Climate Heroes

Many young people in Central and Eastern Europe are not clearly aware of the impact their lifestyles have on the climate. Therefore, they do not perceive climate action as an immediate necessity. Additionally, due to a lack of experience in civic action, a common view among young people is that they do not have the necessary power to contribute to positive societal change.

“When leaders act like kids, the kids become leaders.” Photo: (c) Goran Horvat

The project addressed young people aged 15–24, raising awareness of the climate crisis and the implications of wasteful consumption on local and global level. Climate Heroes trained around 120 young people from Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia and the Czech Republic to become climate leaders: For this, they participated in a programme focused on youth empowerment and leadership skills. This included workshops for green solutions, climate-friendly lifestyles, media competence, and policy advocacy. After completion of the course, the young climate leaders started a total of 40 initiatives, which engaged another 3,300 peers, local communities and decision makers. The programme provided the young people with the necessary skills to make their voices heard and to suggest sustainable solutions and policies they and their peers applied. The project is based on a partnership of WWF offices and youth networks and is assisted by mentors from the public and private sector.

• Well-founded climate commitment of young people: 117 young people were trained as climate activists in four partner countries. They implemented 47 initiatives in which over 3,200 young people took part. The best projects were presented in national and regional forums and honoured with prizes. A comprehensive communication campaign accompanied the activities and included regular media coverage as well as the publication of videos and social media posts. This increased visibility and raised public awareness of young people's commitment to climate protection. 
• Appealing to young people: The educational programme "How to become a climate hero?", which is attractively designed with videos, serves as a guide and learning material and is used online and offline in schools. In addition, a sociological survey of the target group (young people aged between 15 and 24) was conducted by opinion research institutes. The results were disseminated as infographics in a way that appeals to young people - an important contribution to effective climate education. 
• Publications ensure long-term use: All activities and results of the project are permanently accessible on the project platform on the WWF-CEE website. A visual climate guide with videos by young people was published on YouTube to inspire other young people and increase the visibility of the project.