Young people live, everywhere in the world, in a context of uncertainties: it is a global pandemic, we are going through a climate and environmental crisis, and on top of that, our economies are organized in ways that poses challenges for youth employment.
It is only reasonable that we feel anxious and fearful of the future. The good news is: we can act collectively to solve that.
From April until June, Y4N has been campaigning around the Spring of Hope. The goal of the campaign was to show to Europe-based youth that, as long as we act to protect the climate and nature, we can be hopeful for the future.
Today, in this blog post, we will share 10 lessons we learned with the campaign, by highlighting 5 ways youth based in Europe can combat climate change.
1. Communicate about the climate and nature on social media
Effectively communicating about the climate crisis can be one of the most effective skills for young people to positively impact the climate movement.
Internet and social media have been connecting youth to lead on social change, but it is a challenging space to navigate. If you want to start positively impacting your community, start with your instagram, tik tok or twitter (or more!). Principles of effectively communicating about climate and nature include avoiding catastrophic messages, giving a real face to issues and being personal.
If you want to know more about it, you can watch the recording of our workshop.
2. Engage with your local nature
Engaging with nature can bring multiple benefits - from mental well-being, to contribute to mitigate emissions and safeguard local biodiversity.
There are many ways you can engage with nature. If you live in a city, you can start your own urban garden experiment by planting edible veggies in wooden boxes. If you want something easier, you can go to a park or natural area, close your eyes, and listen to the sounds for 10 minutes.
We created a toolkit with tips on how to engage with nature. You can find both in English and in French.
local biodiversity in paris, france
Picture by Julia Bethe
3. Green entrepreneurship: a path towards a green future
Have you ever wondered what social entrepreneurship looks like? Have you ever thought about going through the path of a social entrepreneur?
It is possible to run businesses that operate in harmony with nature and to address climate change solutions. Youth are already leading in green entrepreneurship and we want you to know that this is a viable option for your future. If you are curious and willing to learn more, you can watch our full recording on green entrepreneurship in the Baltic Sea area.
4. What about memes? Become a professional meme maker!
We love creating memes, looking at them, and sharing them with our friends! We also care about the world! The problem is, while sustainability is important, it is sometimes too serious, overwhelming, and can leave us feeling helpless.
We talked before about the power of communication in driving action for climate change. Serious change can come from memes!
During our #SpringofHopeY4N, we hosted a Sustainability Meme Festival with the goal of creating great memes around sustainability topics.
Go ahead, and start creating and sharing your sustainability memes!
5. share your stories!
Your story, our future
At Youth4Nature we run a storytelling campaign highlighting solutions led by the youth, for nature, and grounded on communities
Writing help us process our feelings of anxiety, help us clear our minds, and direct our efforts towards action!
At Youth4Nature, we have a storytelling campaign, #YourStoryOurFuture that highlight stories of action led by the youth all around the globe. It is a great place to give visibility to your work, or to get some inspiration.
If you are looking for tips on how to write stories, you can always check these tips.
How can you be further engaged with Youth4Nature?
We are always looking for global ambassadors to join us in our regional work for Europe & Central Asia at a volunteer capacity. Learn more here.