In a statement published on the COP27 website, Claudia Ondo (National Coordinator of YouthConnekt Gabon) said during COY17: “Youth participation needs to be integrated into a holistic vision of climate change governance for deeper structural changes to take effect. This requires accepting the sharing of power between young people and adults. And it means letting us speak our minds, tell our stories and offer our solutions to achieve a resilient future and climate-neutral society.”

These powerful sentiments are echoed by the Active climate change citizenship for a Just Transition in South Africa project. This project is aimed at empowering youth, women and communities to harness opportunities within the renewable energy sector, and providing the tools to address climate change mitigation and adaptation.

This initiative acknowledges that climate change is a global threat, but also believes that a proactive response to it can bring new opportunities to the benefit of communities and the economy.

This South African climate change youth, women and community project aims to enable constructive and collaborative engagement by communities, women and youth in climate mitigation and adaptation. #SAClimateChangeChamps is creating awareness in SA’s youth to the array of opportunities in a green economy and the great career opportunities that the growing renewable energy industry in South Africa will bring. This initiative is funded by the European Union and implemented by GreenCape in partnership with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation.

“There is just so much potential for young people in renewable energy, particularly in the communities with which we are working. With this project, we aim to create concrete and practical ways for the youth to have a voice that is heard and to help shape South Africa’s inclusive, clean and sustainable energy future,” Cecelia Kok, Head of Research and Advocacy Projects, FNF South Africa.

The #SAClimateChangeChamps project has already seen active citizenship impact at a community level, through its engagement with individuals, community based organisations, schools and municipalities. 

Celebrating local active climate citizens 

Through opportunities shared during one of the project’s Eastern Cape community of practice meetings, Lusanda Msebi won the Bestseller Foundation: Young Environmental Ambassador Award 2022. She has also been selected for WWF Youth Climate Change Bootcamp. Lusanda is the Director of her NPO Catwalk Youth Development Agency.

“I believe that it is high time we zoom in to understanding the part that we individually play in addressing climate change as it affects all of us on a daily basis. If we want to improve our quality of life and have a planet to live in for us right now and for future generations we should make sustainability our lifestyle,” said this local climate hero.

Luyanda runs awareness initiatives focused on combating illegal dumping and ensuring water saving in the community of Motherwell.  She is the Vice Chairperson of the Motherwell Community and Enviro Hub which works with waste collection, recycling and upcycling of waste to assist in addressing the issue of illegal dumping in Motherwell. She organises clean up activities in the community, through which she aims to encourage youth involvement in the climate change conversation. 

Zoliswa Ntabeni commenting on the Climage Change Bill in the Climate Change Champions Train-the-trainer workshop

Capacitating active climate-focussed community based organisations 

Community based organisations are key to supporting and motivating localised climate change citizenship. They can be a bridge for the youth to engage with local authorities, enabling their agency. The project is building capacity in a core group of civil society organizations’ (CSOs) and community-based organizations’ (CBOs) to train high school teachers, students and community organisations about renewable energy and climate change adaptations.

The workshops hosted aim to empower trainers to be able to transfer knowledge that stands to benefit their communities from a transition to cleaner and more sustainable energy, and amplify voices that are not currently adequately heard at national level and which may lack the knowledge, capacity and sense of agency to act locally.

“It is citizens who get involved in the communities and are active in the process that will change situations and the workshop has shown me how to facilitate climate change workshops within my organization and with external stakeholders as well,” confirmed Sylvia Strauss, Conservation South Africa (Stewardship and Impact Officer) during a recent train-the-trainers workshop hosted in Springbok, Northern Cape. 

Priscilla Magerman, Namaqua National Park (Socio Economic Transformation Officer), said: “Climate Change is a phenomenon that impacts us all, especially those most vulnerable. There are mitigation measures and all have a role to play in implementing them. The workshop has given us tools that we can use to engage with the community on issues that impact them.”

Post one of the TOT engagement, the project partnered with Darryl Dreyer to roll-out a programme in high schools, both for capacity building for teachers and Climate Clubs for learners. Darryl Dreyer is the Director of an NPO Isa Enviro.

Darryl Dreyer facilitating teacher induction training

Creating platforms for active climate schools

Through the creation of climate clubs and a virtual networking platform, the intent is to build a community of young people that have a voice to influence national and local climate- and energy policy and who take action at their schools and in their communities on climate mitigation and adaptation. By working through high school teachers, the aim is to reach high school students and create awareness about the economic, environmental and social benefits of renewable energy, and career opportunities available to them in these fields. 

Encouraging active climate local authorities 

Local authorities are also a target group for capacity building in this project, as they have a strong influence in creating an enabling environment for proactive citizens, and embracing the energy transition as an economic, environmental and social opportunity rather than a threat. 

One of the municipal engagements of the project involves hosting Green Economy Awareness Learning Series’ with officials from local municipalities to learn about policy development and renewable energy. These capacity building workshops discuss South Africa’s energy landscape, and facilitate discussions about challenges faced on a municipal level and how officials can contribute to creating an enabling environment for renewables within their areas of influence. The sessions unpack types of renewable energy available, the types of potential renewable energy transactions and how to start the process to think through the development of a renewable energy policy on a municipal level. 

“Together for implementation” was a key phrase used during COP27. This sentiment is again echoed in the impact already seen through the #SAClimate ChangeChamps project, building a sense of agency and enabling proactive, constructive and collaborative engagement by communities, women and youth in climate mitigation and adaptation. 

Get involved through nominating a local #SAClimateChangeChamp – https://saclimatechamps.co.za/  DM