UK Local Conference of Young People : Climate Change
Each day, the event will have a series of concurrent workshops and sessions, covering areas and topics such as climate/environmental justice, artivism, direct action and campaigning. At the end of each day, there will be Talanoa Dialogues with different themes. Attendees will be able to choose the Talanoa Dialogue session which best suits them to reflect on the day and decompress. Additionally, on the evening of the second day, there will be an inclusive social event (to be determined).
The official agenda for the event will be shared on here once finalised, together with details around speakers, ticket costs, travel and accommodation.
Head over to our ‘Speakers’ page to find out more
[Please note the times listed on this event page are provisional at the moment. The full agenda / times will be added when available].
Key themes
The Story of Climate Change: In this theme we will be laying out the hard facts behind climate change. It will present the science and what happened to let us end up here. These workshops will investigate many related topics, from the impact of climate change on ecology and species distribution, to the role of the science sector in the transition to a sustainable society. This theme will also explore how the science of climate change has been communicated, how it is being and how it should be included in our education system, and what science and technological solutions could build part of an answer to the crisis at hand.
Climate justice: The Climate Emergency we are currently facing will affect the most marginalised members of our community the most. This theme underpins the intersectional vulnerabilities of our local and global communities and considers how we can ensure climate justice for all. Workshops will range from power mapping in the UK, to the climate and change and modern day slavery, to climate injustice in the Maldives.
Activism and empowerment: Sessions will provide members will the relevant information, contacts and skills needed to follow safe methods in activism that create the largest impact nationally and globally. This theme will also provide young people with the relevant skills to find routes into engaging with current politics in the UK, such as successful strategies in lobbying local MP’s to focus on environmental issues.
Policy and Business: This theme will explore the wide ranging theories, successes and failures, of policy and economic solutions to climate change. What are the economic changes that need to be put in place to save our planet over the next 20 years? Could market-based solutions be the answer or should we be looking beyond capitalism to succeed in reducing our emissions? Should there be greater weight put on national corporations to take responsibility for climate change or should nation states be limiting the power of businesses? What kind of systems change do we need?
arts and culture: As more and more artists follow suit in the field of activism, what role does art and culture have to play in the fight for our planet? Sessions will be based around art, acting, film, poetry, creative writing, dance, music and much more. This theme will be heavily linked with Social Justice and Awareness, bringing together Cultural Art projects in youth organisations.
See the event webpage for the latest details and to book tickets.
What is a LCOY?
LCOY stands for Local Conference of Youth, an initiative of YOUNGO, the official youth and children NGOs constituency of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). YOUNGO is a volunteer-run non-hierarchical consensus-based organisation comprising a membership of 200+ youth-led and youth-focused NGOs, with around 6000+ individuals who work, study and campaign in the field of climate change and environmental sustainability. It is also known as the International Youth Climate Movement (IYCM).
Once a year, YOUNGO organises the Global Conference of Youth (COY), which takes place right before the UNFCCC’s Conference of Parties (COP), the UN’s annual international climate negotiations. During COY, youth from across the world produce common positions according to the different themes and issues discussed at COP. They strategize how they can effectively impact the UN climate processes and they empower each other through networking, training, and knowledge-sharing. Youth also engage in a variety of activist and campaigning work by hosting and participating in workshops, seminars and artivism sessions.
In 2014, YOUNGO began to host Local COYs (LCOYs) in countries and regions all over the world as local versions of COY. LCOYs were created to enable youth to participate in YOUNGO without requiring travel to the Global COY. At LCOYs, youth are organised as part of national and regional movements: they train and learn from each other, they develop positions on national and international policy issues, and they benefit from a global youth network made up of YOUNGO members and LCOY participants. In 2018 alone there were 20 different LCOYs hosted by youth all around the world.
Event Details
| Location | Manchester Metropolitan University |
| Manchester, M15 6BH | |
| Start | Friday 22 Nov 2019 10:00am |
| Finish | Friday 22 Nov 2019 5:00pm |
