Youth-Led Solutions Initiative

Official YLS Website Here

The YMCA Youth Led Solutions Initiative climate action summit, October 2020

The YMCA Youth Led Solutions Initiative ‘future of work’ summit, June 2021

The YMCA Youth Led Solutions Initiative mental wellbeing summit, October 2021

Philippines

This solution, the Cultivating Action through Responsible Education project, or 'C.A.R.E. for Climate' for short, is a cross-cultural collaboration between young leaders on two continents that saw young people recruited from two countries (Ann Arbor in the USA and Albay in the Philippines) age 13 to 23 years old to train to become Eco- Leaders through a specially designed seven-week extracurricular programme.

Kosovo

In Kosovo, the Global Forest Watch reports that tree cover has declined annually 4.3% since 2000, due to illegal wood cutting, tree diseases and the poor quality of the Western Balkan forests (American University of Kosovo report).

Hawaii

Having attended the YMCA175 global changemakers event in London in 2019, and the inaugural YMCA Youth-Led Solutions Summit on Climate Action online in October 2020, this group of young leaders were inspired that they could instigate change in their community.

Palestine

Committed to raising awareness among the community on the importance of green areas and organic planting, the BrinGreen project is creating home kits with pots, compost and seeds for the community to grow their own healthy and organic plants, accompanied by information booklets and recipes. This has provided locals with no green space living in urban areas, small, manageable, green havens, creating living gardens. 500 kits have been distributed so far alongside a programme of initiatives run by YMCA East Jeruselam on sustainability and sustainable agriculture.

Peru

Producing affordable and non-polluting energy to help communities struggling with poor drainage systems, poor hygienic services, and pollution was Sumaq Muru’s priority while teaching its communities how to implement changes themselves through innovative technology.

Zambia

Here, in Ndola, Zambia, 'Y Climate Change' utilises the arts curriculum in secondary schools to educate students, parents and communities about the climate crisis and what they can do about it. The initiative teaches learners about the impact of paper and plastic waste by creating art pieces, ornaments and models from upcycled materials, demonstrating how to reuse, recycle and repurpose waste in creative ways, to earn a living and contribute to educating the community.