Talking about the future is hard. I don’t know what the world is going to look like in the year 2050, but I do have a bit of a vision for what I would like to see happen in Europe at that time. Now, so much has happened on this continent over the past few centuries. There have been immense achievements – breakthroughs for humanity, really – and I am not just talking about the legacy following the Second World War. It’s really amazing walking through the capitals of Europe and viewing beautiful works of architecture and art and sculptures. But, more often than not, I like to remind myself that a lot of the source of that wealth and that influence comes from a perhaps not happy legacy. Now, I know that it’s a sensitive topic to talk about, but I hope that, in 2050, Europe will have a much more meaningful and impactful public memory of the legacy of imperialism and colonialism. So much of what is enjoyed in Europe today comes from the sweat and blood of exploited peoples from Africa and Asia and the Americas. Now, this is not something that is really easy to discuss in black and white terms, I know, but I also know that public memory and public consciousness of the past informs present policy and future outlook much more deeply than perhaps what we can appreciate in our day-to-day life. And I hope that, in the year 2050, Europe will be a space where the past is spoken about and acknowledged much more openly – with due sensitivity of course given to all the circumstances. But that kind of more comprehensive appreciation I hope will help create a more inclusive and welcoming Europe.

Me he montado en un autobús que me ha llevado a una casa rodeada de estrellas de color azul. En esa casa hay muchos barcos con banderas diferentes reflejados en un gran espejo, en cada barco una mesita y dentro de cada mesita hay un mismo mapa, llamado fantasía. Los diarios de abordo cuentan que, ese mapa, llamado fantasía, les guío hacia un puerto, que fue muy dura su travesía pero que a pesar de los fuertes temporales todos y cada uno de esos barcos consiguieron llegar al puerto, un puerto con una sola bandera, una bandera para todos, que no dejaría de lado las que consigo traían. El puerto se llama Unión Europea. Todos los diarios estaban firmados por sus capitanes y todos los capitanes tienen un mismo nombre se llaman “Nosotros.” Me he acercado un poco más al espejo, el espejo de antes, donde se reflejan los barcos, los barcos de antes, en él veo más barcos, más barcos que antes, y veo un calendario que corre muy deprisa, hacia delante. Se ha detenido el calendario y con el tiempo estamos en el año 2050. Veo a mucha gente que habla diferente y a su vez se entienden, veo un continente diverso, unido, hermoso, diferente son “Nosotros” los capitanes Europa del norte, del sur, del este, del oeste ondeando una bandera, como la del puerto donde llegaron antes. Las imágenes pasan despacio, puedo notar la brisa, el aire es limpio mis pulmones se llenan, respiro suave su cálido viento que como la seda sale. Hay grandes praderas, no veo fronteras, los niños ríen y también juegan, hay jóvenes hablando, realizando en conjunto cascadas de ideas. Los mayores están reunidos, resolviendo algún problema, de los que aún quedan. A los más ancianos se les ve sentados, observando a los niños, escuchando a los jóvenes, atentos de los mayores que les están preguntando, por ser ellos ancianos y sabios. El espejo se gira, yo sigo sus pasos, yo sigo mirando. Hay vehículos que se elevan, y no contaminan y gente que viaja, sin moverse de casa, se ve mejor el cielo y hay más planetas, la gente camina por las calles sin cruzar carreteras. Estoy absorto y ensimismado, me doy cuenta que todo ha cambiado, que esta fecha, para los niños ausente, para los jóvenes cercana, para los mayores presente y para los ancianos lejana nos manda un mensaje para seguir confiando, que la diversidad de los pueblos es lo más importante. Que estar unidos es el camino que limpiará el aire, que hará de la tecnología cosas que ahora son impensables, diversas ideas, diversos pensares al unísono encuentran respuestas correctas para “Nosotros”, sus capitanes. El espejo se detiene y las imágenes se paran y con “Nosotros”, con el mismo nombre, hay otro mapa, crucemos mareas, superemos temporales, aguantemos con fuerza las adversidades. Si lo hacemos juntos, si lo hacemos de verdad, este nuevo mapa, Fantasía, se hará realidad.

Hi, my name is Tamara. I’m a student from Ukraine. I will try to communicate my vision of Europe in 2050. I believe that Europeans can create a model of Europe of 2050. How? Through education! After all, those who will form Europe in 2050 are in kindergartens and schools now. Proper education can help European children to realize their best potential and become “This next generation (which) has the unique opportunity to complete the job: to pick up the baton, cross the line, and raise its hands in triumph” (from Hans Rosling “FactFulNess”) I am sure the present system of values and beliefs will determine the future of Europe. What seeds are we sowing in minds of European children now? Seeds of the Peace. In 2015, European peace policy and wise diplomacy most likely will put out the flames of war in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. The flow of migrants will definitely decrease and the refugees will be able to return to their homeland in order to build the future of their countries. Seeds of social equality. A powerful social policy and a tough anti-corruption policy should ensure “fair play” between the rich and the poor in order to eliminate hopeless poverty. Laziness and unwillingness to work will remain the only causes of unemployment in 2050. Seeds of innovation in all areas of human life. Here some of them: Ecological innovations. In 2050, the Europeans will be the first to eliminate the effects of centuries-old environmental pollution. Powerful waste incinerators will make litter one of the main sources of energy in Europe. Thanks to innovation in IT, people can work anywhere without having to visit city offices. Business, education, payment for services and goods, any registration or civil dispute resolution will be online. In 2050, a real De-urbanization boom will start. Living in cottage villages or towns with eco-houses will be very profitable. People of 2050 will witness fantastic innovations in medicine. Diagnostics will be remote and super fast. Stem cells allow scientists to repair the human body like a robot. Innovation in the field of agriculture and genetics will be definitely revolutionary. “Farming from A to Z” will be one of the main subjects in every village secondary school. Thanks to the geniuses who are now in European kindergartens and schools, humanity will say “NO” to hunger even if we are10 billion in 2050! And finally, the main seeds – the Seeds of Love If children feel love and care, all the rest seeds with no doubt will germinate!. This is my vision of Europe in 2050. “You may say that I am a dreamer” Yes I am, and I can confidently go on quoting John Lennon “But I’m not the only one”! Thanks to the materials that have been used in my pitch and my video: Hans Rosling quote from “FactFulNess”, Mozart “The Piano Sonata No 16″ (background music), Tears For Fears ” Sowing seeds of love” (karaoke Instrumental track in final shots), John Lennon quote from “Imagine”, shots from the cartoon “Argonauts” directed by Alexandra Snezhko-Blotskaya, the thematic pictures published in the Internet.

Hi. My name is Anya, I am Ukrainian. I study in the 10th grade and dream of becoming a photographer. Surely each of us was wondering what will be in the distant future. This is our human nature – to think. Since we are a little familiar, let’s take a trip to Europe in the distant 2050, where I will be your guide. J Let’s imagine the usual for us things, in a completely unusual way for us. Instead of food, there will be stick-pack with the liquid mixture, which will give energy for the whole day. People will no longer do boring housework, because it will be engaged in robots. Clothes will look like thermal suits that will protect from SFS, water and dirt. Comfortable stuff, huh? No one is going to be late, because there will be elevators that teleport us to the destination in 5 seconds. People will just forget about such a thing as smartphone that we all depend on now, because all the information will be stored on the chip. People will be able to communicate through mind reading at any distance. Medicine will reach a new level, the cure for incurable diseases will be found. Cancer will no longer be a deadly disease that takes the lives of millions of people. Doctors will be able to make a diagnosis in 3 seconds using a computer. Imagine, you can transplant any part of the body, even the head. Children will be grown as plants in incubators, and everyone will be able to become happy parent. Mars will no longer be a mystery, everyone will be able to visit this planet. It will be as simple as to go to the store for bread. Why not? Since I am a student now, I am wondering what school will be in the future? I will say for sure, school isn’t going to be so boring, or it will not exist at all. There will be many new subjects, such as psychology, teleport, space history, rocket science. There will be no notebooks or books – all information will be stored on chips. There will be no exams that make us quite nervous. Genetic engineering will become the leading science. It will be possible to bring back animals on the verge of extinction or already extinct animals, for example, a mammoth. There will be many new creatures, and instead of fluffy pets we will have dinosaurs, dolphins and many others creatures at home. I hope I’m not stuff your mind, but the world is developing with the speed of electric fire. Europe will develop, and there will be such things that now we can hardly take it in. What the future will be depends on us, so let’s create it together!

We quickly get used to good and convenient inventions, without noticing their influence.What will our world be in many years?Let’s try to figure it out …