Youth, especially in the Global South and in communities already made vulnerable, are disproportionately impacted by climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic. They shoulder the responsibility of climate adaptation and mitigation while also facing unprecedented disruptions to employment, education, physical and mental health, and financial security.

In partnership with Youth Climate Lab (YCL) and with support from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Green Africa Youth Organization worked with youth-led organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa and Asia to organize a series of workshops that produced resources on multi-solving, youth voices on climate action and recover, and how it can be used to further climate justice.

Projections by multilateral development institutions and researchers predict these burdens to increase over the coming decades, as weather shocks, land degradation, and ecosystem changes endanger Southern economies. In regions such as Sub-Saharan Africa youth make up over 70 percent of the population and the median age is 20 years old. This means the obstacles they face will have major impacts on Africa’s economy as well as global supply chains. The region could harness this untapped potential to reap a demographic dividend, but this will be only if youth are provided with opportunities to succeed and if they are included as part of the solution. In the region, and across the globe, youth are keenly aware of the crises facing their communities and futures, yet have limited opportunities and channels to share their ideas, efforts and passion for building back better. The result is regional, national and international-level policies and programmes that fail to meaningfully engage youth in issues affecting their futures.

To address this, Green Africa Youth Organization (GAYO) and Youth Climate Lab has developed two knowledge products that elevate the voices and ideas of youth across the Global South through evidence-based, participatory workshops that development organizations and governments can utilize to inform programming and policy on building back better. futures.

Preview and download the knowledge products below: