Daniel Sachs at the Impact Summit: How to Engage Young People in Public Affairs (Video)
The Swedish entrepreneur and philanthropist spoke about the Daniel Sachs Foundation, which he co-founded to support political innovation and explore ways to strengthen democracy in times of crisis.
At the age of 40, Daniel Sachs was elected to the board of the Stockholm City Mission, a leading organization for homeless people in Sweden. “I suddenly realized that the tools I had as an entrepreneur proved to be useful not only in the business world but also in the area of social change,” he described one of the pivotal moments in his professional journey. Today, he openly advocates for businesses to take an active role in society and personally supports political innovation in Europe. Through the Apolitical Foundation, he is building a global community of next-generation politicians.
Speaking at the Impact Summit, he recalled how, in 2014, he funded several campaigns to mobilize young voters for the European and later national elections in Sweden. These campaigns included a bus tour across the country, concerts, and meetings with young people. “However, we realized that if we truly want to change young people’s relationship with democracy and politics, we cannot just show up three weeks before the elections and tell them to vote. That creates a very short-term, superficial, and transactional relationship with democracy. If we want real change, we need much longer-term processes and projects to build the foundations of democratic participation,” Sachs emphasized.
To prevent the outflow of young people and to strengthen their trust in democracy and institutions, he established an apolitical academy for young leaders, which now operates in 70 countries worldwide.
Sachs acknowledges concerns about whether supporting young leaders is worthwhile if they are entering corrupt systems. However, he firmly believes that changing the leaders will gradually change the system as well. “Young people must learn that their voice matters and that they can make a difference. I’m happy when young people aspire to power,” he explained.
How can we engage young people in public affairs? How can we convince them to take responsibility for their country and enter politics? And how does the leadership academy select its young participants?
Watch the full conversation between Daniel Sachs and Juraj Porubský below. (Note: The video is in English, without Slovak subtitles.)
Impact Summit is co-financed by the European Union.
Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Education and Culture Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
