses for well-off people, and I’d retire at the age of forty to travel the world, and maybe settle down. But a year passed, and then another, and I began to panic. I blamed everyone for what was happening, and yet I still kept disputing facts that should have been obvious; I listened to the populist media channels, and followed influencers who had more wealth than two continents combined. I was in a really dark place, and all I wanted was insane wealth myself so I could run away from the city I loved. I didn’t connect my desire for wealth with the destruction of my community, let alone the world. And how could I? Nobody around me said anything, and I didn’t know enough to voice my nagging feeling that something wasn’t right. 

“But then one day I got a place on a six-month long programme with a local enterprise, which combined learning a new trade with building up the confidence to sell new skills. I didn’t know that the training programme was about learning to renovate houses with climate in mind, and acquiring a new business acumen through self-discovery. I was twenty-one at the time of the programme, and oh boy, I hated the first month. I was about ready to abandon the scholarship, but it was well-paid, and with boarding and a guaranteed job at the end, too. 

“So I stayed. I was probably the worst student in the first month, but by month five, I was second, and by the end, I was a top student and felt like Leonardo da Vinci. Okay, maybe I wasn’t able to paint masterpieces,” Luke said with a chuckle, “but I was able to think across disciplines, connect the dots, learn climate science, understand behaviour change science, learn from nature and anthropology how houses used to be built, and circulate materials in a closed-loop system.  

“The key that unlocked that knowledge – well, two keys really – were the tutors and the hands-on learning. Our tutors were blokes like me, who had been told they would amount to nothing, who had immense hunger for change but couldn’t articulate it in any other way than living up to the power and wealth-hungry masculine role models represented in social media. These lads were innovators, artists, and young fathers who had lost more than they gained trying to live up to the standard of living that didn’t deliver on the fundamental front: belonging.”

Connecting the dots to learning, practice, and funding 

Luke continued, “These tutors knew exactly what men go through, and they knew they could only instil a sense of belonging by showing a path where success meets belonging and emotional stability. This is where the second key to my transformation came in: we were placed on renovation projects alongside anthropologists, scientists, electricians, builders – and innovators. We weren’t just there to fix things, but to unlearn what we knew about houses, cities, nature, people and so forth. We had compulsory classes in nature and climate, but also on circular economy and materials science.  

“Because I had experience of renovating houses, it all clicked. I could understand how to build without waste; how to work with nature to reduce the use of artificial lighting; how to change the design of our houses to use rainwater and so on. Often we would draw on ancient literature for our ideas and plans.” 

The journalist asked how the funding for this was made possible, and Luke explained that the government in Wales had realised that they could unlock sustainability by investing in such training, and this was done on a massive scale across industries. When the students found jobs or opened their own businesses, they would sponsor another student; and so this cycle continued and grew bigger and bigger over time, with the government eventually able to step back and let it continue without their intervention. There was a clear understanding that only by investing in those without jobs, those who had lost them due to the unplanned transition, and young people who barely made a dent on the economy, would Wales be able to deliver on its sustainable commitments. 

After explaining this background, Luke moved on to the topic of the hub and his role in it. “When I finished my own training, I began travelling around the programmes in the agricultural sector, in manufacturing, healthcare and so forth, and came to the realisation that not only do we have the same mindset across industries, but we also need each other to keep going. So instead of clustering around sectors, we clustered around challenges and opportunities. This hub is about food challenge: to grow all year round, no waste, no imports; no additives; nutritious; within the carbon and nature budgets; and accessible. My role is to know what is being grown, how we can distribute it to where it needs to be, without packaging that will create waste, and how to create seasonal dishes without making people say ‘This is boring!’.  So we have artists and chefs from around the world making humble foods fun, inspirational and healthy.” 

Learning from nature and working in partnership 

Without prompting, Luke started telling the journalist about the impact of the hub. “It has been a great success because everyone can see how they benefit from being in the ecosystem of a challenge and opportunity, rather than in an ecosystem of competition, where the winner takes all but eventually loses as the newbie takes over. So we are learning from nature to be symbiotic, not parasitic! Which is why you see so much nature here. 

“We apply the same principles to our processes, we think before we use, we reuse or redesign and recycle, and so the system-thinking approach for us was the biggest game changer. Don’t get me wrong, some people do still want to have a more indulgent lifestyle, and want to keep the profit for themselves. And they can, but only after they’ve paid their fair share to the hub, the tax office and to the training programme. We recognise that there are moments in every business cycle where some things are done better than others, and that things can change due to the weather and other elements we can’t predict. That’s why we don’t envy someone else’s bumper year. We celebrate it, knowing this will benefit us all in the long term, and when a business has a lean year, others will come to the rescue. The collaboration and structure of working in the hub have made it evident that the businesses here are interdependent. If one breaks down, the rest will struggle. So on balance, we all win. However, until we had a few cycles of ups and downs, we couldn’t see the true value of this model. That’s why it was so important that the government held to its promise to support the programme and the hubs until we reached that new balance and learn to adapt to change and embrace it. 

“Our challenges are well predicted because we have climate models, and we know what effect they will have on us, so we plan years in advance. We have planning and strategy teams that work on new ideas while the old ones still function perfectly well. There are no questions as to why we plan for the future, because we know this is what a smart business owner does – plan ahead for foreseeable future challenges with a positive, yet realistic outlook.”  

The journalist raised his eyebrows slightly, wondering whether to say that perhaps this utopia only worked as a small, local model. But Luke had anticipated the question, and was already answering it. “This model is now used worldwide, because we know that collaboration yields more than competition. And look at us – we’re all still giddy here in this hub. We work hard, but we know it’s worth it for us, for our children, our colleagues, and citizens worldwide. 

“I love what I do, and I wish that everyone around the world could see the point of it. I get to have time with my family, I have a great life, I live in a beautiful home, and I eat healthy food. I don’t need the stuff I used to want, because the stuff I have now is perfect, it lasts and it can be passed on. I don’t need to chase after money to buy things that end up in the bin. My mates feel the same, and so we spend time outdoors here in beautiful Wales. It took time to restore it, but we got there in the end, which is why we cherish what we have.” 

For the first time the journalist was speechless, with no more questions to ask. Luke smiled again. “I’ve barely let you get a word in, have I? Go and enjoy the hub for a bit – have a wander around and soak up the atmosphere – and I think you’ll start to understand.”

Did you like this story? How did it make you feel? What aspects of the story provoked you the most? Email your response to shwmae@cynnalcymru.com.

Follow next week’s story about Aman, a refugee and farmer from the horn of Africa  who uses his expertise in flood resilience to turn the farmlands at a community farm into a flourishing community hub. 

How can we develop and use the skills needed to create a 2051 we are proud of? Join Karolina and Camille for a free online Green Skills event on 28^th May. 

And how about training in climate and nature? Even better, why not help us help you become a future-proof business? Take a look at our range of services.

Please note that some AI-generated content is included in the featured image for this piece.

Our previous story was about Adi showing Swansea to a journalist who was eager to learn why Wales in 2051 is such a thriving nation. But it is not the end of his travels. Having spent time with Adi cycling around the city, he is now introduced to Cameron, an eleven-year old boy whom Adi babysits.

A day in the life of Cameron

Cameron swung the door open, his mother right behind him. He looked out to see Adi accompanied by an older man, who introduced himself as a journalist who had come to interview Cameron and his parents about his school and his experience of going there. Cameron’s face lit up with joy at the sight of Adi. Adi was more than just a neighbour and babysitter; she was his friend. At least, she had smiled warmly and said “Absolutely” when Cameron once shyly asked if she would be his friend.

He was always happy to see Adi because she would play fun games with him, and tell him about her work projects retrofitting the city sustainably, which he liked to hear about. He tried to imagine a mini version of his local area in his head; similar to but more intricate than the car roadmap carpet he had had when he was younger, which his brother now played with. He liked to imagine the landscape in miniature, as it would be from a helicopter, so that he could mentally view all the changes to the cityscape Adi talked about. He liked maps and nature. He also liked that Adi didn’t just tell him about the new building projects, but would explain how all the different aspects had been thought through – like accessibility for all people, the most suitable building materials to use to minimise ecosystem harm, how waste was recycled or repurposed, and how homes for wildlife were built in. The wildlife cameras and sonar equipment were his favourites, and Adi always let him listen to her recordings. He was learning many of these things in school, but listening to Adi they became more real, and he was able to imagine the miniature landscape of the area more clearly.

Learning through others

After exchanging formal introductions they settled down comfortably in the living room, although Cameron felt slightly nervous about answering the reporter’s questions. The first question was what Cameron enjoyed most about his school. Cameron thought about it, and then replied that he liked the buddy system, the volunteering days, the building modules, seeing his friends, and learning in general. He explained that the buddy system was a programme where all students were paired-up with a student from the year above them, to offer help with learning and with fitting in to the new school year. At his school, primary and secondary classes were held within the same grounds, so Cameron mentored a kid a year younger than him from the primary school, but also had his own mentor from the year above him. This system was put in place to prevent bullying, which had worked in the past in other countries and was rolled out in Wales too. Cameron had a big brotherly relationship with the kid he was teaching, and a strong desire to help and protect him. Cameron had also become good friends with his own mentor, whom he had now known for three years.

Learning with food

Next Cameron described the volunteering days – four days spread over the year when all the students would get involved in a project in their local area. Most recently they had all gone to the local community farm that helped supply nutritious and organic food to the school’s cafeteria. They had spent the whole day there, and they had all helped to harvest crops, feed the animals, and learn what was required for farming and how healthy soil is important for nutritious food. They had picked fruit and berries to eat and bring home.

Cameron had really enjoyed seeing how the food he ate every day ended up on his plate, and he enjoyed learning in a more practical way. The farm visit was a fixed yearly volunteering day, but the remaining three days were suggested and collectively chosen by the students, with the only requirement being that the project must make a positive social or environmental contribution to the local area. The next volunteering day would involve a regeneration project where students would plant native, pest-resistant tree species in parts of the city suffering from the new pathogens that had been introduced as a result of the warmed climate. The project would also help to provide shading and cooling for the city, and had been agreed in partnership with the Welsh Infrastructure Commissioner’s Office.

Learning by designing

Thirdly, Cameron explained that the environmental construction modules were weekly lessons where he and his classmates were introduced to technical environmental skills and given the chance to put them into practice. Projects ranged from building hydroponics to bird houses with green roofs, nature ponds, edible gardens and rainwater harvesting systems. It was still sometimes called Forest School by the older teachers even though, Cameron explained, all his friends called it EC, short for environmental construction. Cameron was excited about all the projects and felt encouraged by what he was learning, knowing that he would be able to use that knowledge to help his community thrive despite the difficult environmental challenges that all nations were facing.

Cameron paused and glanced from his mother to Adi, silently asking for confirmation that he had done a good job of explaining his school projects. Both were looking at him with immense pride. He looked down at the floor with a small smile on his lips, feeling a mixture of shyness and encouragement. The journalist said, “Cameron, that’s incredible and very inspiring.” He then followed up with his next question, asking what Cameron learned in school.

Learning by connecting diverse knowledge

Cameron once again took his time to think about the question, and then answered that he learned about history from different perspectives around the world, including Welsh folk traditions; maths; and economics, learning about many different economic models, including the old-fashioned ones that had only measured outputs around money and productivity. He explained that now the economic system was more complicated and was focused on nations’ well-being, security, and their ability to deal with hard times. Cameron asked what the water scarcity indicator had been when the correspondent was in school, and was bemused to learn that in the correspondent’s day, no such thing existed. Cameron also studied English, Welsh, geography, science and sustainability. Other subjects were arts, music, physical education, nutrition and computing.

Cameron explained that in all the different modules he studied, he learned about the impact of the subject on people and the planet. Almost everything they learned in the classroom they were given the opportunity to try out in practice. Meanwhile, the community volunteering and his country’s progress in the green transition made him feel a great sense of passion, excitement and belonging, while simultaneously learning about and embracing his Turkish heritage.

Learning by drawing on social skills and feedback

He liked that the teachers taught ways of learning. For example, they not only set tasks for group work, but also taught strategies for the students to learn effective collaboration. This also applied to other soft skills, such as active listening, leadership, communication, and analytical thinking. “No wonder an eleven-year-old can speak so eloquently,” the correspondent thought to himself. Cameron told the journalist he also really liked the fact that his teachers offered the students choices about what and how they learned.

Cameron’s dad had returned to the living room, and he said that from a parent’s perspective, he was happy that aspects of the curriculum were reviewed at fixed intervals and co-constructed by learners’ continuous feedback, as well as input from parents and carers, the local community, and experts who all contributed to curriculum development to ensure it remained relevant to local and global circumstances. Moreover, local and national schools shared best practice with each other, which had enabled a faster reworking of the curriculum to the stage it had reached today. Many of these practices were proposed by the Health WellBeing (Hwb) group of the Welsh Government around 2020. Cameron’s mother added that they were also grateful for the mandate to keep education free of cost to make it accessible for everyone.

Learning by helping others

A brief silence fell in the room before the journalist posed his next question, asking Cameron what he was most excited about doing a year from now. This time, Cameron didn’t have to think. He already knew the answer, as he had been waiting for this for a long time. He was most excited about the opportunity to learn how to use the most up-to-date technology at the local tech centre. The following year his school class would start a computer learning class which would progress from the basics to more in-depth teaching from professionals working in the field of technology.

Cameron’s mother explained that some of the profits from the community’s renewable energy farm had been spent on a shared tech centre, which all schools in the local area could use to stay on top of emerging trends. Cameron added that he was also excited about next year’s one-week work placement. Noticing the journalist’s confused expression, Cameron’s mother explained that over the past decades there had been much more emphasis placed on helping all children find careers that suited their skills, and helping employers understand the range of talent available to them. Work experience now started at a younger age and had become much more integrated within the education system. This built ties between businesses and communities, and had generated many different but equally respected career paths. Cameron added that he couldn’t wait to start his first placement – at Adi’s company. At that moment Adi felt like a proud sister, and she couldn’t believe how much of an inspiration she had been to Cameron.

Follow next week’s story about Cameron’s dad Luke, who runs a business benefitting not just his family, but the entire region and the planet too!

How can we develop and use the skills needed to create a 2051 we are proud of? Join Karolina and Camille for a free online Green Skills event on 28^th May. 

Please note that some AI-generated content is included in the featured image for this piece.

A day in the life of Adi 

What struck Adi first as she stepped outside her office building to meet the news correspondent was his unfeigned fascination with his surroundings.

He was clearly astounded to find himself walking through what seemed almost like a small forest, in stark contrast to the highly industrialised area of Swansea that he had known twenty-five years earlier. He couldn’t help but share his amazement, talking animatedly for several minutes about the innovative urban designs that supported the climate resilience he had witnessed around the city. It was only then that he realized he hadn’t introduced himself, and hastened to do so.

“I’m Adi,” she replied with a smile, extending her hand for a shake.

Building sustainable infrastructure with people and nature in mind

She welcomed him inside her office and explained the features and construction of the building, which ran on 100% community-owned renewable energy – all citizens and businesses in the local area co-owned a solar and hydro plant that supplied the whole neighbourhood. In fact, most of Wales was now organised to foster greater collaboration, ownership, fair power and resource distribution between local communities and private and public sectors. Adi explained that her area’s surplus energy was primarily sold to companies in neighbouring nations, and the money gained was invested in community projects that enriched social life and improved transport and infrastructure systems following nature alignment principles. Investment decisions were taken collectively, and overseen by a body of elected local representatives and community staff, whose salaries were also paid from the profits of the energy surplus.

She looked over at the journalist and saw that he was frozen in his note-taking, forgetting to write down what she was saying. She chuckled and went on to tell him about her role helping retrofit the streets of Swansea to create people- and nature-friendly urban hubs with bigger, safer and fully-connecting transport lanes. This included large areas of green space, more public seating areas, and more covered outdoor hangout spots with play and sports areas for kids and adults alike. The infrastructure had been developed to ensure that all necessary daily needs were reachable within a twenty-minute walking or wheeling radius – an ambition first set out in the early 2000s. The substantial amount of shared, accessible communal space had made the transition to reduced private space easier.

A shift to car-sharing and efficient and reliable public transport, powered by clean energy, had begun when growing public dissatisfaction with rising financial costs for transport and fuel, staggering levels of air pollution from transport negatively affecting public health, and excessive congestion from an increasing number of lone drivers, reached its peak. Efficient public transport now connected different areas across Swansea, and by making transport in its various forms accessible, reliable, and safe, 93% of the Swansea population now cycled, walked, or used public transport to get around the city. This transition, alleviating a lot of the need to dedicate land to car parking, had freed up more space for transport lanes and the nature-inspired drainage systems that were needed to cope with the changed rainfall patterns.

Both were quiet for a moment while Adi let the news correspondent absorb all this information. He squinted, as though thinking hard, and finally shared an observation that compared to other European cities he had travelled to, he had noticed that in Swansea (the first Welsh city he had been to) many more individuals, families and groups of friends spent more time outdoors in the urban green spaces and hangout spots. They looked happier and healthier.

Collaborative and integrated thinking

“What enabled this transition?” he asked.

Adi took a deep breath, and explained that the current environmentally resilient infrastructure across Swansea had, in large part, been enabled by a shift in attitude towards an experimental and trial and error approach, which was made possible by combining local knowledge, the latest technology, and historical resources, with citizen assemblies working alongside engineers, builders, policymakers and ecologists. This hands-on collective intelligence had led to clean air, a more active lifestyle, and greater environmental resilience thanks to nature- and culture-inspired solutions. This last was important, because the effects of changing climate were still being felt. Still, thanks to collaboration and innovation across the city, the built environment could adapt to flooding, overheating or drought with much less disruption to daily life than had been initially feared.

During a tour of the office the journalist was introduced to Adi’s colleagues, who revealed an enthusiastic and happy attitude to work. They told him about their flexible working week, which gave staff enough time to recuperate and allowed them to be more creative and energetic during their work hours, and about the pleasure of having a supportive work environment that empowered workers to grow their skills, knowledge and networks in a relaxed and plant-filled office. He was pleased to hear that they all received a fair wage, ensuring that they could meet their own and their families’ needs (and recreational activities) in safe and secure working conditions. Adi explained that these favourable conditions had been put in place following guidance from the Welsh Government’s Guide to Fair Work, which had now been in operation for decades.

One question that remained unanswered was how Adi came to obtain and develop her skills. To find out, he had first to meet her parents, who were key to developing her learning mindset.

Learning mindset with intercultural roots

After shadowing her day at work, the pair crossed the city by bike, the fresh evening breeze on their faces. Looking over her shoulder, Adi saw that her new journalist friend was grunting and sweating, completely out of breath as he tried to keep up with her. She slowed down, realising that he probably wasn’t used to regular cycling.

When they reached her parents’ apartment eight minutes later, she offered him a glass of cold water while, drenched in sweat and struggling to get a word past his lips, he introduced himself to her parents. Adi’s father gave a loud, heart-warming belly laugh. “That’s why I always insist on leaving ten minutes before Adi, to not end up like you.” Adi’s mother apologised on behalf of her family and offered him a seat and a spread of homecooked food that she had prepared for his arrival. Humbled and surprised, he accepted appreciatively. The food was traditional Zimbabwean cuisine, from recipes passed on for generations, and all the produce was locally and organically Welsh-grown, by famers who had embraced new crops and practices compatible with the changed climate. He couldn’t remember the last time he had eaten such flavourful and nourishing food, so he relished every bite and, for a time, completely forgot that he was there to interview Adi and her family. The lively conversation around the table made him feel welcome, and only when Adi’s mother brought up the topic of agricultural drought in Zimbabwe as a result of climate change, which had contributed to their decision to move to Wales forty years earlier, did he remember to ask questions. He learned that Adi’s parents had owned a large plot of land in Zimbabwe where they had grown all sorts of grains, vegetables and fruits. Their generational farming practices had mitigated a lot of the impact of the drought, and they had become local leaders and expert advisors to other farmers who had neglected traditional forms of farming, and consequently had suffered more from the agricultural drought. A movement for traditional farming practices had risen in the country. Yet many neighbouring countries, still relying heavily on commercial farming practices, had been struck by drought and were significantly affected by poor agricultural output. This reduced the global supply of food, increasing food prices even in Zimbabwe to levels that had previously been unimaginable, and creating a race to procure food, especially from high income-earning countries. This shift in the economic landscape triggered Adi’s parents’ decision to move to Wales while they still had enough money to afford the expensive journey.

With his mouth still half full of roasted, seasoned green beans, the correspondent asked why they had decided to come to Wales specifically, and what the move had been like. They explained that it had been terribly hard to create a new home in a foreign country and to adapt to a different culture, but that their familiarity with a close friend already living in Wales had made the transition easier. Besides having existing ties with loved ones in the country, their choice of Wales was also rooted in the reasoning that they had to move somewhere north to be further away from the impact zone of extreme weather conditions. Now their expertise in climate resilience and farming had positioned them as leading advisers to executing green transition plans in Wales.

Adi continued the conversation, saying that when she was a kid, her parents would always tell her stories about how they had responded to drought and the associated agricultural challenges in collaboration with their local community in Zimbabwe. Hearing these stories growing up was what drew Adi to work with climate resilience in the infrastructural sector, and to become a voice for ethnic youth’s inclusion in the green transition.

Lived experience and intergenerational knowledge

She recognised early on that for a holistic transition in Wales to happen, it needed to welcome all ethnic groups, so she applied for a Leadership academy open to young people with a connection to Wales. The academy focused on integrating technical knowledge with creativity, indigenous worldviews, and empathy, to ensure that participants from all walks of life could develop solutions fit for this generation and those to come. The academy produced exceptional talents who went on to teach, farm, care for the elderly, rebuild cities, use local energy, and work in hospitality, planning and governance. The principles behind this programme, which was started back in the day by the Future Generations Commissioner’s Office and had become mainstream in further education, was one of the best investments Wales had made. The principles fostered by the academy and similar projects recognised the wide range of skills in young people and helped preserve folk knowledge through intergenerational learning experiences.

After a delicious dinner, Adi and the journalist again cycled through the chilly evening breeze on their bikes. At 6:30pm, she reached her home in a nature-inspired apartment complex where she would babysit her neighbour’s eleven-year-old son, Cameron, for a few hours.

 Follow Cameron next week to learn about education under a green transition and the eco apartment complex he and Adi live in.  

Please note that some AI-generated content is included in the featured image for this piece.

How can we develop and use the skills needed to create a 2051 we are proud of? Join Karolina and Camille for three free online Green Skills events on 14th, 21st, and 28th May.