- Six years of empowering children through sustainability focused storytelling initiatives.
- 131 bilingual stories reflect young perspectives on responsibility and future communities.
- Teacher Champion Award honours educators shaping confident, creative student voices.
- Child led Gazette newsletter expands learning into journalism and collaboration.
A room filled with young storytellers, educators, and literary leaders gathered in Dubai this January to celebrate a milestone that speaks quietly but powerfully about the future. Voices of Future Generations marked six years of nurturing young writers across the region, celebrating not just stories on a page, but confidence, imagination, and a shared sense of responsibility for the world ahead.
Hosted during the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, the ceremony brought together students aged eight to twelve, alongside teachers and education leaders who have helped guide their voices. Since its launch, the initiative has published six anthologies featuring 131 professionally edited stories in both Arabic and English. Each one reflects how children see sustainability, community, and possibility, shaped by their lived experiences and hopeful outlooks.
At its heart, Voices of Future Generations is about ownership. Children imagine futures they want to live in, then learn how to articulate those ideas with clarity and purpose. This year’s celebration reflected that growth, with attendees including HH Sheikha Hissa bint Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Goodwill Ambassador for the initiative, and senior representatives from education, culture, and sustainability sectors across the UAE.
Educators also took centre stage in 2026 with the introduction of the Teacher Champion Award. The new category recognises teachers who have gone beyond curriculum requirements to embed sustainability, creative thinking, and storytelling into everyday classroom life. Winners were honoured across both English and Arabic categories for lesson planning, mentorship, student engagement, and community building.
The programme’s evolution continues with initiatives designed to deepen learning. This year saw the launch of The Gazette, a child led newsletter that introduces students to journalism fundamentals such as research, reporting, and collaboration. It offers a natural extension to the anthology model, giving young writers a platform to work together, refine their voices, and explore real world storytelling skills.
Each anthology remains inspired by the UN Sustainable Development Goals, capturing themes of environmental care, social equity, and shared responsibility. Together, the six collections present a mosaic of ideas shaped by curiosity and hope, showing how sustainability resonates deeply when framed through young perspectives.
As Voices of Future Generations enters its next chapter, its impact is clear. By combining storytelling, education, and sustainability, the initiative continues to give children a voice in shaping the future they will inherit, and the confidence to believe their ideas truly matter!
