Education | Connect4Climate

Apply Now to Be a 2025 Max Thabiso Edkins Climate Ambassador

UPDATE: Applications are now closed. GYCN will be in touch with those selected as soon as the review process is finalized.

Sections

Read more

Three Young Leaders Share Their Insights Into Climate Action

By

Connect4Climate’s partners in the Teach For All network work tirelessly to give the next generation of leaders around the world the tools they need to take innovative action for their communities, countries, and pla

Read more

Join Our Next Cohort of Max Thabiso Edkins Climate Ambassadors

By

At a dedicated

Read more

Lights, Camera, Climate Action: Empowering Young Filmmakers in Chad

By

An artist, an activist, and a tireless force, N'Djamena-born

Read more

Climate Education Is a Superpower for Young Heroes

By

What happens when youth from different parts of the world connect online to discuss a topic they’re all passionate about?

Read more

It's Time: Become a Max Thabiso Edkins Climate Ambassador

By

It is with great joy that we announce the

Read more

World Environment Day: Empowering Action Through Sport

By

Change begins small. One word, one idea, one conversation can lead to a change in the course of humankind.

Read more

C4C's 2021 Climate Action Highlights

By

Rising to the challenge of the new virtual paradigm created by the COVID-19 pandemic, Connect4Climate and our partners worked hard in 2021 to

Sections

Header

The #Youth4Climate Live Series

Description

The product of a close yearlong collaboration between C4C and Italy’s Ministry for Ecological Transition (MITE), the <a href="https://youth4climate.live/" style="text-decoration-line: none;">#Youth4Climate Live Series</a> of interactive and intergenerational virtual discussions paved the way to the Youth4Climate: Driving Ambition summit in Milan with deep dives into the event’s guiding climate action topics. Guided by expert moderation from C4C Youth Ambassadors Salina Abraham and Ahmed Badr, youth leaders and experienced climate policymakers exchanged ideas in hour-long episodes peppered with polls and Q&A segments that encouraged dynamic audience participation.

The final two episodes in the series, on Driving Adaptation & Resilience (aired Jan. 22) and Driving Local Action (aired Feb. 26), were the perfect kick-off to 2021, setting the stage for engagements to follow around the landmark youth summit, the Pre-COP preparatory climate conference, and COP26, the biggest event of the climate calendar.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiKCuhb5Kco]

Header

Youth4Climate: Driving Ambition

Description

As a key partner of the Italian Government and the Ministry for Ecological Transition, Connect4Climate was proud to support Youth4Climate: Driving Ambition with contributions to its content, advocacy campaigns, and overall engagement strategy. Opening with impassioned remarks from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NklTJv9S4rI" style="text-decoration-line: none;">Vanessa Nakate</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceIE_ehQhtc" style="text-decoration-line: none;">Greta Thunberg</a>, the summit brought nearly 400 international youth delegates—two each from almost all of the 197 countries party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)—to Milan, Italy for three days of intensive deliberations that resulted in the <a href="https://www.mite.gov.it/sites/default/files/archivio_immagini/Y4C_COP-P…; style="text-decoration-line: none;">Youth4Climate Manifesto</a>.

In the opening session of Pre-COP26, the central points of this youth declaration were presented to leaders including Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry and COP26 President Alok Sharma. The demands of the Youth4Climate Manifesto then made their way to Glasgow, feeding into the COP deliberations there and setting a tone of much-needed urgency and ambition.

You can review the demands of the Youth4Climate Manifesto in our accessible overview article <a href="https://www.connect4climate.org/initiative/unpacking-youth4climate-dele…; style="text-decoration-line: none;">here</a>. We look forward to continuing to support and grow Youth4Climate in the years to come, as Italian Minister of Ecological Transition Roberto Cingolani confirmed at COP26 that his country is committed to making Youth4Climate an annual initiative.

<img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/images/YDA_Article_Pic1.jpg" style="height:468px; width:700px" />

Photo by Leigh Vogel, Connect4Climate.

Header

#All4Climate Activates a Movement

Description

This year’s landmark gathering in Milan, which gave youth leaders center stage in a way few other climate conferences of its scale had before, was bolstered by #All4Climate, an umbrella initiative empowering representatives from civil society, academic institutions, and the private sector to join the climate conversation across over 500 hand-picked events held throughout Italy in the run-up to and alongside the summit.

As part of #All4Climate, C4C developed the #WorldIsWatching campaign to draw the world’s collective gaze to COP26 and remind leaders that both people and planet demand urgent action. This interactive advocacy campaign put #EyesOnCOP26 everywhere, inviting members of the public to join the movement through a dedicated AR filter while getting the word out across Milan with over 900 digital billboards and 600 minutes’ worth of primetime spots on Italian TV.

The culmination of the slate of #All4Climate events surrounding Youth4Climate: Driving Ambition was a #Music4Climate concert for the ages at Milan’s massive Ippodromo Snai San Siro Summer Arena, a rocking event organized by C4C and MITE that generated tremendous climate-positive energy and that served as a powerful bridge between the conclusion of the youth summit and the start of Pre-COP26.

<img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/images/Music4Climate_Performance1.jpg" style="color:rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size:18px; height:467px; width:700px" />

Photo by Leigh Vogel, Connect4Climate.

The September 30 show, streamed worldwide on A-Live TV, brought a diverse group of 100 performers together under the banner of Rockin’1000, the largest rock band on Earth. Seasoned musicians such as Daniele Silvestri and Martina Attili rocked out alongside special guests including European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano, playing songs with inspiring messages of perseverance in the face of adversity and relentless hope for a better future.

Stay tuned in 2022 for new #Music4Climate announcements!

Header

Bringing Youth Voices to COP26

Description

For this year’s long-anticipated COP26 climate conference, C4C worked to bring young people’s voices from Milan to Glasgow through a special partnership with the Walk With Amal project, which raises global awareness of refugee issues with a larger-than-life puppet of a young Syrian migrant named Little Amal.

Little Amal traveled from the border of Syria and Turkey to appear at COP26, where she shed light on climate change’s role in exacerbating the refugee crisis. For her November 9 walk along Millennium Bridge (just outside the SEC Centre where the COP was held), Little Amal carried with her a soundscape of Youth4Climate voices, gathered and curated for the occasion by C4C. The centerpiece of this engagement was a brand-new poem from longtime C4C friend and collaborator Ahmed Badr, a stirring call for solidarity and understanding across boundaries titled “Representation” Poem.

Don’t miss the official <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyOiEuUJRiM" style="text-decoration-line: none;">video performance of Ahmed’s poem</a> on our YouTube channel, and be sure to check out our handy <a href="https://www.connect4climate.org/initiative/how-cop26-responded-youth4cl…; style="text-decoration-line: none;">COP26 breakdown article</a> on how commitments at the COP squared with the demands of the Youth4Climate Manifesto.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyOiEuUJRiM]

Header

Launching the Max Thabiso Edkins Climate Ambassador Program

Description

We crowned 2021 with an announcement especially close to our hearts: the launch of the <a href="https://www.connect4climate.org/initiative/apply-now-max-thabiso-edkins…; style="text-decoration-line: none;">Max Thabiso Edkins Climate Ambassador Program</a>, a vital opportunity for up-and-coming young climate leaders around the world to both broaden their knowledge of international climate solutions and implement their own climate action initiatives on the ground in their communities.

Named in honor of our dear friend and colleague Max Thabiso Edkins, a true climate champion renowned far and wide for his irresistible enthusiasm for making the world a better place as well as his signature bow ties, this Program is the product of an exciting new partnership between C4C and the Global Youth Climate Network (GYCN), an initiative of the Y2Y community of young professionals at the World Bank Group.

We are accepting submissions through December 31, so if you know any young people out there making a difference who would want to follow in Max’s footsteps by being Climate Ambassadors, tell them to <a href="http://y2ycommunity.org/gycn-climate-ambassador-program-2022/" style="text-decoration-line: none;">apply now</a>!

<img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/images/MaxWithButtons.jpg" style="height:467px; width:700px" />

Photo by Kaia Rose, Connect4Climate.

Read more

Apply Now to the Max Thabiso Edkins Climate Ambassador Program

By

UPDATE: The 2022 Max Thabiso Edkins Climate Ambassador cohort has been selected; submissions are now closed. Many thanks to all the amazing youth leaders who took the time to apply!

Sections

Header

Eligibility

Description

Applicants must be between the ages of 18 and 35, have strong conversational English language skills, and have reliable access to the internet. Beyond these foundational requirements, applicants will be evaluated on each of the following criteria:

<ul>
<li dir="ltr">
Past and current experience as a youth leader in communities at the local, regional, national, or global level. Demonstrated ability to organize community activities is an advantage.
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
Passion for climate solutions and sustainable development, and motivation to take action and empower others. We are looking for self-starters willing to take charge.
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
Scale and strength of the applicant’s network and active presence on social media.
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
The potential impact of the applicant’s proposed contributions to their communities and networks.
</li>
</ul>

The evaluation and selection process will also take into account various other factors—such as diversity in age, gender, and geography—to ensure the set of chosen Ambassadors closely reflects the global community.

Header

Expectations

Description

As a participant in the Max Thabiso Edkins Climate Ambassador Program, you will be expected to Learn, Act, Network and Engage.

Learn: learn from World Bank Group experts and knowledge partners on the most pressing climate change issues across various sectors and gain solid leadership skills to inspire and empower others in your communities.

Act: commit to achieve at least three climate actions in your communities.

Network: connect with like-minded youth across the globe to learn, exchange ideas, develop joint initiatives and projects, and amplify your impact.

Engage: join an active and connected Global Alumni Community of Climate Ambassadors upon successful completion of the Program.

This ambassadorship is an awesome opportunity that comes with real responsibilities. In order to receive certificates of completion and be invited to join the Climate Ambassadors’ Alumni Community, participants in the Program must:

<ul>
<li dir="ltr">
Commit ~3 hours per week to act in their role between February and July 2022.
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
Attend the opening orientation and closing sessions (at the beginning and at the end of the Program), weekly online learning sessions (at least four of six) and climate communications and leadership training offered by Connect4Climate.*
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
Complete at least three climate-related actions in their communities and provide documentation thereof (photos, videos etc.) to GYCN.
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
Participate in a dedicated Telegram channel where the GYCN team will share programmatic updates and opportunities from its partner network.
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
Join networking sessions and actively participate in GYCN social media campaigns.
</li>
</ul>

*Before applying for the Program, please make sure your calendar allows you to attend one-hour sessions every Thursday in March and April and commit to participation in the climate communications and leadership training.

Your standout climate actions will be featured directly on GYCN’s social media platforms, and all alumni of the Max Thabiso Edkins Climate Ambassador Program will be offered full access to invaluable expert and peer networks as well as ongoing GYCN and C4C educational events. Plus, there is always the possibility of future support for your work on the ground and invitations to co-host climate discussions yourself!

Read more

5 Ways Young People Can Help Combat Climate Change

By

When I was a kid, winters were my favorite time of the year.

Read more