To set the context for the Afterword, this in-the-moment analysis of the Fridays For Future (FFF) presence at COP26 in Glasgow typifies many of the central themes of this book. It describes the atmosphere and dynamics of the youth activism that took place during COP26 which formed the backdrop of this book coming into existence. Intergenerational solidarity and alliances with indigenous community members, members of the Global South and minority groups become key markers, showing how activist spaces have the potential to become, and prefigure, what more equitable forms of collectivity (consisting of multiple agendas and ideologies) could look and feel like in coexistence. It ends with a warning for adults to resist positioning young people on generational terms as their heroes for a better future but ask themselves what knowledge they can share to support young people to reimagine the status quo.

FFF, a global and youth-led environmental movement that uses strike tactics to take action on issues of ecological and social justice, put out a call to action to ‘#UprootTheSystem’ on Friday 5 November 2021 during the United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Scotland. An estimated 30,000 people (Davies, 2021) attended this strike on the streets of Glasgow, while ‘more lobbyists for big polluters than any national delegation’ took their seats inside the COP26 halls (Global Witness, 2021).

This FFF strike was one of the most ethnically, politically and generationally diverse I had attended in the two-and-a-half years I have been following them across the UK. This is not of great surprise considering the high-profile nature of this strike. Starkly observable were contending and conflicting political and apolitical messages and agendas among groups and individuals. Although there were no visible right-wing messages on placards, from far left to the apolitical, solutions ranged from ‘socialist change to end climate change’ to demands for social justice like ‘where are the Global South voices?’. Policy change initiatives like calling for the Green New Deal and individual behaviour changes such as ‘eat less meat’ and ‘don't forget to line dry your clothes!’ also featured across the skyline. As flags waved for nations across the globe, people simultaneously chanted “No nations! No borders!”.