Youth
The Delta Programme protects the Netherlands against flooding, ensures that there are adequate supplies of fresh water, and contributes to climate-resilient and water-robust spatial planning for the Netherlands. The aim is to ensure that everyone can live, work and enjoy leisure activities in the Netherlands safely, now and in 50 and 100 years from now. This is, and will remain, a major challenge. Today’s youth will soon be at the helm.
Young people are important for the Delta Programme. New ideas and techniques they devise, and their insights, must be heard. The Delta Commissioner regularly invites schoolchildren, students and young professionals to attend Delta Programme activities.
Young Water Authority
These young people between the ages of 14 and 18 are actively involved in the work of the water authorities and they constitute a ‘young think tank’ for the water authorities. Young water scientists are invited annually to attend and play a role at the national Delta Congress.
Delta Congress
Since 2018, students, trainees and young professionals have attended the national Delta Congress, where they can engage in discussions with professionals. They are also actively involved in content sessions and workshops.
Podcast About Water and Climate
Scholars and students sometimes seem to be even more concerned about the climate than adults. Some of them strike and play truant for the climate. How can young people help to address climate change? And does the younger generation also have something to learn from the previous one? Episode 5 of the Delta Programme podcast series is about the added value of different generations in the Delta Programme.
Reflection on the annual Delta Programme
The Delta Commissioner speaks every year with a number of students and young professionals about the administrative introduction to the Delta Programme. They give their views about the areas they believe are important. Generational testing, for example, to ensure that the interests of subsequent generations will be made clearer and be considered in today’s decisions. The students and young professionals also urged giving greater consideration to vulnerable groups and groups in society that are socio-economically disadvantaged. The Delta Commissioner wants to work with young people to develop a generation test for the Delta Programme and apply the test, at least during the periodical evaluations of the Delta Decisions and preferred strategies in 2026.