Bandung, February 23–25, 2024 – “The youth speak up!” declared a young participant during the climate action advocacy workshop. Youth represent the future generation who require substantial support and open platforms to safeguard the long-term sustainability of our planet. Acknowledging that climate change has become an urgent global challenge requiring decisive mitigation from all sectors, with children and young people disproportionately bearing its impacts, the Foundation for Inspiring Indonesia’s Development (YIIM), IBU Foundation, and U-Report, with generous backing from PT Insight Investments Management (INSIGHT), launched the Youth Advocacy for Climate Action (Y4CA) program in Bandung, West Java.

The Youth Advocacy for Climate Action (Y4CA) initiative is designed to empower young people aged 15 to 24 across Bandung and surrounding areas. Utilizing a collaborative co-creation model, the program supports ten youth-led grassroots organizations engaged in environmental preservation and civic action.

Comprising a series of targeted activities, the initiative delivered direct empowerment to 35 selected young delegates who completed an intensive 3-day climate advocacy training held from February 23 to 25, 2024, in Bandung.

Throughout the three-day workshop, participant enthusiasm was extraordinarily high. The curriculum adopted core modules from UNICEF’s Youth Advocacy Guide, encompassing introductory climate science and its implications for youth, foundational advocacy frameworks, meaningful civic participation versus tokenism, mental health resilience for youth advocates, stakeholder mapping, and formulating credible, strategic advocacy blueprints.

To secure enduring impacts beyond the workshop, the initiative actively facilitated young participants in translating learned concepts into concrete deliverables. Trainees were guided to formulate tangible, scalable climate action plans tailored for community-level or wider implementation, traversing systematic problem identification, target setting, and strategic campaign design.

Furthermore, the initiative provides catalytic seed funding to support the execution of action plans devised by the participants. This financial resource is dedicated to operationalizing on-the-ground activities, hosting localized community workshops, driving social awareness campaigns, and executing ecological restoration projects addressing climate resilience.

Through this holistic paradigm, Y4CA does not merely impart knowledge and technical skills; it equips youth to stand at the forefront as active changemakers facing global ecological challenges. Seed funding serves as a vital catalyst ensuring grassroots youth innovations materialize into measurable outcomes, uplifting civic mobilization for climate justice.

This collaborative endeavor demonstrates the steadfast commitment of YIIM and PT Insight Investments Management in supporting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through corporate social and environmental responsibility (CSR/TJSL). It is hoped that this program will inspire broader coalitions to champion social empowerment and environmental stewardship for public welfare.

Salam Inspirasi!