Creating youth climate councils: A step-by-step guide for young people

This article is an abridged version of the original text, which can be downloaded from the right-hand column. We highlight some of the publication’s key messages below, but please access the original text for more comprehensive detail, full references, or to quote text. The toolkit is also available in French, Brazilian Portuguese and Spanish (see links at the bottom of the article)

Summary

This toolkit has been created to help young people establish a youth climate council in their city. As the urgency to take immediate and ambitious climate action grows, young people like you should be actively involved in shaping and driving climate action within your cities and communities. This resource will guide you through the process of bringing dedicated young people together, gathering your ideas, reaching out to local city representatives, and finally: creating an institutional mechanism for strong and effective youth participation in your city’s climate decision-making!

Introduction

Have you wanted to make a difference in your local community but did not know where to start? Maybe you have already figured out a concrete plan to make your neighbourhood a better place – but you do not know how to start a conversation with the people who can help you make it happen.

Over the past few years, several youth groups have been working on a way to bring young people closer to climate policy and decision-making, and have come up with the idea of youth climate councils (YCC). These are essentially either collaborative platforms or advisory bodies associated with a climate, energy, and/or environment authority. This authority could either be national or local to a specific region or city – the exact details will differ from one country to another depending on various social and political factors.

Overview of the youth climate councils within the YCC Global Alliance

Currently, seven YCCs around the world have joined the Youth Climate Council Global Alliance (YCC GA). Of these, six are active on the national level and one is city-based:

• The Danish Youth Climate Council was established in 2019 as an advisory body to the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities.
• The Polish Youth Climate Council was established in 2020 as an advisory body to the Ministry of Climate and Environment.
• The Dutch Youth Climate Council was established in 2020 as an advisory body to the Directorate of Environment within the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management.
• The creation of the Ghanaian Youth Climate Council was officially announced in 2021.
• The Costa Rican Youth Climate Council was established in 2023.
• The Ugandan Youth Climate Council was established in 2023.
• The Youth Climate Council in São Paulo was established in 2022.

Establishing a local Youth Climate Council

Cities globally are taking meaningful steps to ensure that young people can actively engage in city-led climate action. Several C40 Cities already have youth climate councils or equivalent bodies, which have already had an impact. In Auckland, youth recommendations helped shape the city’s 10-year climate budget. Los Angeles connects young people with city resources and local NGOs to achieve their climate goals. Quezon City integrated climate and environment into school curricula, making climate education more accessible. Seattle has provided young people with a platform to help shape the city’s transportation future, which in 2022 led to legislation that introduced free public transport for under-18s.

Drawing from the experiences of the Youth Climate Council Global Alliance and insights from C40 Cities, the toolkit outlines a process including 12 steps young people can follow to establish and sustain a YCC or equivalent platform in their city. Please download the original publication to read it in detail.

• Step 1 – Identify the goal and opportunities of city-youth engagement: Define your objectives for working with the city on climate action initiatives.
• Step 2 – Analyze the trajectory of youth advocacy on climate change: Evaluate how the climate crisis and the trajectory of local youth advocacy on climate action impact your city.
• Step 3 – Reflect on your city’s past and ongoing engagement with young people: Analyse how young people have been engaged in your city’s climate action and decision-making processes so far. Understand their interests, challenges, and the opportunities they have been offered. Then, use these insights to plan your engagement with the city.
• Step 4 – Build partnerships: Identify active youth climate groups in your city. Reach out to them and explore opportunities for collaboration.
• Step 5 – Reach out to your city representatives: Identify and reach out to city representatives to discuss the potential for a local YCC and prepare your case for establishing one.
• Step 6 – Prepare to meet city representatives: Reflect on the practical aspects of establishing a YCC. Partner with other young people and groups to develop a proposal for how the YCC could be structured. Identify ways to balance the needs and expectations of young people with the practicalities of working with city representatives.
• Step 7 – Establish a strong relationship with city representatives: Actively engage and build a collaborative relationship with city representatives. Consider how their expertise and resources can support the establishment and implementation of a YCC.
• Step 8 – Assess training and capacity-building needs: Identify the specific skills and knowledge needed for youth leaders to participate in a YCC. Plan a set of capacity-building sessions that will address these needs.
• Step 9 – Maintain collaboration with city representatives: Actively engage with city representatives, ensuring that young people’s views are helping to shape the structure and activities of the YCC.
• Step 10 – Operationalize the youth climate council: Assign a dedicated youth representative to liaise with city representatives. This will ensure ongoing communications and meaningful collaboration between YCC members and the city.
• Step 11 – Regularly assess and address the needs of the council: Continue to monitor the priorities, evolving needs, and impact of the YCC’s initiatives.
• Step 12 – Celebrate success: Amplify the successes and impact of your city–youth collaboration.

Final notes

We are well aware that the reality of the climate crisis is overwhelming – but we can all play a role in protecting our planet. One of the approaches we can take is to establish a local YCC. Advising city officials, and making sure that youth voices are heard and included in climate politics, will have a bigger impact than we can all imagine!

If you need more direct assistance with establishing a YCC in your city, please contact the YCC GA. We can offer you tailored guidance and advice and are here to help and support you throughout the process. We can’t wait for you to join the YCC GA and be a part of this constantly growing community!

An English version of the toolkit can be downloaded from the right-hand column. Versions in other languages are also available:

• Brazilian Portuguese
• French
• Spanish