GLOBAL YOUTH CLIMATE TRAINING

The Youth Climate Training programme is a collaboration between Oxford Net Zero and the Global Youth Coalition, an organisation of young people that supports youth-led climate action. The joint team delivering this project represents a strong international and intergenerational collaboration, spanning multiple continents, professional backgrounds and ages.

Alexis McGivern, Oxford Net Zero Fellow, created and led the programme alongside several youth activists from the Global Youth Coalition, leveraging the University of Oxford’s wide network of climate experts. 

Our first iteration of the training ran from 3 May-30 October 2023 for 13 fortnightly sessions. It covered key areas of discussion and negotiation within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) system. The curriculum was built by consulting 180 young climate justice activists who gave their input on their training needs. We educated 4,500 activists under the age of 35 spreading over 177 countries, with 64% identifying as from Most Affected People and Areas (MAPA). 

This youth training is trial of radical open-access and inclusion, with all of the recordings published to YouTube, a completely free course for participants.  We also partnered with EcoInterpreters to offer the course in four languages: English, French, Spanish and Portuguese. Through a partnership with Terra.do, a climate training and jobs platform, we gave our participants access to about 20 more hours of climate education content.

Several Oxford Net Zero researchers taught on the programme (including Dr. Myles Allen, Dr. Jose Maria Valenzuela, Dr. Tom Hale, alongside researchers and practitioners from around the world. The programme was intentionally crafted to prioritise expert Global South voices on climate issues. Each session began with a testimonial by a youth speaker, followed by a technical lecture by relevant global climate experts.

TESTIMONIALS FROM PARTICIPANTS

“The training I received through Global Youth Climate has been a transformative experience in my life. It has not only equipped me with valuable knowledge and skills but has also given me the confidence and motivation to contribute meaningfully to the global efforts in addressing climate change. As a refugee, this opportunity has been a ray of hope, a chance to grow, and a reminder that even in the face of adversity, there are organizations like yours that value the participation of most marginalized people like me.” – Byaombe Lumona

“Honestly I have no words to express what I have learned with the opportunity to attend this training. My views on different aspects and levels surrounding climate change have expanded enormously and this has been shaping the local projects I have been working towards. Thank you so much! – Marilynn Holguín Clover

 “One of the greatest things that happened to me this year was being part of this group. Love it here…thank you for such an informative learning session!”- Nhlanhla Sibanda

 “Thank you a lot for arranging such lectures! Sometimes the global agenda and negotiations in climate change seem to be so far from me, some days I doubt my abilities to make a valuable contribution and enter the discussions of the international cooperations and institutes, but thanks to the organisers and the smart and young speakers I see than anything is possible, and this atmosphere inspires me to keep pushing forward towards a more resilient and sustainable world.” – Linara Khadimullina

 “Three cheers! To the Global Youth Training Team and Oxford Net Zero team. I loved all the sessions. One of the finest youth training I have come across. The content is just great and brilliantly curated! I do hope to see more such training sessions with more specialised topics! Thank you once again!”- Shaurya Patel