The final event of the Economy of Francesco, the initiative that featured some 2000 young economists, entrepreneurs and changemakers from 18 countries around the world, took place from 19 to 21 November.
As a partner of Economy of Francesco, Habacus supported this project because it believes that the training, interaction and active participation of young people are key assets for sustainable development and the creation of a more inclusive and fairer economy.
The project was launched in May 2019, when Pope Francis invited young people to trigger a process of global change, inspired by the spirit of St Francis of Assisi. Since March 2020, the initiative has taken place online, through a digital platform that has brought together the various actors in this process, allowing them to share experiences, academic material, ideas and mutually inspiring questions, no matter where they are located. Each participant was part of one of 12 villages, each addressing specific issues that challenge the conventional way of thinking and working in order to make today’s and tomorrow’s economy fair, sustainable and inclusive, while leaving no one behind.
The three concluding days were based on an innovative, collaborative and holistic programme in which the project’s stakeholders were personally involved through group work, plenary sessions and parallel discussions with keynote speakers, including Muhammad Yunus, Vandana Shiva, Jeffrey Sachs, Pauline Effa and Susi Snyder.
The young people involved wanted to leave a clear message for economists, entrepreneurs, political decision-makers and ordinary people around the world with afinal statement: to commit themselves to a more sustainable and inclusive economy in their local environments.
Habacus shares Economy of Francesco’s values and embraces the message left by this generation. Our mission is to connect students to sustainable finance, to give young people access to education because we believe in the importance of supporting human capital in order to generate value and innovation.
