ONLINE FORMAT Climate emergency: priorities from the youth for a political agenda focused on sustainability

Today, young people must grapple with serious problems inherited from their elders such as persisting poverty, rampant inequality and climate change. Nevertheless, young people possess the energy, creativity and passion to create a Europe that does not live off the rest of the world, spreading poverty and environmental damage.

A visible fact of this energy and capacity is the youth movement against climate change, a movement that promotes student strikes to protest against the inaction of politicians against global warming. This movement has been gaining adherents in various countries, however many young people feel today disappointed for not being represented in the large spaces where debate and decisions are taken.

Although there are organizations and spaces of the youth that are a channel of access to these decision spaces, this is not enough. It is necessary to strengthen the existing spaces of young people in defense of their interests to protect the environment as agents of their own sustainable future.

For this reason, the Spanish Youth Council wants to lead and implement this training action focused on strengthening existing youth spaces to fight against the climatic emergency.

The training action "Climate emergency: priorities from the youth for a political agenda focused on sustainability” finds its origins in the growing involvement of young people on issues related to sustainability and the climate emergency. This activity aims to address the climate issue from a multidisciplinary and cross-cutting youth approach to the daily activity of organizations, so that young people are involved in a global way in this problem.

Specifically, this training activity seeks to achieve the following objectives:

1. Train youth entities in European Sustainability Policies through the entities' representatives.

2. Reflection, analysis and open debate on the climate emergency and the positioning of young people in front of it.

3. Develop a common position in sustainability management that would be leaded by the Spanish Youth Council to the European Youth Forum.

The methodology of the activity is based on encouraging participation as a basis for the empowerment of the participants, who are mostly young people. That is why all sessions will combine theory, examples, case studies and dynamics around each of the themes of the courses.

Specifically, the methodology is based on non-formal education using participatory methods and strategies. This methodology is characterized by being open, flexible, adaptive, participatory and enriching personal and social development.

Moreover, the methodology of this training activity will assure a global perspective of the sustainability policy framework, that is, keeping in view the legal framework of their countries of origin.