Generation Resonance

Mission Statement

Generation Resonance was born from João Maria Botelho’s early experience at the Global Alliance for a Sustainable Planet (GASP), where he witnessed first-hand the urgency of connecting youth voices with international decision-making. Inspired by this spirit of action, and together with a team of committed portuguese young leaders including Margarida Mingote, Joana Chaves Baptista, Andreza Caldeira and Rui Lopo, João Maria founded the initiative to give structure, visibility, and influence to a generation often left unheard.

Today, Generation Resonance is more than a youth project. It is an international movement, protocolled with the United Nations Association of Portugal, supported by partners such as the Fundação Oriente, Oeiras Valley, The Square, and TaleHouse, and increasingly recognised as a space where young people can engage with policymakers, entrepreneurs, and academics to shape sustainable futures.

At COP28 in Dubai, the organisation presented its Youth Charter, a structured set of proposals built from the voices of Portuguese youth aged 16 to 36, highlighting priorities such as climate justice, ocean governance, and social equity. This document is now a guiding framework for Generation Resonance’s ongoing action plan, ensuring that its work remains connected to the concerns of those it represents.

Among its key initiatives are:

• Tomorrow Talks Podcast – A flagship project of Generation Resonance, Tomorrow Talks provides a stage for young people to engage directly with established leaders in politics, academia, and business. With more than 6,000 plays across nine countries in its first season, the podcast has become both an educational tool and a networking platform, helping to demystify governance while cultivating intergenerational dialogue.

• Portuguese Climate Summit – Conceived as a national youth-led forum, the Summit convenes policymakers, scholars, and civil society to address climate challenges collectively. Held in Oeiras with the support of the United Nations Association of Portugal and the Fundação Oriente, the event marked a milestone in empowering Portuguese youth to step into the policy arena. Its panels have tackled subjects ranging from ocean governance and sustainable finance to energy transition, while also creating visibility for emerging voices.

• Youth Roundtables and Dialogues – Generation Resonance curates closed-door and open debates where young professionals meet senior decision-makers to exchange ideas and build networks. These dialogues have reached from Lisbon to Brussels, with the ambition of extending further across Europe and Lusophone Africa. Their central aim is to strengthen the role of young voices in shaping public policy and corporate strategy.

• Youth for the Future: João Maria Botelho’s mission is defined by intergenerational dialogue and the conviction that sustainable transformation cannot be achieved by one generation alone. This belief led to the creation of “Ambassadors of the Future”, an initiative that honours his vision of bringing together diverse voices across age, discipline, and sector. It is a council of experts who not only believe in the mission of empowering youth but actively contribute to it, offering knowledge, mentorship, and credibility.

  • The Ambassadors of the Future include distinguished figures such as:

    International Organizations & Diplomacy:

    • Mónica Ferro (Director, UNFPA London)
    • Armando Marques Guedes (Professor, NOVA School of Law / former Director of the Diplomatic Institute of Portugal)
    • Isabel Neves (President of UNA Portugal)
    • Mário Parra da Silva (UNA / UN Global Compact Portugal)
    • Matsi Modise (Chairperson, Technology Innovation Agency, WCF)
    • Vanessa Arelle (strategist and corporate diplomat)

    Legal & Corporate:

    • Alice Khouri (Head of Legal, Helexia)
    • Margarida Couto (Founding Partner of VdA / President of GRACE)
    • Cristina Queiroz (Full Professor, NOVA School of Law)
    • Catarina Milagre (Lawyer)
    • Assunção Cristas (Partner, VdA / former Minister of the Sea and Agriculture)
    • Cláudia Mendes Silva (Director of D&I)
    • Marta Lima (Chief Sustainability Officer, VdA)
    • Paula Perfeito (President, PwC Portugal)

    Sustainability & Environment:

    • Filipa Saldanha (Head of Sustainability, Crédito Agrícola)
    • Helena Vieira (Chair of Environmental Economics, University of Aveiro)
    • Catarina Barreiros (sustainability entrepreneur and influencer)
    • Ângela Lucas (Director, Land Fund)
    • Filipa Pantaleão (Secretary General, BCSD Portugal)

    Academia & Research:

    • Pedro Oliveira (Dean, NOVA SBE)
    • Rodrigo Tavares (Professor, NOVA SBE)
    • Jaime Quesado (Economist)

    Government & Public Service:

    • Isabel Carvalhais (ex-MEP)
    • Maria Manuel Marques (ex-MEP)
    • Vasco Becker-Weinberg (ex-MEP)
    • Ana Gouveia (ex-Secretary of State for Energy)
    • Ivo Cruz (ex-Secretary of State for Internationalisation)

    Innovation & Business:

    • Eduardo Ferreira (Head of Innovation)
    • Pedro Krupenski (Fundação Oriente)
    • Sílvia (CEO, Vanilla Project)
    • Rita Orvalho (Board Member, C2)

    Other Leadership:

    • Margarida Sá Costa (Board Member)
    • Maria Teresa Goulão (Director)

    This intergenerational council is not symbolic: it embodies João Maria’s conviction that youth must be empowered through knowledge transfer, mentoring, and recognition, creating bridges between today’s leaders and tomorrow’s decision-makers.

The network now extends beyond Portugal, with members and ambassadors in Angola, Mozambique, India, Denmark, Scotland, and the United States. This international dimension ensures that Generation Resonance speaks not only for a Portuguese constituency, but as part of a truly global movement of young leaders.

Generation Resonance embodies the principle that the next generation requires not only motivation but skills, networks, and credibility. It is a living proof that when youth are given the tools and platforms to act, they become not just future leaders, but current shapers of policy, business, and society.

As João Maria often frames it: “Our generation does not need permission to lead — we need opportunity and structure. Generation Resonance exists to provide exactly that.”