United Nations Foundation Harnesses Youthful Optimism in Summit of the Future Campaign

The United Nations Foundation partnered with Droga5 to bring the voices of millions of young people around the world together in an effort to drive meaningful conversation and positive change around global issues. The charitable organisation worked closely with the UN - alongside a diverse network of global partners - and the award-winning agency to release a new campaign, titled, 'Once Upon a Future,' in support of the UN’s Summit of the Future, a two-day event that ran as part of the UN General Assembly currently taking place in New York City. At the centre of the campaign sits a 30-minute parallel broadcast, an unprecedented streaming event designed to educate young people on the Summit of the Future in an entertaining manner and ultimately remind world leaders that young people are watching.

When the United Nations Foundation briefed Droga5 with bringing attention to the Summit, it came with a mandate to focus on the next generation. Young people are the ones set to inherit the solutions shared during this historic reset moment, and with 50% of the world under 30, this generation are not waiting in the wings – instead, they are front and centre, urgently wanting to use their voices to enact meaningful, positive change.

As our future hangs in the balance, the choices made today could result in a breakdown or a breakthrough for the better. And at this pivotal moment, there is little room for error, with a lot of fear, pessimism and anger around “what happens if we get it wrong?” So, this campaign engineered a counter response to those darker feelings, one of youthful and intergenerational optimism and drive that changes the conversation around the future by simply asking: "What if we get it right?”

“In a world facing obstacles, it’s time for some big creative swings. For the Summit of the Future, we need unified, engaging, and impactful ideas to help mobilise the next generation of leaders to Act Now for our common future,” said David Ohana, chief communications and marketing officer of the UN Foundation. “Working closely with the UN, we’re determined to not only raise awareness, but also to drive lasting change through exciting, thought-provoking, and unconventional approaches. It’s been a truly global collaboration, which Droga5 has helped bring to life.”

The agency designed this ground breaking initiative to best capture the imagination of young people globally in a format they can relate to, one that brings an active and optimistic attitude to the world’s challenges and what the ideal future could be.

"Leading the creative vision for a campaign of this magnitude is both an honour and a profound responsibility," said Pelle Sjoenell, worldwide chief creative officer of Droga5. "We have been committed to bringing our creative expertise to bear in a way that truly resonates with the world’s youth. This partnership feels like more than a project; it’s a mission to help forge a shared path toward a better tomorrow."

Droga5 found that despite facing significant challenges, gen-z and gen-alpha remain hopeful for a better future, with 90% of them globally seeing the current moment as an opportunity rather than a threat. And since gen-z and gen-alpha don’t consume their news via traditional formats, the broadcast allowed young people around the world to short-circuit the time it would take to get informed about the Summit and commitments for the future. While the solutions discussed at the Summit are vital, these dense statements seldom break the internet. In a perfect world they would, because the outcomes will have an impact on everyone’s lives. The broadcast brought these topics to light with wit, insight, and a fresh perspective to rally more people around solutions and help them succeed. For young people to internalise the important messages communicated, the presentation had to feel authentic. So while the world’s most powerful leaders were in the UN General Assembly Hall, the broadcast shared the news to the good people of the Internet from the storied food cart across the street - an iconic but often overlooked New York institution that has served generations of UN leaders and staff, embodying what the UN stands for and who it serves.

“Young people today live in a world filled with chaos, and they often turn to humour, wit and irony to digest and dissect complex issues,” said Tom McQueen, executive creative director at Droga5. “Hot takes fill their TikTok feeds, late night show monologues are widely shared, and thought pieces are submitted in the comments section. There’s an appeal and accessibility to the way they stay informed - and we wanted to tap into the way they educate themselves here.”

The broadcast was directed by Tim Bierbaum and featured an eclectic cast of internet personalities, UN experts and creators to reach a broad audience globally, including: Felipe Neto; Lea’h Sampson; Heidi Becker; Dan Rosen; Hallie Haas; Liah Yoo; and Pooja Tripathi. United Nations experts included Stéphane Dujarric, UN Spokesperson for the Secretary-General; Elizabeth Cousens, president and CEO, United Nations Foundation; Eddie Ndopu, global humanitarian and social justice advocate; and Noreyana Fernando, World Bank External Affairs Officer, Development Finance. 

The broadcast will continue to live on the UN Foundation’s social channels and YouTube channel well after the Summit has concluded to maximise visibility into the conversations that took place there. To drive mass awareness and invite the world to watch the Summit live, Droga5 launched worldwide OOH, social, online videos and digital display as part of the campaign this past month.

“Real change starts when you believe things can change,” said Jenny Yoon, creative director at Droga5. “There are billions of young people in the world today who still have hope that a better, brighter future is possible for all. This campaign channels that optimistic perspective to reflect on what the future could be if we get things right. We want to remind people that the future is in fact fixable, we just have a pivotal choice to make on which direction to take.”

Droga5’s collaboration with the UN Foundation builds upon a legacy of impactful initiatives the agency has done in support of the United Nations, including collaborations with UNESCO for World Press Freedom Day in 2018, with Beyoncé for World Humanitarian Day in 2012, and with UNICEF’s Tap Project in 2007.