Applications are open for the #GenerationRestoration: The Advocacy Odyssey Program 2021. Join this digital learning program to discover how youth advocacy for ecosystem restoration can protect livelihoods, address the climate crisis, and prevent the collapse of global biodiversity. The program will consist of three online interactive webinars to be held in October 2021, on the road to GLF Climate.

#GenerationRestoration: The Advocacy Odyssey is brought to you by the Youth in Landscapes Initiative (YIL) and the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF), in collaboration with organizations from the #GenerationRestoration Youth Hub and the World Economic Forum’s 1t.org platform.

The program will foster horizontal learning by bringing together young and young-at-heart people to share their advocacy experiences, with the aim of exploring a variety of approaches to environmental activism. At the end of the program, participants are expected to develop a robust understanding of how they can become agents of change at all levels, from the local to the global. All participants will receive free tickets to the digital edition of GLF Climate.

Weekly Interactive Sessions

• Session 1: The negotiating table: With the launch of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, there has never been a more opportune moment to forge a radically inclusive and intergenerational narrative on restoration in environmental policy spheres, including the upcoming COP26 and CBD COP15 scheduled for this autumn. In this first session, they will navigate the technicalities of negotiations with former youth delegates from previous COPs. 
• Session 2: Eco-storytelling: Eco-storytelling is rooted in the way the human brain functions: even when the body goes to sleep, the mind stays up all night telling itself stories! Social media has also proven a powerful tool for young environmental activists, while relationships with journalists continue to be critically important for sharing youth perspectives with mainstream media. In this session, they will cover a range of tips and tricks to help young activists raise their storytelling game, from creating visuals to designing campaigns.
• Session 3: Hard tactics: According to the Climate Change Litigation Database, more than 700 climate lawsuits have been filed around the world since 2015. Activists are resorting to legal action to hold polluting corporations and governments accountable, influence environmental decision-making, and defend the rights and livelihoods of Indigenous peoples and other marginalized communities. In this session, participants will learn to play hardball to demand environmental justice for all. 

Eligibility

The program is designed for students and young professionals between 18 to 35 years old who:

• Have a strong interest in advocating for the climate at a local, national, regional or global level;
• Want to co-create a global youth narrative around ecosystem restoration;
• Are involved in a youth-led advocacy project related to climate or ecosystem restoration (preferred but not required).

Application

As part of your application, you will be requested to provide a one-minute video answering the following question: what is one essential element that young activists should include when forging a common youth narrative around ecosystem restoration for #GenerationRestoration?

Apply for the program by September 15, 2021 at 23:59 CEST by filling out the online form.

For more information, visit #GenerationRestoration.