Love Letters to the Future
See thousands of letters written by children and young people about their hopes, dreams and concerns for the future in the exhibition "Love Letters to the Future" in the Library Garden.
"Dear Future
"I think about you, even though the future feels like a bit of a difficult thought. I always avoid thinking about the future because it's always a bit of a worrying idea."
These are the first words of one of the many love letters to the future, which we are exhibiting in the Library Garden at Royal Danish Library in Aarhus from 13-21 November 2026.
Explore thousands of handwritten letters in which children and young people formulate their hopes, dreams and concerns for the future in their own words. The exhibition is being set up in collaboration with the Generation Hope association, which, with their project 'Love Letters to the Future', has held letter writing workshops for over 5,000 children and young people in Denmark.
The love letters are exhibited in their original form with slang, spelling mistakes and drawings. They give children and young people a space to make their voices heard and serve as a reminder that they, too, must be heard when the future is being shaped. At the exhibition, you have the opportunity to write and post your own love letter to the future, becoming part of the exhibition yourself.
The exhibition is organised in collaboration with the Generation Hope association.
Opening
We will be holding a vernissage in the Library Garden on Friday 13 November, where selected love letters will be read out.
Admission is free and everyone is welcome.
Programme
4.30 pm: Reception at Royal Danish Library and speech by Generation Hope
4.45 pm: Reading of love letters
5.00 pm: Community singing
5.15 pm: See the exhibition and write your own love letter to the future
6.00 pm: Thank you for tonight
Letter writing concert
In connection with the exhibition, you are invited to attend a letter-writing concert in the Reading Room on Thursday, 19 November 2026, exploring the theme of “Love Letters to the Future”. Here, you can become absorbed in your own letter to the future, accompanied by live music by Niels Greve and Clara Emilie Jakobsen.
The letter writing concert is free - pick up a ticket through the Letter Writing Concert event
About Generation Hope
Generation Hope is a Danish non-profit organisation that draws on Hope Theory, which views hope as a cognitive process that can be developed. The organisation works to empower young people to shape the future. Through its ‘Love Letters to the Future’ initiative, it gives children and young people a voice in discussions about the future of society.
Since 2023, Generation Hope has run workshops for more than 5,000 young people and collected over 4,000 love letters to the future.
This year, Generation Hope received the Youth Openness Award from Transparency International in recognition of its work with ‘Love Letters to the Future’.
Generation Hope is sponsored by Nordea-fonden and Tuborg Foundation.