Launch of Climate Ambassador Programme!

After the Children's Climate Forum it was decided that all the delegates would become global Climate Ambassadors when they returned home. The programme is designed to create a network of young climate activists that empowers and trains young people to engage their local communities in the climate debate.


The role of the Climate Ambassador is to:

• Engage and inform their communities about climate change
• Voice and represent the concerns of young people
• Share ideas and inspire other young people via the Unite for Climate Website

Of the 160 young people who attended the Forum, 12 'Links' were selected to act as the co-ordinators of the Climate Ambassador Programme (CAP). My role is to liaise between UNICEF and the board of Links, which will consist of the following areas of interest:

• Communications - produces a monthly newsletter for the Climate Ambassadors, along with an already up and running blog.
• Action planners - plan actions that all Climate Ambassadors can take part in, plus providing support for members who are already doing projects in their own communities.
• Advocacy - design advocacy programmes and campaigns that CAP members can promote
• Research - provide news and information of what is happening in the ever-changing world of climate change.

What is so great about the Climate Ambassador Programme is that the energy, ideas and passion that were established in Copenhagen can be built upon over the next year. Since the Forum, I have been in contact with some of the other Climate Ambassadors and heard what they have been doing in their own communities. The Turkish delegation recently organised a survey about climate change, which 5,000 students took part in! A team of delegations have also been busy setting up a campaign called 'Go Green Haiti!' to rebuild Haiti after the terrible earthquake in January in a more sustainable way.

Climate change commitment tree at the Forum

The fact that young people in Haiti are still determined to raise awareness about the positive opportunities climate change can offer us after having lost everything is so inspirational and makes me want to fight even harder to help save such wonderful people and our beautiful planet!

Katie x