Youth4Nature is proud to announce the launch of a for-youth by-youth restoration project-INUKA. The project, which launched on 20 March 2023 in Nairobi, Kenya, seeks to take advantage of experiential learning to deliver training on Nature-based Solutions (NbS) best practices, youth leadership and storytelling and scale-up solutions across five key landscapes in Kenya (Coastal Mangrove ecosystems, Inland wetlands, Semi-Arid, Highland forests and Agro-forestry ecosystems). INUKA is piloting in Kenya for 15 months following the launch, with scale-up plans to other Afrikan and Global South countries underway.
INUKA, a Swahili word for “rise up”, taps into youth actions and leadership in NbS by bringing to light the incredible on-the-ground restoration work they do while inculcating International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Global Standard for NbS as an effective tool for assessment, design and verification of NbS.
INUKA’s goals include;
Biodiversity and NbS best practice
Sustainable Livelihoods and Youth Leadership
Community Building and Storytelling
INUKA underscores the continuation of a critical NbS policy work that Youth4Nature, the official United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s Children and Youth Constituency (YOUNGO) and the Global Youth Biodiversity Network (GYBN) co-led in 2021, which resulted in the NbS Youth Position Statement, officially launched in Glasgow during the UNFCCC COP26. The statement aims to bridge a gap in NbS youth involvement and proposes effective solutions to guide NbS policy and practice. The statement outcomes will be instrumental in implementing INUKA, thereby feeding into NbS good practices to the standard.
“NbS implementation must follow strict binding social and environmental safeguards, focusing on ecosystem integrity and functions, meaningful participation and free, prior, and informed consent from Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities, human and Indigenous rights, and rights of nature.”
INUKA is committed to youthful environmental stewardship, acknowledging youth as leaders and experts in solutions to nature and climate crises while appreciating the need for intergenerational dialogue, consensus and meaningful collaboration. The project will leverage youthful facilitators to deliver training on NbS best practices and storytelling while tapping into the vast experience of NbS experts in the field to deliver program mentorship.
“Through INUKA, we have the opportunity to showcase what it means to put resources in the hands of youth and to let them do the work in their communities. We empower, resource, mentor and engage youth in practical actions through their restoration actions, using the IUCN NbS standards, and capture these stories for impact. The youth are leaders of tomorrow, and today, we need to listen to them and co-lead in NbS good practices for livelihoods and nature. INUKA with us. We impact nature and transform livelihoods,” notes Kaluki Paul Mutuku, INUKA’s project lead.
Contact us for partnerships, information or project-related inquiries at inuka@youth4nature.org
INUKA Launch Gallery: See some images below.
