Ju*gend – Youth, Gender & Climate Justice

Final Project Highlight at COP28

We are still flying high after our magical event at COP28 in Dubai: “Boosting Youth Participation in Climate Policy“. Alongside great young activists like Fateh from Pakistan, Alicia from South Africa, Nele from Germany and Renmark from the Philippines, we held an exciting side event and used the stage to introduce the Youth Climate Check.

Why is this important? Because it’s time to put the voices of youth at the center of international climate policy. The Youth Climate Check is our tool to do just that. It not only enables the review of political demands, events and organizational structures, but also emphasizes the importance of intersectionality in climate action.

The aim of our contribution was to show the potential of intersectionality. We need to include all aspects of life and all people to bring about real change. Our check helps to ensure that no one is forgotten when it comes to climate justice.

And the best part? You can watch the recording of the event now and be inspired by the energy and ideas! Click here to listen to our colleague Noro Enkhbaatar and learn more about how you can actively participate in a sustainable future. Watch the recording here and click here if you want to jump directly to the Youth Climate check.  The event was held in English.

Let’s seize the momentum together and put youth at the center of climate change. The change starts now, and you are a crucial part of it!

We thank Katie Gallus for her great moderation and constant support of the event. Also check out the important work of the German Climate Foundation and Kindernothilfe. We co-hosted the side event with both organizations.

Attention, friends of the environment!

Our Youth Climate Check is now also available as a poster! The YCC has undergone an exciting transformation and is now presented in a new colorful version on our exclusive poster.

This poster is not only eye-catching, but also offers a fresh and visually appealing presentation of our proven method. With clear graphics and concise information, it’s a handy resource for you, folded up in A4 or unfolded as a poster in A1 format.

How can you use the poster?

• In the office: Hang the poster up in the office to encourage colleagues to advocate for more intersectionality in their work.
• In your next workshop: Use the poster as a handy list of questions to make your workshop as inclusive as possible.
• For events: Use the poster as a conversation starter at events and conferences to get people excited about the Youth Climate Check.

How can you get the poster?

In the download area in the right-hand column you will find the poster in PDF format. If you would like to hold it in your hand or hang it up, we will be happy to send it to you. Just send an e-mail to us.

The Youth Climate Check

In cooperation with several youth organizations, GenderCC developed a tool based on a gender impact assessment to make climate measures more intersectional: The Youth Climate Check
This check is intended for you as youth groups or people in youth education who work on climate justice and environmental protection. You can use the Youth Climate Check for these purposes

• political demands
• campaigns
• events
• organizational structures

The check supports you to check whether you have taken different persons, perspectives and ways of living into account in your measure, for which the word →intersectionality is often used. You will find that it is not so easy to think of everyone. Try as best you can to do things better. Every beginning is hard! You can try to improve your measures step by step without only looking at what still needs to be done. So be patient with yourself along the way and don’t give up too quickly, it’s worth it!
The first quick check is intended as an introduction. The in-depth check makes it possible to delve even deeper into the various subject areas. The seven subject areas

1) Intersectionality,
2) “Father, mother, child” – questioning role models,
3) Care and responsibility for others,
4) Economy – Who owns the world?
5) Reclaim space – public spaces and resources,
6) Power for participation
7) Body, health, safety

Each area has a short description, examples, key questions and tips, tricks and suggested solutions. In the “Facts & Figures (from Germany)” chapters, there is often only binary information about “women” and “men”, but we use the term “FLINTA*” to draw attention to the invisibility of these many gender identities in science. If you have any questions about the application, take a look at the explanatory document and video. Terms with “→” are explained in the glossary on our website.

How have we developed the youth climate check?

GenderCC met with representatives of various youth environmental associations to develop and test a method for climate action as part of the project “Youth – Youth, Gender & Climate Justice”. In the first workshops, we first worked together to understand what a check that examines climate measures for intersectionality should look like. At the same time, we jointly developed the idea that the check should be created for the work of youth environmental associations and activist groups, which can use it to check their demands, campaigns and organizational structures for intersectionality. An important part of the discussions at the workshop also dealt with the question of the format. Do we need an online format or a poster? How can young people be encouraged to use the method? These and many other questions were addressed.
Later, we worked with the participants to test the applicability of the ideas and suggestions for the check. To this end, all participants brought along examples from their practical work and looked at where the check might need to be changed. Many questions and discussions arose in small groups. Again and again, we dealt with the question of what the check can and cannot achieve. At the end of the workshop, we also talked about future collaboration and how we could network further on the topic of intersectionality and climate justice.

Project description

The BMU study ‚Zukunft? Jugend fragen!‘ shows that for young people in Germany ecological and social concerns have to be tackled together. It also shows that young WLINTA* (Women, Lesbian, Inter, Non-Binary and Trans people) play an important role in German youth environmental organizations and campaigns. However, this has so far been more the case with representation (also to the outside world) than with setting topics, e.g. in relation to gender equality issues.
GenderCC’s project “Ju*gend – Youth, Gender & Climate Justice” wants to work with German youth associations to develop an innovative tool for checking the gender effects of projects, programs and measures that is formulated in a way that is suitable for young people, translated into simple language, easy to use and accessible online for everyone to use. In addition, full-time and voluntary promoters are trained, who bring the topic and the implementation approaches to the regional and local groups. The aim is for youth organizations to be able to combine the topic of gender equality in practice with environmental and climate policy and to design their own campaigns, measures and programs in a gender-sensitive manner.
We are currently planning on having the events and workshops in person in Berlin and Cologne/Bonn, Germany. The working language will be German, although the events and some materials will be translated to English.

The project is funded by the Federal Environment Agency and the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection. The funds are made available by resolution of the German Bundestag.

© BMUV/UBA