Youth from community-based organisations (CBOs) from SA Climate Change Champs in the Western Cape made their voices count at the recent Climate Change and Agriculture Youth Summit hosted by the Western Cape Government Department of Agriculture in Rawsonville last week.
The intersection of climate change and agriculture is a pressing concern, but also one of immense opportunity and recently, a dynamic youth summit was held to explore these prospects. This engagement brought together young leaders, innovators, and advocates from academia, industry, research, civil society groups, community-based and civil society organisations, interest groups, and NGOs and NPOs passionate about shaping sustainable agricultural practices in the context of climate change. With a focus on collaboration, education, and empowerment, the conference served as a platform for youth to voice their ideas and propose solutions for a climate resilient future.
The youth conference on climate change and agriculture highlighted the vital role that young people play in shaping a sustainable future. As the next generation of farmers, policymakers, and environmental stewards, youth have a unique perspective on the challenges and opportunities posed by climate change. The key highlight from the conference was highlighting the pivotal role of CBOs . They are often the first responders to environmental challenges in their regions. Due to this, they understand the unique contexts of their communities, allowing them to design tailored solutions that are both effective and culturally relevant. By participating in the conference, CBOs brought invaluable perspectives on how local actions can influence broader climate policies.
Climate Champs from Voorstekraal Women’s Network in Genadendal (represented by Henno Sauls, Kim August and Marisha Reid) and IsaEnviro in Saldanha Bay (represented by Darryl Dreyer) had a unique opportunity to engage fellow youth advocates in the industry and build networks with organisations in the space. Darryl Dreyer (IsaEnviro) also featured as a panel speaker giving his perspective as a climate change champion for unlocking the future in climate change mitigation and adaptation and active climate citizenship. As part of the programme, the SA Climate Change Champs set up an activation stand at the marketplace stalls to share information and resources for community-led climate action and also facilitated group sessions with GreenCape’s Sustainable Agriculture team.
-
- Panel discussion on “perspectives from young climate change champions – unlocking our future” moderated by SA Climate Change Champs
-
- SA Climate Change Champs activation stand at the marketplace stall
-
- Group session faciliated by GreenCape’s Sustainable Agriculture team
The youth summit provided the opportunity to share a guide and toolkit (developed and published by SA Climate Change Champs) for designing and running community climate change workshops to encourage active citizenship and enable community-led climate by CBOs and CSOs. Click the lick below to download the toolkit for free.
DOWNLOAD HERE
This is made possible by co-funding by the European Union, implemented in partnership with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, and presented by GreenCape.
