Reimagining Memory as a Driver for Empathy, Democracy, and Leadership  

By Fabian Lukas Goslar & Enya Eggenberger

The Re:Generation Lab, launched in 2022 as part of the St. Gallen Symposium’s “New Generational Contract” with the Club of Rome, is a core element of the annual programme, co-creating solutions to key intergenerational equity challenges such as intergenerational leadership, future thinking, and sustainability + innovation. 

As part of the Re:Generation Lab at the 54th St. Gallen Symposium, the NGO geneintelligence hosted a powerful co-creation session fostering cross-generational dialogue to lead with the oldest generation in heart and the next generation in mind. The session began with a testimony from Holocaust survivor Dr. Eva Umlauf, which opened a space for shared reflection on how remembrance—eighty years after the end of World War II—can be reimagined as a force for ethical leadership, civic courage, and intergenerational responsibility. 

Set against a backdrop of growing extremism, war on the European continent, and a fading connection to lived memory, the session invited participants to re-engage with the lessons of Europe’s darkest chapter. As the generation of witnesses grows smaller, the question becomes ever more pressing: How can their experiences continue to guide us—not only in remembrance, but in shaping a more empathetic, peaceful, and democratic future? 

In line with the St. Gallen Symposium’s longstanding commitment to fostering dialogue across generations, Leaders of Today and Tomorrow jointly developed concrete outputs—strategies, ideas, and calls to action. Each group addressed one guiding question: 

Politics: How can memory politics become more everyday, innovative, and intergenerational?  

Economy: How can ESG frameworks integrate cultural memory to promote democratic stability in Europe? 

Education: How can survivor testimonies be made emotionally accessible and digitally engaging for youth?  

Across all domains, participants agreed: remembrance must be cross-generational and woven into everyday practice—shaping how we govern, lead, and educate.  

Building on Dr. Umlauf’s reflections and group discussions, the session surfaced a range of insights and proposals: 

• Framing memory culture as part of Corporate Political Responsibility (CPR) is complex and often underrecognized. Businesses could play a stronger role by using their internal structures—such as employee communications—to actively promote historical awareness. 

• There is a pressing need to make educational offerings more accessible and inclusive. Formats must be adapted to reduce barriers and meet people where they are. 

• A degree of fatigue exists among some audiences toward conventional remembrance formats. However, this contrasts with a continued and widespread need for historical connection—signaling that new, more relatable approaches are required. 

• Memory culture must be embedded into daily life—not as a separate ritual, but as part of democratic and civic culture. 
  
• In discussion with Dr. Umlauf, the importance of reaching young people much earlier became evident. Families—especially in Southern Europe—play a critical role in early value formation and historical education. 

To sustain and scale these approaches, three enabling factors emerged: 

Narrative reframing: Memory must be presented as forward-looking, not only backward-facing. 

Cross-sector collaboration: Governments, businesses, educators, and civil society must jointly foster democratic memory practices. 

Platform design: Digital tools and co-creation formats can help carry eyewitness knowledge into the future in compelling and participatory ways.  

The insights gained in the session will directly shape the design and mission of the geneintelligence platform and the project Enkel Europas / Grandchildren of Europe. They form the foundation for strategic stakeholder dialogues with policymakers, educators, foundations, and business leaders. Furthermore, they will guide the methodology of an upcoming research initiative—featuring surveys and co-creation formats involving eyewitnesses—to explore how memory culture can serve as a living foundation for democratic engagement and intergenerational solidarity in Europe. 

Author: Fabian Lukas Goslar, Enya Eggenberger