Since the pandemic started, our realities have shifted as well as our understanding of community and how we belong and participate in the city, municipal or national environment. One thing however is clear: young people are acutely aware of the intersectional issues our generation faces – the dual climate and biodiversity crisis, cost of living crisis, health crisis… – all the while in a system which helps to perpetuate racism, sexism, ableism and more. Young people will be the ones to live in the systems and cities subjugated to the climate crisis so they should be the ones to help design these very systems and cities.
One of our first in-person meetings since the pandemic, this was a very important moment for our European network – we were grateful to have representatives from member organisations present such as Yeghvard (Armenia), Jeugdbond voor Natuur en Milieustudie (Belgium) and 7Arte (Kosovo). Between and during all the workshops, talks and ice-breakers, we were able to rebuild and create interpersonal ties.
As our Advocacy Manager, Nathan Méténier, said:
“The Greenoble Youth Summit comes at a much-needed time after years of pandemic where, as young people fighting for a green and fairer future, we have not been able to meet in-person.”
Workshops spanned from discovering tools for building community momentum to discussing the Just Transition. These youth-led workshops were a moment for knowledge-sharing amongst peers but across different backgrounds and perspectives. In between workshops, roundtables and guest speakers were invited to talk. Some highlights included hearing Pauline Eloi, advisor to the C40, a global network of mayors taking urgent action to confront the climate crisis, discuss the role of cities and local politics in tackling the environmental questions of our time as well as Guillaume Thiériot, Director of the Green Grenoble 2022 Agency on the work and projects behind the Green Capital Award label.
We had the opportunity to hear inspiring stories from youth activists such as Emilia Rygielska, involved at her local level in Poland and in FridaysForFuture, and Mahnoor Kamran, on the board of Good Energy and involved in the consulting around Britain’s plans for climate education. We also got to go beyond the traditional methods of advocacy and involvement and meet Léa Legoff, a young documentary filmmaker and student, who showed us a screening of a documentary she was part of the production of a documentary entitled “IMPUNITY”, discussing environmental justice through case studies in Sweden, Italy and France.
Finally, meeting the mayor of Grenoble, Eric Piolle, was a significant opportunity to learn from and about the potential of local politics in the just transition. Piolle, mayor since 2014 and a member of the French political party Europe Ecology – The Greens (EELV), helped us understand just how much transformation a city like Grenoble had gone through and still needs to go through to match the needs of our rapidly changing environment.
Participants had some great reflections on what these three days meant to them:
“The insights that you get over lunch conversations and in between sessions are precious, not only for our work in the climate crisis, having the opportunity to go in depth about certain subjects, but for connecting with each other and strengthening the youth movement. Greenoble Summit was exactly about that, and I left feeling connected with young activists around whole Europe,”
described Marian Ignant from Romania. Haguar Mourad from France related that:
“To me the Grenoble summit was an outstanding experience, not only did I get to meet up with fellow young people that share the same environmental and social concerns as I do, but they were also extremely warm and enlightening, coming from various backgrounds they made me feel at home with how welcoming they were! During the workshops, everyone had something interesting to add which was enriching on so many levels, to me Greenoble was a beautiful demonstration of awareness and diversity.”
Bastien Cuq, also from France, felt similarly:
“In only 3 days, I’ve met people from more different countries than in the rest of my life. The amazing variety of perspectives on climate justice, and the gathering of so many amazing dedicated young people, was a very valuable and fun experience!”
It was a moment for building connections and reinforcing a sense of shared European citizenship and responsibility, he added:
“I gathered a lot of contacts across Europe, and I hope that paves the way for a joint international action very soon!”
Our workshop leaders were all also young people – and being able to share expertise amongst other young people cannot be underestimated. Steph Ulivieri, workshop leader from Brazil and Italy, recounted how:
“The Summit was for me a confirmation of the potential and the power that the youth have and what we’ve got to offer. Being able to have the opportunity for the first time to lead a workshop made [her] feel empowered and more motivated than ever to continue [her] path in youth-led environmental advocacy.”
Overall, the Youth Greenoble Summit was a significant moment for our network and youth movement to come together and to continue the reflection and action on a question we ask ourselves constantly: how does the place I inhabit, be it a community or a city or a locality, both impact our environment and how will it be impacted by climate change? Tanya Stadnyk, YEE Secretary General, rightly said:
“The way we manage the growth and development of cities will by large define whether we are able to mitigate the climate crisis and ensure that young people and future generations will be able to practise their basic rights.”
Overall, the Youth Greenoble Summit was a significant moment for our network and youth movement to come together and to continue the reflection and action on a question we ask ourselves constantly: how does the place I inhabit, be it a community or a city or a locality, both impact our environment and how will it be impacted by climate change? Tanya Stadnyk, YEE Secretary General, rightly said:
As our Youth Greenoble Summit Project Organiser, Lise Fortin, emphasised:
“We cannot but agree that cities play a key role in addressing climate change mitigation in this day and age: for being responsible for a large part of gas emissions but also for holding so many resources that could initiate a major shift in our societies. YEE is convinced that youth does play and will continue to play a major role in accelerating these transitions.”
YEE aims to unite environmental youth non-profit organisations in Europe in order to enhance international cooperation, increase knowledge about the climate crisis, raise awareness of environmental problems and to strengthen participation of youth in environmental decision-making.
