Imagine a baby born in Monmouthshire this week who will still be alive at the turn of the next century. The decisions we make today will shape the Wales they inherit. Yet we spend a huge amount of time arguing about next week's headlines, the next budget and the next election. We spend much less time asking what Wales should look like in twenty or fifty years' time.

It's easy to feel pessimistic. Climate change, rising living costs, pressure on public services and international instability can make the future seem like something to fear.

But the future isn't something that simply happens to us. It's something we create.

So what kind of Wales do you want your children and grandchildren to inherit?

I'd like them to live in a country where every child has the chance to fulfil their potential, where there are good, secure jobs and everyone can afford a decent home. I don't want young people forced to leave Wales because they can't find a job or afford somewhere to live.

I'd like them to inherit a healthy Wales too. Not simply one where NHS waiting lists have been eliminated, but a country with clean air and water, access to nature and a health system that invests in preventing illness. A Wales better prepared for the floods, heatwaves and other extreme weather that are becoming increasingly familiar.

And the Wales I hope we build isn't just greener or more prosperous. It's kinder. A country where neighbours know each other and look out for one another, where disagreement doesn't become division, and where older and younger generations mix and learn from each other. A nation where we see strength in diversity and nobody is made to feel that they don't belong.

No doubt you have your own dreams for the future. But none of them will happen unless we choose to make them a reality.

Wales is unique in having a law that challenges us to ask these questions. The Well-being of Future Generations Act gives public bodies a shared vision of the prosperous, resilient, healthier and more equal Wales we want to create.

More importantly, it tells public bodies how they should work: thinking long-term, preventing problems rather than simply dealing with crises, joining up different areas of policy, working collaboratively and involving the people affected by their decisions.

That sounds obvious. But imagine if we really applied it to every major decision. Instead of asking "What’s the cheapest option?" we ask "What creates the best Wales for our children and grandchildren?"

That's why Wales should be much more ambitious in putting the principles of the Future Generations Act at the heart of national and local government. It was groundbreaking legislation when it was passed in 2015. But having a law that tells us to make decisions differently isn't enough. We need politicians with the courage to actually do it, to think beyond the next election and take the actions that our national and its future generations need.

Just as importantly, the public needs to demand this long-term thinking from our leaders, judging them by the values they demonstrate rather than the simple slogans and quick fixes they promise.

Every generation inherits a country shaped by those who came before. Our responsibility is to leave Wales a little fairer, healthier and more hopeful than we found it.

So what kind of Wales do you want to build?