Youth And The Environment - International Youth Foundation

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Volume 3NUMBER 12July 2008Youth and the EnvironmentAs environmental concerns escalate around the globe, youngpeople are taking action like never before. How canyouth-serving organizations best support the needs of today’syoung environmental change makers? What lessons can belearned from young people at the forefront of today’s youthenvironmental movement?Young people employ a variety of creative tactics in their environmentaladvocacy — from theatre arts to hip hop music, from painting murals toriding bicycles, from building websites to developing small enterprises.Their efforts range from local initiatives to clean up neighborhoods andparks to national and international campaigns designed to influence thepolicies and priorities of business and political leaders.Presented here are the experiences of International YouthFoundation (IYF) partners in Belgium, Nigeria, Poland, and Russiain supporting youth-led environmental projects. Each is engagedin a global youth development initiative of IYF and Nokia. Alsohighlighted are the strategies and accomplishments of youngenvironmental activists across the globe.“The environment is something today’s youth are passionate about,making it a great issue for stimulating their broader civic engagement,” says Johanna Jokinen, Senior Manager of EnvironmentalCommunications at Nokia. “Young people bring a fresh perspective,energy, drive, and a sense of what is possible. There’s much we cando to learn from and support their efforts.”FieldNotes is a publication series of the International Youth Foundationdesigned to promote best practices and innovative approachesin the youth development arena.

-2-Is Your ProjectSustainable?*Below are 12 questions aimed at helping youth assess theextent to which their community projects are sustainable.1. H uman resource management — Are all membersof the team empowered to contribute towardthe project’s goals? Are responsibilities and tasksshared equally?2. Organization — Does the project have cleargoals and objectives and a plan for evaluating itseffectiveness?3. Financial management — Does the project have acomprehensive budget and a realistic sense of whereit will acquire the resources it needs?4. Personal enrichment — Has the project consideredhow team members will benefit (e.g., throughdeveloping life skills, gaining valuable experience)?Are activities designed to be fun and engaging?5. Creativity — Is the project pursuing innovativeapproaches to achieve its goals?6. Communication — Has the project identifiedthose audiences it needs to reach and developeda strategy for doing so? Is its focus on sustainabledevelopment clearly articulated in its outreachmaterials so as to reinforce public education efforts?7. Networking — Has the project identified potentialpartners (e.g., school administrators, local businesses,government authorities) it can collaborate with toachieve shared goals?8. Ethics — Has the project analyzed all of its activitiesand where it sources products in order to ensurethey are produced ethically?9. Accessibility — Has the project taken the necessarysteps to ensure its activities are accessible toall those with an interest in participating? Arematerials available in multiple languages, ifneeded? Have accommodations been made forthose with disabilities?10. Environmental impact — Is the project beingcarried out with sensitivity to its environmentalimpact? Has every effort been made to ensure theuse of recycled, recyclable, organic, and/or fairtrade materials?11. Cooperation — Has the project done everythingpossible to integrate diverse populations? Is therean intergenerational component? Are diverse socioeconomic, racial, and ethnic groups included?12. Sustainability — Does the project have a plan forsustaining its impact into the future?* Developed by Future Smile, Belgium, www.futuresmile.bePursuing Comprehensive ApproachesKurt Peleman, Manager of the Future Smile programin Belgium, is quick to point out that viewing today’splanetary crisis through a strictly environmental lensis not enough. Rather, Future Smile, a program of theFoundation for Future Generations, helps young peopleincorporate sustainable development thinking intotheir existing community activities.“A lot of attention is being focused on the environment,” says Peleman, “but in our view the problems gobeyond ecology. It’s about sustainable developmentand the need to embrace north-south imbalances,poverty issues, and equity. It’s easy to talk about theenvironment — you win the lottery,” he adds. “Whenyour focus is on sustainable development it’s harder toget your message across.”Since 2006, Future Smile, with support from Nokia, has providedmore than forty youth groups with training and small grants to integrate sustainable development principles and practices into theircommunity projects. One example is a group of university studentswho hold an annual circus on their campus. With help from FutureSmile, they reinvented the event — serving organic food and drinksin biodegradable containers, recycling waste, selling t-shirts madeout of organic cotton, and waiving the admission fee for a portion ofthe day to entice families from neighboring towns.Other Future Smile participants have turned used cookingoil into biodiesel fuel for their school’s vehicle, produced anenvironmental hip hop CD, and launched a website that tellsconsumers what local produce is in season and the impact oftheir purchasing decisions on greenhouse gas emissions.At the outset of the nine-month program, participants attend aweekend training during which they gain feedback from expertson how to incorporate sustainable development concepts into theirprojects. Each project team fills out a self-evaluation form enablingthem to analyze and refine their approaches based on 12 keyindicators (see box on left).Participants review their progress against these indicators afterthree months, and again at the program’s conclusion, with technicalassistance provided by Future Smile staff along the way. The programculminates in a festival highlighting each project and raising publicawareness of sustainable development issues — and solutions.The knowledge participants gain has been found to influence theirchoices and behaviors well beyond their volunteer activities. “Ourgoal is that these young people take what they learn through FutureSmile and apply it in their own lives and throughout their careers,”says Peleman.

-3-VA lot of attention is being focusedon the environment, but in ourview the problems go beyondecology. It’s about sustainabledevelopment and the need toembrace north-south imbalances,poverty issues, and equity.— Kurt Peleman, Program Manager,Future Smile, Belgiumn To make their eventsustainable, young volunteersin Belgium prepare dishes madefrom organic tomatoes and servebeverages in containers made ofcorn plastic.Engaging the CommunityTo be successful, most environmentalyouth groups need support from thewider community. This can be challenging, with youth groups citing lackof public will as a major obstacle totheir efforts.WIn Nigeria, for example, participants in LEAP Africa’s YouthLeadership Program have demonstrated an increased interest inlaunching environmental projects; yet resistance among community members and lack of government support can pose barriers.“Because of the challenges we face as a nation, we’ve noticed asignificant increase in youth environmental projects,” says OjeIvagba, LEAP Program Coordinator, adding that projects tend tofocus on clean up efforts, recycling, and public health hazardslike unsafe drinking water and improper sanitation. Since 2005,more than 1,200 Nigerian youth have participated in LEAP’s leadership program, which is carried out in six areas of the country.One LEAP participant put up signs in his community asking people to refrain from dumping their trash near the shore to avoidhealth risks. “People started threatening him. They didn’t want toSUPPORTING YOUTH AdvocaCY EFFORTSBelow are tips designed to help youth initiate public awareness campaigns: Research your issue. It’s important to know as muchabout your issue as possible in order to make themost persuasive argument. Be prepared to back upwhat you say with credible facts and figures. Be clear about your goals and objectives. Whatattitudes, behaviors, and/or policies do you seekto change? Develop your message. Focus on the core ideas youwant to get across. Make it relevant and accessibleto those you seek to reach. Identify your audience and get to know them.Concentrate on a specific segment of thepopulation and understand the knowledge andattitudes they bring. Get important people on your side. Engageprominent individuals in the community (e.g.,journalists, government officials, business and NGOleaders) as advisors and spokespeople. Use the media to spread your message. Develop aplan for reaching out to the media and be creativein getting their attention. Match your medium to your message. Find a linkbetween your message and the medium you use toget it across. For example if your goal is to reducecarbon emissions, organize bike trips. Focus on the positive. While it’s important toeducate the public about the severity of today’senvironmental ills, people are more apt to resonatewith positive solutions. Be creative. Youth-led projects benefit from injecting funinto their activities, whether they use street theatre, artsactivities, contests, or cartoons in their approach.

-4-walk to the incinerator,” says Ivagba. “Sometimes thecommunity can be a negative factor.”Bartosz Sulek, Program Manager of the Polish Childrenand Youth Foundation (PCYF), agrees. “There is ageneration gap,” he says. “Older people don’t alwaysunderstand environmental projects.” Since 2004, PCYFhas supported more than 600 youth-led projects aspart of the Przyłącz Się program.“When it comes to changing environmentally destructive behaviors, people tend to do so only when it’s urgent,”says Sulek. “In Poland, there’s a problem with trash being leftaround. When you go to the forest it’s hard to find a place to puttrash. People think it’s okay to leave it.” As part of the trainingit provides, PCYF coaches youth groups in how to partner withlocal authorities to address such issues.In the rural Kenyan community of Nyakach, 28-year-old ZablonWagalla has carefully enlisted the support of community membersin his “Trees for Clean Energy” (TCEN) project. Through the project,Wagalla introduced the cultivation of jatropha curcas, a cleanenergy biofuel. More than 1,000 farmers now grow jatropha, whichprovides much-needed income in this impoverished region, whilereducing greenhouse gas emissions from the burning of kerosene.In Wagalla’s case, generating community buy-in was made easierthrough a local tradition known as a baraza.During a baraza, divisional officers, chiefs, assistant chiefs, andcommunity development leaders meet to assess local needs andthe impact of specific development initiatives. TCEN holds suchmeetings every three months. The baraza has proven to be acritical forum for surfacing challenges and opportunities relatedto TCEN’s work — for example, teaching school children aboutthe importance of clean energy and brainstorming ways ofincreasing local access to jatropha seedlings.The principles of a baraza can be applied anywhere, notesWagalla, who emphasizes the need to work with local leaders anddemonstrate the long-term benefits of environmental activities.Mobilizing Public WillWhat effective strategies have youth used to mobilize public willto support their efforts? IYF partners emphasize the importanceof youth first generating enthusiasm among their peers. Whileadults can prove a challenging target group, young people generally excel at engaging their peers in sustainable developmentactivities, explains Future Smile’s Peleman.Victoria Davrukova, Program Manager of the New PerspectivesFoundation (NPF), in Russia agrees. “We believe that the roleyouth play in advocating for the environment is unique due ton One out of fiveyouth volunteerprojects supportedthrough the Makea Connectionprogram in Russiafocuses on theenvironment.the fact it’s easier for young people to influence the thinking oftheir peers. They are better at this than adults.”Since 2004, NPF has supported more than 5,500 young volunteers through the Make a Connection program in Russia.Roughly 20 percent of those youth projects supported focuson the environment. When youth are well organized andbuild in incentives for government and businesses to help,they have a greater chance of success, Davrukova affirms.For example, Make a Connection volunteers have receiveddonations of seeds from businesses to carry out gardeningprojects, with businesses benefiting from public acknowledgment. Municipal authorities provided vehicles for transportinggarbage, in part, because the youth’s efforts make the job ofgovernment easier.Those environmental projects supported by the Polish Childrenand Youth Foundation often take the form of youth-led campaigns. Young people begin by engaging their peers and thenwork toward influencing the attitudes and behaviors of the widercommunity. One youth project developed a more planet-friendlyalternative to the plastic bags grocery stores give their customers.The project first targeted primary school students — educatingthem about environmental issues and launching a contest forwho could paint the best picture illustrating an environmentaltheme. Afterward, the youth reproduced the winning image onrecycled bags made of paper or used clothing. In all, more than4,000 bags were created with the support of local donors whoselogos were featured. The group then worked with shops to distribute the bags and convinced officials to promote the campaignon the local government website.

-5-Supporting Youth-led Environmental Change:Questions to ConsiderIn supporting youth-led environmental activities, considerthe following: Is there a natural fit between the youth work you arecurrently doing and support of youth-led environmentalprojects? A number of those programs supported byNokia and IYF promote youth volunteerism, therebycreating a natural outlet for youth to explore theirinterest in the environment. Have you considered how you might integratesustainable development thinking into the trainingand support you offer to youth groups? If so, how welldoes your own organization live up to sustainabledevelopment principles? Does the training you provide include information on howyouth can mobilize their peers, generate publicity for theirwork, and create win-win partnerships?Placing a Premium on Creativity — and FunA key to mobilizing public will is incorporating an element of funinto community projects — something that comes naturally tomost young people, according to Peleman. Many of the projectsFuture Smile supports are event-based, allowing visitors to enjoyn Through the HunabTheme Park in Mexico,young people teach theirpeers — and adults — toappreciate and protecttheir natural environment. Does the support you offer youth include informationand examples of how young people can engage parentsand the wider community in their environmental changeefforts? These skills are especially important to youngenvironmental change makers. Do members of your staff have expertise related tothe environment and if not, are there local expertsyou can tap as mentors or trainers? Most of the IYFpartners cited here did not feel additional expertisewas necessary; however, in Belgium, Future Smileenlists sustainable development experts to serveas trainers, who provide individual counseling toprogram participants. Have you given thought to how the youth environmentalprojects you support can best network with eachother and similar groups working nationally and/or internationally?themselves (e.g., at a concert or circus) while educating them aboutsustainable living.The Otesha Project in Canada, started in 2002 by two collegestudents, excels at injecting fun into its message of living sustainably. Otesha pursues a theatre-based approach to reaching highschool students throughout Canada. The Otesha skit, “MorningChoices,” dramatizes simple actions people can take to protectthe planet (e.g., use less water, buy used clothing, drink fair tradecoffee). In delivering its message, Otesha staff and volunteers organize bike tours in different regions of the country. To date, Oteshahas reached more than 72,000 young people.Similarly, Maritza Morales, 23, developed the Hunab Theme Parkin X’matkuil, Mexico with the goal of educating young and oldalike about urgent environmental issues. “The park promotes theconcept of taking care of nature through games,” says Morales,who began working on environmental issues at the age of ten.Covering an area the size of a football field, the park consists of12 zones where interactive exhibits teach visitors about naturalresource challenges (e.g., water scarcity, deforestation, andendangered species) and solutions. Morales’ strategy is paying offwith more than 13,000 people visiting the park each year duringan annual fair held in X’matkuil.And in the Philippines, Laiden Pedriña uses art as a vehicle fornurturing young people’s interest in the environment. At 23, Pedriñafounded the Young Artists Fellowship for the Environment (YAFE) topromote environmental advocacy through artistic self-expression.

-6-Through YAFE’s Enviro-Art Workshop young people communicateserious issues such as water and air pollution, illegal logging,declining fisheries, and the impact of mining through plays,literary activities, or the visual arts. Since 2004, more than 11,000youth have participated in the workshops.Pursuing Win-win SolutionsYouth champions of the environment emphasize the importance ofdeveloping solutions with built-in incentives for people to modifytheir actions and behaviors.In Nigeria, for example, one youth leader supported by LEAPAfrica provided young people who sift through garbage foritems they can sell — with protective clothing to protect theirhealth and safety. Through the project, these young scavengersjoined with other youth and together they pick up litter andsell the plastics and metal they collect in bulk at a higher price.What was once an ad hoc activity now provides these youthwith a safe means of generating income, while cleaning up thelocal environment.In Kenya, Trees for Clean Energy also pursues a win-win approach.Farmers who cultivate jatropha curcas with support from TCENbenefit from increased incomes, while reducing greenhouse gasemissions from the burning of kerosene. “My community hasnever had a cash crop,” says Wagalla. “Now people are busy working toward the development of their society and investing theirenergy in conserving the environment.”For Wagalla and others, mobilizing people to act in their ownself-interest has proven a valuable strategy.LESSONS LEARNEDIYF partners offer the following lessons learned when itcomes to supporting youth-led environmental initiatives: Youth-serving NGOs have much to learn fromthe approaches of young environmentalists andare being called upon to “walk their talk” whenit comes to carrying out their work in moresustainable ways. Today’s environmental crisis hasinspired youth to take their development intotheir own hands as they teach themselves how toorganize campaigns, raise funds, and advocatefor their cause. The burgeoning environmentalmovement also offers new avenues for activeyouth-adult partnerships. Youth-led environmental projects benefit inparticular from communications and resourcemobilization training. “Given the popularity ofenvironmental issues, young people need toknow how to attract local media,” says PCYF’sSulek, adding that youth also benefit fromtraining in how to enlist the support of localbusinesses and government. Supporting youth in pursuing a sustainabledevelopment approach can take additional time,resources, and expertise. Helping young peopleex

Supporting Youth advoCaCY eFFortS Engaging the Community To be successful, most environmental youth groups need support from the wider community. This can be chal-lenging, with youth groups citing lack of public will as a major obstacle to their efforts. In Nigeria, for example, participants in LEAP Africa’s Youth

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