Youth Action for Climate Change Awareness, Education and Research by UPHAR

Thank you. I support this proposal. However, I expect a detail plan from you. Thanks,

Hi @mrinalsen2013, Thank for your comment. Sure.. as we go..we will update the proposal. Keep an eye of the proposal. We hope you would promote the proposal among your friends and colleagues. Thanks.

Thank for the proposal. We support this proposal. We demand the UN should declare the 'UN Decade for Climate Change Awareness and Research’ (2016-2025). All the best. Crowd-Watch

Hi YPARD, Thank you very much for your comments. I am sure that you have noticed main objectives of this proposed youth platform. 1. Youth campaign for declaration of the UN Decade for Climate Change Awareness and Research (2016-2025). 2. Youth campaign for establishing the UN Office on Climate Change. I believe you would agree with us that challenges of climate change are huge. Governments, almost all UN agencies, INGOs, NGOs, educational institutions, research organisations- all are working on this issue from different perspectives. They are working on this because the human society is in danger now and we have to make the world livable for our next generations as well. If the UN declares the Decade for Climate Change Awareness, we would have more opportunity to work on climate change issues. All climate change related works will be done under one umbrella. CGIAR are doing really some very good jobs through CCAFS research programme and surely the Youth Ambassadors will be working with institutions like CGIAR or CCAFS. Networking for climate change research, campaign and advocacy would be their main jobs. You have mentioned your concern about the age of Youth Ambassadors. We just want to harness the 'Power of Youth'. We believe in the leadership capacity of young people. “Young people are the leaders of today, not tomorrow,” as Gro Brundtland said. However we are happy to increase the age limit of youth ambassadors up to 35 years as some countries define 'youth' as “every person between the ages of 15 and 35 years”. Having said so, I am sure we will have some experienced advisors to guide us on different issues. Please let me know if you have more questions or comments. I will more than happy to discuss our thoughts. Regards, Halder

I support this proposal (“youth campaigning platform targeting the United Nations”; “Climate Change Youth Ambassador Programme”; “Regional Climate Change Journalism Award” etc) as this has the potential to be a key building block for solution-oriented momentum on the climate change issue(and other issues), and a training ground for future UN representatives, diplomats, representatives at summit meetings on many different topics, trade/industry representatives, etc. As noted by other commenters, there are other organizations (UNOY Peacebuilders is another) who are working along similar lines at the international level. Given the unprecedented nature of the task of resolving the climate change issue, and where we are in regards to resolving it, there is certainly room for more partners in building up numbers and momentum for youth involvement in climate change, and other issues. Two Suggestions for Resources I have two additional suggestions for resources, in relation to Comment #4 (above), where Proposal Creator Buddhadeb Halder says: “Youth ambassadors will be main faces of Climate Change awareness movement. At national level, they will work in collaboration with NGOs working on the same issue, work with governments to take actions on climate changes issues, influence government policies, etc. They will also work with different educational institutions and organize talks, seminars, training for students- mainly high school, college and university level students.” 1) Focus the Nation Buddhadeb Halder may already be aware of the “Focus the Nation” efforts in 2008—but if not there is a model for the work which “Youth Ambassadors” could do in educational institutions. (Note: There could easily be a number of organizations doing something like this now, that I am not aware of. If so, such organizations would be key organizations for partnerships to carry out “teach-ins” etc. associated with Climate Change Awareness. From the “About Focus the Nation” section of the “Focus the Nation” website (see http://www.focusthenation.org/about ) (confirmed October 20, 2009—specific text no longer accessible on the Internet, per search on April 3, 2011) “Our 2008 Civic Engagement campaign organized 1900 climate change teach-ins on college campuses on Jan. 31, 2008, engaging 64 members of Congress in direct dialogue with youth activists during the height of the early presidential primaries. Between teach-ins and web-casts, we directly engaged more than 240,000 people in climate change educational forums. The teach-ins generated more than 900 press hits, including articles in TIME, Grist, New York Times, Newsweek, NPR, USA Today, MSNBC, Los Angeles Times and nearly every major daily from the Houston Chronicle to the Boston Globe.” As corroboration, here is passage from the Wikipedia entry of Eban S. Goodstein (in section “Green House Network” at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eban_Goodstein (confirmed August 5, 2011 ) “In January, 2008, over 1900 universities, schools, and civic groups nation-wide participated in what amounted to the largest teach-in in U.S. history, involving over a million people in an event designed to educated and engage Americans in a discussion of global warming solutions.” 2) Tipping Point Action: Citizen Participation in Times of Unprecedented Challenges There are possible links/connections between this “Youth Action on Climate Change” and my proposal ) “Tipping Point Action: Citizen Participation in Times of Unprecedented Challenges” in the “Shifting Behavior in a Changing Climate” contest. Here are two passages which highlight a key potential connection: a) From the “Summary” section “The primary goal of the Tipping Point Action Campaign is to encourage citizens from every variety of circumstances to help create, become involved, contribute to, and participate in one or more of the thousands of Community Visioning Initiatives (or similar stakeholder engagement/collaborative problem solving processes designed to maximize citizen participation) which will be needed to exponentially accelerate solution-oriented activity at this critical time.” b) From the “What actions do you propose” section “What would an educational curriculum look like—for preparing survey specialists, resource coordinators for Neighborhood Learning Centers, and organizers/facilitators for Community Visioning Initiatives (and other stakeholder engagement/collaborative problem solving approaches)—if it was to be delivered in training modules similar to the kind used when the Peace Corps was scaled up?” Thus, Climate Change Ambassadors, in their work with educational institutions, could: --advocate for, support, and help establish curriculum for training people who will help organize and implement Community Visioning Initiatives --and become, through such training, people who will help organize and implement Community Visioning Initiatives

Hello Crowd Watch and Indrani, Thank you very much for supporting the proposal. @Indrani, you are right- Without the high level commitment we can not deal climate change challenges. Thank you once again.. please promote this proposal if you really believe that this proposal has the potentiality to make difference! Regards,

Hi Tony, Thank you very much for your inspiring comments. Yes, you are right! I wanted to raise those core issues that I feel really achievable. It will be a true youth-led action oriented campaign to make a real difference and help deal climate change challenges if we succeed to do so that I mentioned in the proposal. Thank you once again. Please promote the proposal among your friends and colleagues.

@julietvedder, Thanks a lot for your comments. Yes, your understanding about the proposal is absolutely correct. Thank you once again. Please promote the proposal among your friends and colleagues.

Dear Halder, Thank you very much! You talked about '1) the UN to declare the ‘Decade for Climate Change Awareness, Education and Research (2016-2025)' and 2) to establish a full-fledged United Nations agency- the ‘UN Office on Climate Change’. This is what I felt extremely needed. This is the urge of the time! Secondly, the time line- you wrote, '1. International Campaign urging the UN in it's 70th Regular Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 70) (15-28 September 2015) to declare the ‘UN Decade for Climate Change Awareness and Research (2016-2025)' starts Nov-Dec 2014. 2. First Climate Change Youth Ambassador Conference during COP 20, Lima, Peru (1-12 December 2014) discussing and setting up the further Youth Action Plan for Climate Change. 3. International call to create fund for the 'UN Decade for Climate Change Awareness, Education and Research'. 4. Target UN, EU, G7 Leaders and other World leaders and get assurance for funding during COP 21 Paris.' and so on... This is how you should do some realistic plan. I would be more than happy to support your proposal and future action you would like to implement.. Once again, thanks a lot.. All the best for this wonderful proposal..

Hi Aneri, Thanks a lot for your comments. Yes, they are really doing good jobs by amplifying youth voices in the CC Dialogues. However, it does not look that they are demanding the UN to declare: 1.the 'UN Decade for Climate Change Awareness, Education and Research (2016-2025)' and 2. the 'UN Office on Climate Change'. We believe that without fulfilling these two demands we can not deal climate change challenges. I would be more than happy to discuss further or work with these organisations. By any chance, do you know them or would you be able to introduce me with them? Regards, Halder

Hi Aneri, Thanks a loot. This will be really excellent. I will send you my email in a direct message. Regards, Halder

Great initiative. Our team would love to contribute to your proposal by sharing our research results. Link of our project: https://www.climatecolab.org/web/guest/plans/-/plans/contestId/1300210/planId/1309017

@timdamon, Thank you very much for supporting this proposal. I am looking forward to work together. Let's see the outcome of the Semi-Finalist selection. Regards, Halder

@lmdo, Thanks for your comment. My proposal talks about the decade of Climate Change Education (primary goal) and also talks about UN Office on Climate Change. Yes, there are several UN Organs working on Climate Change issues. However, UNEA is the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) that happens under the UNEP. I am talking about a full-fledged UN Office that would work on predominantly Climate Change issues. Please support us and do promote this proposal. Regards, Halder

Excellent! we need something only dedicated to deal climate change as study shows Paris climate agreement won't limit global temperature increases to 2°C target. (http://globalchange.mit.edu/news-events/news/news_id/401) Thank you and hope you will make it! Best of luck..