At the core of C4C’s mission is its commitment to seeking out, empowering, and amplifying rising young changemakers from around the world, whose unique perspectives and ideas are integral to achieving an end to poverty on a livable planet. This work manifests across a range of platforms, campaigns, and stories that directly engage young participants while connecting with new youth audiences. 

Recently, C4C’s Youth4Innovation platform has convened the private sector, youth, and academia to re-imagine the future of jobs, facilitate intergenerational collaboration, and co-create innovative solutions through interactive design-thinking workshops. One such workshop was hosted at Innovate4Climate (I4C) as part of the Young Climate Innovators, a platform that C4C and I4C have partnered on over multiple years to highlight youth-led innovation on the global stage. 

Since 2020, C4C has been a strategic partner on the global Youth4Climate initiative, which is currently co-led by the Government of Italy and UNDP and continues to support hundreds of young climate leaders with capacity-building activities, mentorship opportunities, and small grants. The strategic #Youth4Climate multimedia campaign that C4C implemented around the inaugural “Youth4Climate: Driving Ambition” summit during Pre-COP26 in Milan, Italy achieved a potential reach of 1.4 billion people worldwide. 

C4C is also dedicated to showcasing youth-led stories across its digital platforms, including through special #YouthTakeover engagements, intergenerational content series, grassroots storytelling trainings, and  regular featured articles from youth contributors. Every year, the C4C youth network grows, thanks in large part to one of C4C’s flagship youth engagement platforms, the Max Thabiso Edkins Youth Ambassador program.

The Max Thabiso Edkins Youth Ambassador Program 

Since 2021, Connect4Climate (C4C) has collaborated with the World Bank's Youth2Youth (Y2) community (Y2Y) to deliver an impactful six-month online program honoring the memory of Max Thabiso Edkins, who worked tirelessly to further youth empowerment and involvement in the highest levels of global climate action.

Each edition of the Max Thabiso Edkins Youth Ambassador Program welcomes a new cohort of 150 ambassadors from over a hundred countries (with Africa consistently the most represented region), the majority of whom are young women. The virtual program features a series of weekly learning sessions covering key topics such as jobs, gender, blue economy, climate finance, water, and energy. Ambassadors also have the chance to network with peers within their regions, engage with alumni community members, and interact with experts from the World Bank Group and partner organizations. The program is designed to foster collaboration, build regional and global connections, and provide guidance to help participants deepen their knowledge of the world's most urgent development challenges and work together to innovate responsive solutions. 

On an annual basis, the program receives thousands of applications from motivated young leaders across the world with a passion for sustainable development as well as a proven track record in youth community engagement and empowerment. Those selected as Max Thabiso Edkins Youth Ambassadors are invited to:

• Learn from diverse experts on a range of priority sectors, with job creation at the center.
• Act in their community using the techniques they learn. 
• Network with other ambassadors in their cohort. 
• Engage in an active global alumni community to stay connected beyond their graduation. 

The extent of the Max Thabiso Edkins Youth Ambassador community worldwide.

To obtain a certificate of completion and graduate to become part of the vibrant alumni community, ambassadors are required to undertake at least three unique actions in their communities. Collectively, previous cohorts have completed over one thousand such actions to date, including organizing webinars, producing podcasts, and convening other online events; training women climate leaders; planting trees at scale; and much more. 

Think you have what it takes to be a Max Thabiso Edkins Youth Ambassador? If you’re 18-35 years old, fluent in English, internet-savvy, and committed to taking action for the planet in your community, this could be the perfect opportunity for you! Keep an eye on our C4C social media channels (Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook) for updates on the next cycle, which generally happens at the end of each year, as well as tips from previous ambassadors about how to put together a successful application. We would love to hear from you.