91Â鶹¹ú²ú¾«Æ·×ÔÅÄ

Participation from young people is crucial in the fight against climate change. Not only are they the demographic who will be the most affected, they are also at the forefront of mobilising climate action. As part of our dual commitment to facilitating opportunities for young climate leaders to develop their skills, networks, and projects, 2 UNESCO Green Citizens project owners joined ChangemakerXchange's program this September.

Thaiane Maciel from the Canal Novo Mundo joined the Latin America cohort. Canal Novo Mundo is an inspiring NGO, which aims to produce educational social media content in a fun and accessible way, as well as raising awareness about clean-up actions in Rio de Janeiro’s beaches and public spaces. Since its founding in 2015, this inspiring Brazilian NGO has already encouraged over 1,500 volunteers to get involved in 250 cleaning actions, and collected 130 tons of waste! However, to increase their impact, they need more local involvement.  or hear about the project from Thaiane herself in this ! 

Alain Mukiranya also joined the Changemakers for the Planet's Sub-Saharan Africa cohort! His project Gorilla Ambassadors is the first youth initiative created in Virunga to support the conservation of mountain gorillas. Since 1994, UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, has been seriously threatened by logging, poaching and other illegal activities, destroying gorillas’ habitats. Combining practical activities and artistic expression, this project trains schoolchildren and local communities in gorilla conservation and reforestation. Now, over 2,500 locals have taken part and the Virunga mountain gorilla population growth rate has risen from 3% to 4.7%. Moving forwards, they need support to reduce the park’s persistent security threats. Discover this project 

This recently launched Changemakers for the Planet program empower hundreds of changemakers between the ages of 18-35 who are pioneering intersectional and innovative solutions for the planet. This entails identifying climate leaders in each region of the world, and inviting them to join a collective retreat in their region, focused on human connection, wellbeing, collaboration and peer learning. Through the program's summit, the objective is to strengthen their initiatives and make regional connections as part of a capacity building program. Want to follow their progress? Keep an eye their to see how they get on!