Grow the Future Day
Drought, floods, extreme heat. More than a billion children now live with at least three climate risks at once. It shapes their whole daily life — school, health, safety and the family’s livelihood. At the same time, many of the most effective solutions are locally led, developed together with children and young people.
On 28 September 2026, Barnfonden invites you to an afternoon at Studio in Malmö, where nine organisations working closest to children — in Kenya, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Ukraine and Sri Lanka — share what they are seeing and what they are doing about it.
You will get an insight into innovations with real power to change things, and hear first-hand what the climate crisis looks like from where children live it.
This day is for you if you
Develop solutions in water, energy, farming, circular economy, heat management or disaster preparedness — and want to see where they could do the most good. Nine organisations will be there with concrete challenges.
Work with climate and sustainability in local government, business or civil society, and want to hear what the transition looks like where the consequences are already greatest.
Study or research climate, development, human rights or urban planning.
Support Barnfonden as a sponsor, donor or corporate partner, and want to meet the people doing the work.
Program
Programme
13.00 Welcome
Martina Hibell, Secretary General of Barnfonden, and Yasemin Arhan Modéer, moderator and CEO of Altitude. The day opens with a film made ahead of the COP30 climate summit in Belém, in which children and young people from ChildFund Alliance’s work describe how climate change is affecting their lives.
13.10 The climate crisis in 2026
Peter Alestig, climate editor at Dagens Nyheter and author of Världen som väntar, on where the climate crisis stands right now, what the past year of extreme weather has taught us, and what is at stake. Peter is a former Africa correspondent.
13.30 Children’s rights in a changing climate
Velma Oseko, climate advisor at Barnfonden and the architect of its climate training programme, on what the climate crisis does to children’s safety, health and schooling. In conversation with Rabeya Begum, Shariatpur Development Society in Bangladesh, Zinash Fitala, DCFCO in Ethiopia, and Yuliya Maliyenko, Child Well-being Fund Ukraine.
14.00 Climate and democracy — two challenges, one struggle
Anders Mildner, head of advocacy at Altitude Foundation, on how the global rollback of democracy is bound up with our shrinking chances of meeting climate targets — and what it would take to turn that around. In conversation with John Wahome Kingori, Pioneer Child Development Programme in Kenya, Shahabuddin Panna, Nazrul Smriti Sangsad in Bangladesh, and Aditi Ghosh, Thrive Lanka in Sri Lanka.
14.45 Break
Coffee and something to eat.
15.10 Locally led solutions
Martina Hibell on how Barnfonden works with innovation and partnership, and how you can take part. In conversation with Esther Mwikali Kiilu, AFOSI in Kenya, Girma Debebe Mekuriya, CCFDO in Ethiopia, and Alvaro Vargas, Estrella del Sur in Bolivia.
15.45 Where do we go from here?
Yasemin Arhan Modéer in conversation with Peter Alestig, Martina Hibell and the audience.
16.00 Mingle
Drinks and snacks.
Meet the organisations at their stands
During the mingle, all nine organisations will be at their own stands. Each one shows the challenge they are working on, the solutions they are developing, and what they need to go further — expertise, contacts, technology or research partners. Come and talk to them.
Nine ways to meet the climate crisis
Unite for Children, Youth and Environment connects climate change with children’s rights. Across six countries, work is under way to build resilience to climate change, with young people developing and leading their own climate solutions in areas including green innovation, circular economy, advocacy and disaster preparedness.
The programme runs from October 2025 to December 2028 and is funded by Barnfonden and Swedish development aid through Sida.
Practical information
Date: 28 September
Time: 13.00–16.00, followed by a mingle with drinks and snacks
Venue: STUDIO Malmö
Language: English
Cost: free of charge