Voices of Gen Z: Shaping Transitions in the City of Peace and Justice

On Thursday, October 2, 2025, Voices of Gen Z: Shaping Transitions in the City of Peace and Justice will be presented at Leiden University’s Wijnhaven location in The Hague. Written by Dr. Rosa Groen and Dr. Tahir Abbas, this new publication brings together research on how young people in The Hague engage with social justice, policymaking, and urban transitions.

Program

17.00 hrs – Walk-in

17.30 hrs – Opening remarks by Dr. Tahir Abbas

17.45 hrs – Foreword by Dr. Rosa Groen

18.00 hrs – Discussion between Dr. Groen and Dr. Abbas

18.30 hrs – Closing

Speakers

Rosa Groen

Dr. Rosa Groen is a senior researcher Green and Just Transitions at The Hague University of Applied Sciences. Her work focuses on youth participation, sustainable transitions and democratic engagement, with a particular emphasis on involving students by making use of the Inner Development Goals (IDGs) and transition models. In 2023 she was named Sustainable Lecturer of Higher Education for her efforts to integrate the SDGs into teaching and research.

She is leading EU-funded projects such as EUM POWER (2025-2029) on the rights and inclusion of migrant workers as European citizens, addressing better information sharing for EU-intra labor migrants in 9 different EU regions. She also leads several projects involving young people in The Hague, particularly in Escamp and Moerwijk, addressing issues such as police discrimination, social cohesion and political participation.

Her current research focuses on climate governance and justice, increasing climate action related engagement of primary and secondary school pupils, students, and future teachers. She is a member of the scientific working group of the National Citizens’ Council on Climate. Rosa obtained her PhD with the dissertation Walking the Extra Mile, which explored how governance networks attract and retain international organizations in European cities.

Tahir Abbas

Professor Tahir Abbas is Professor of Criminology and Global Justice at Aston University, and Honorary Professor at the University of Exeter. He was formerly the Professor of Radicalisation Studies at the Institute of Security and Global Affairs, Leiden University (The Hague). His interdisciplinary research focuses on radicalisation, Islamophobia, and ethnic relations, combining political sociology and critical theory.

He has led EU-funded projects such as DRIVE (2021–2024) and PROTONE (2023–2025), addressing violent extremism and the protection of religious spaces. Previously, he held academic positions at Istanbul University and the University of Birmingham, and served in government as a Senior Research Officer.

Prof. Abbas has authored and edited numerous publications, including Ethnicity, Religion, and Education in the UK (Routledge, 2024) and Global Counter-Terrorism: A Decolonial Approach (Manchester University Press, 2025). He is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences and the Royal Society of Arts.

Description of the book

This book provides empirical evidence on youth engagement with peace, justice, and strong institutions (SDG 16). It takes a bottom-up approach to exploring the meaning and value of global citizenship and social cohesion. It showcases three studies about how the younger generation interprets SDG 16, EU Climate policies (such as the European Green Deal) and the goals of The Hague as the International City of Peace and Justice. The city of The Hague is dedicated to the promotion of peace, justice, inclusivity and security and yet it is one of the most segregated cities in the Netherlands. This book challenges the assumptions that young people are uninterested in local decision-making or lack the competence to contribute to improving their neighborhoods. It gives voice to young people, generation Z, (of 13-25 years old) in disadvantaged and advantaged areas in The Hague examining the experiences they have, their views in contrast with those of educators and policymakers in The Hague, and their views compared between different areas and age groups in The Hague. This book brings together multiple funded projects to discuss how we can engage young people in democratic processes including policymaking and societal challenges. It helps to bridge the gap between young people and policymakers and therefore speaks to policymakers, academics, students and lecturers on social cohesion, criminology, and social policies.