How can we best prepare young people for their future? The Erasmus SYNC Lab and Life After School (LAS) are joining forces to understand and empower the next generation. In this conversation, researcher Kayla Green and LAS founder Jamal Lachkar share their mission, the importance of connection, and why young people should always be the starting point. “You can only empower young people if you truly understand them,” says Kayla.
The Erasmus SYNC Lab combines insights from neuroscience, psychology and sociology to better understand how young people grow up in a changing society. Life After School teaches young people the skills they don’t necessarily acquire at school but urgently need. Through creative workshops and youth coaches, they guide students in vocational education towards a diploma and a good start in the labour market.
From Encounter to Collaboration
Kayla: “It started at an Albeda event, where – in the presence of Queen Máxima – we presented a report on the pressure to perform faced by vocational students. LAS ran a workshop that left a lasting impression on me. They managed to create such a pleasant and relaxed atmosphere that you almost forgot the Queen was there. The students did an exercise with balloons: each balloon represented a source of stress or pressure. Students had to hold on to as many as possible until they could no longer manage. A simple yet powerful way of showing how much young people carry. That image stayed with me.”
Jamal: “Students wrote their own words on the balloons and were shocked to realise just how much was going on in their lives. That’s also how we work: first we build a connection with young people, then we create awareness, and only then does change happen. Many of our young people feel invisible. We want to help them see that they matter, that they have a voice. And that voice needs to be heard in research and policy too. That’s why our partnership with SYNC Lab is so important.”
Taking the Time to Get to Know Each Other
Jamal: “Our collaboration works well because we clicked straight away. That’s the foundation. We didn’t launch a project immediately but took the time to really get to know each other.”
Kayla: “Exactly. Connection and awareness – just as with the young people – are the foundation for us too. We first explored our common ground. Only then can you build something valuable together.”
How Practice and Research Strengthen Each Other
Kayla: “We always say: do research with young people, not on them. LAS also places young people at the centre of everything they do. They are trusted by young people – something you can’t automatically achieve as a researcher. That makes them an essential partner.”
Jamal: “We work a lot on intuition and experience. But through our collaboration with SYNC Lab we can now explore why our approach works – not only based on intuition and students’ experiences, but backed up by data. That makes our case far more powerful in conversations with councils and policymakers.”
The Biggest Challenges for Young People
Kayla: “Society is changing at lightning speed. Young people are growing up with huge issues like climate change, social inequality and mental pressure. At the same time, they’re trying to discover themselves. Some young people are hit much harder by this than others – especially those with less financial security.”
Jamal: “What we see as a major challenge is the feeling of not having a platform. Many young people doubt themselves. Especially if you’re told at an early age that you belong in a ‘special’ class or you’ll have to rely on disability benefitt. That impacts your self-image. We work with trainers who share their own stories. Some came here as refugees, others have a criminal past. They say: ‘If I can do it, so can you.’ That builds trust. We show young people: your story matters.”
What Young People Should Expect from Researchers
Kayla: “That you’re transparent. Young people can spot nonsense a mile off. And that you involve them from the very beginning and take their ideas seriously. It’s not just about listening, but about acting on what they tell you.”
Jamal: “And as a professional, be open about your own experiences too. Vulnerability creates connection. If you share where you come from, young people will dare to do the same.”
Not Just Participation, but Co-Creation
Kayla: “At my PhD defence at Albeda, we came up with the idea of working with young people on how to ask critical questions. Vocational students are sharp and reflective, but often aren’t given the space. We now want to co-develop a training course on critical thinking. What is fake news? How do you deal with AI? What is reliable information? This fits perfectly with our shared mission.”
Letting Go and Allowing Things to Emerge
Kayla: “In engaged research, you have to be flexible. Young people often come up with great ideas—they’re far more creative than we are. They suggested, for example, developing a teacher’s toolbox to reduce performance pressure among students. You don’t get that kind of initiative if you try to control everything in advance.”
Jamal: “Getting young people to reflect and take action can happen in many ways. Maybe what’s needed is a card game instead of a training course. As long as it works, that’s what matters. It’s about the impact, not the format.”
How Young People’s Voices Feed into Policy
Jamal: “We have a seat at the table with ministries, councils, and schools. The input from our young people is genuinely used – in draft legislation or in policy development for vocational students. But that only works because we reach young people who are otherwise rarely heard.”
Kayla: “At panels and events, you often see what we call ‘professional young people’. These are students who already have networks, know how the system works, sit on student councils, and are used to sharing their views publicly. That’s valuable, but not always representative. LAS works with young people who drop out, who struggle, or who have problems at home. Their voices need to be heard too.”
Dreams for the Future: Building Bridges Between Worlds
Kayla: “I think it would be incredibly valuable if we could bring vocational, applied sciences, and university students together in education on life skills and social issues. We can all learn from one another.”
Jamal: “And that young people gain access to academia – university tours, short courses – so they see: I belong here too. I myself started in vocational education and later went on to higher education. The first time I walked into a university building, it felt as if I needed a passport to get in.”
Concrete Steps After the Summer
Kayla: “Our dreams can only come true if we work on them together. After the summer, we’ll begin our research into the effective elements of LAS and similar organisations. I’m really looking forward to it.”
Jamal: “Absolutely, me too! And our new training course on ‘critical thinking and asking questions’, which we’ll develop in co-creation with young people. We certainly have plenty of plans!”
Today, Monday 1 September, Kayla and Jamal will take the stage together at the Opening of the Academic Year 2025/2026 at Erasmus University Rotterdam.
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