Project Overview:
The vulnerable youth and children of countries like India and Nigeria are disproportionately affected by the adverse impacts of climate change. Despite their unique perspective and potential to drive change, they often need more resources and platforms to voice their concerns and participate in policymaking. This leads to a critical gap in representing the interests of the most affected demographic in climate-related discussions.
This project aims to bridge this gap by empowering young individuals to amplify the voices of children and youth, thereby ensuring their active participation in climate change policy formulation. By consolidating child-friendly resources on climate change and enabling global connections, we strive to create an inclusive platform that fosters youth-led advocacy.
Our approach involves a multi-faceted strategy. Through child-led organizations like Terre des Hommes, I have developed engaging educational materials tailored for children and youth, simplifying complex climate concepts and connecting them to real-world impacts.
By partnering with other international organizations, I've written blogs, essays, and poetry that amplify the needs of young advocates in the face of poly-crisis.
Recognizing my advocacy work as a Child Human Rights Defender (CHRD), I was invited and fully funded to attend the Vienna Youth and Child Human Rights Defenders Conference in 2023, organized by UN Vienna, the Austrian government, and the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders. At the conference, I discussed age-specific challenges that Human Rights Defenders face and acted as a rapporteur for my breakout group. I brainstormed practical solutions to address challenges such as educational sanctions, online bullying, and community-based violence/lynching. As a CHRD, I met with the President of Austria, the Federal Minister of European and International Affairs, and the Director-General of the United Nations Office in Vienna.
Also in June, I was invited and fully funded to attend a reception in the United Kingdom where I addressed media houses, politicians, and researchers from the University of Oxford and the University of Reading in the House of Commons, Palace of Westminster this June and inspired them to support young people striving for climate justice and child rights.
Moving forward, I envision expanding our reach and impact. I plan on setting up a youth-led, child-focused advisory board to train children on grant writing, climate justice, and child rights. For this, I require both funding support and organizational accreditation/support. I also need volunteers inspired by a future where every child has a say in laws that impact them and a clean and just world to thrive.
