YOUth LEADing the Planet
Our future is in good hands according to Emily Grace
YLTP Vision
“I hope that when you leave today you are happy but sad at the same time…”
As students welcomed guests to our Community Forum on 25th Nov this was the sentiment that one primary school student expressed. It gave me goose bumps, a feeling that had become familiar over the course of the three day youth climate change congress, YOUth LEADing Australia (YLA).
Footprint CalculationYOUth LEADing Australia is an environmental leadership program run by OzGREEN. This November YLA ran simultaneously in 13 locations around the country and in India, East Timor, Colombia and El Salvador. I was there as a volunteer facilitator. My involvement in the congress may seem somewhat inevitable, after all, my husband was lead facilitator and has been working for OzGREEN for over 7 years. And in the end, it was family that drew me into the program.
My sister, Corrina, is based in Guatemala working on Project Seres which she founded 1 ½ years ago with the core mission to empower individuals and communities to build resilience to climate change. When Corrina decided to run YOUth LEADing Central America (YLCA), getting involved in the Newcastle congress seemed like the best way for me to support her, short of flying to join her in El Salvador.
Brainstorming vision of the futureAnd so I found myself sitting in the front row, goose bumps and all, on the final day of YLA Newcastle. Over the three days we had facilitated & co-participated in a journey with our Youth Leaders. Together we confronted the realities of climate change, discussed our personal concerns and challenges, and developed plans for climate actions in our local communities. On the final day the participants took to the floor to create and lead a Community Forum.
As facilitators we stepped back and gave them the space to take their first steps towards action. And for me, this was the highlight of the experience. As I listened to these intelligent voices, who had taken on-board the learning’s from the program, digested and now presented back to us showing a depth of understanding and personal insight, I felt so proud of each and every one of them. I know that when these young people step back into their daily routines, through their actions, words and experiences, in small ways, they will send out ripples of change through their families, schools and communities.
In El Salvador the experiences were perhaps even more powerful. Although our original intent was to connect YLA Newcastle directly to YLCA we were foiled by technological disruptions. However, the Central American youth did manage to connect with YOUth LEADing Colombia and by all accounts the atmosphere was electric. After calculating their individual ecological footprints (Avg Footprint 2.2 planets*) YLCA participants chose to sign the following declaration “I commit to reducing my footprint below 1, so someone else can have a bit more...” – another goose bumps moment for me.
I know that every action arising from our Youth Leaders will play a fundamental role in the changes that are ahead of us. But here are two to look out for; YLCA Youth Leaders have hatched a plan to follow Bolivia’s lead and get the rights of Mother Earth recognised in the Central American constitution; Australian Youth Leaders are planning a National One Planet week where we walk the talk, learn and demonstrate what it takes to reduce our ecological footprints, and live on 1 planet (Our Newcastle average was 4 planets).
‘YOUth LEADing the World’, as the program has been re-named in recognition of our new international partners, was a powerful experience. My disappointments were the difficulties connecting with El Salvador and the poor attendance at our community forum. We can all do with a boost of hope and inspiration every now and then and the enthusiasm and promise of our young people is a great place to find it. Planning for next years congress is already underway and I hope to see you there!
To find out more about OzGREEN programs go to www.ozgreen.org ; Look up Youth leading the world on facebook or follow us on twitter OR Contact Gabriel Anderson, Newcastle and Hunter Programs Manager ganderson@ozgreen.org.au
To find out more about Project Seres go to www.projectseres.org
*An Ecological Footprint is a measure of your individual resource usage. It estimates how many planets worth of resources we would need if everyone on the planet lived with the same lifestyle as you or I. To calculate your ecological footprint try http://www.footprintnetwork.org/en/index.php/GFN/page/calculators/
Emily Grace
