GAYO Uganda Trains Over 30 Youth In Climate Policy
Frank Semata 
GAYO- Uganda and the Youth Climate Council have hosted the second edition of the youth policy training where 34 youth were trained.
The ardent need to centre youth as (co)leaders in the climate movement goes a long way beyond recognising their potential, dynamic adaptabilities and enthusiasm - to creating meaningful and safe spaces, and providing adequate resources to scale up their impact and ambition.
In a recent study conducted closely by the Green Africa Youth Organization, Youth Climate Councils Global Alliance, the Youth Climate Council in Uganda alongside several supporting partners, the critical gaps that hinder the extent of youth engagement in bottom-up climate policy processes are rather systemic and require a contextual understanding of the needs and priorities of the younger generation, while creating safe spaces, providing resources to support their work.
The second edition of the policy training organized by the Green Africa Youth Organisation and the Youth Climate Council in Uganda took place at the Grand Global Hotel on 27th October 2023.
In collaboration with several partners, including GIZ in Uganda, the National Youth Council, TARD Foundation, Citizens Concern Africa, and Pearl of Africa TV, 34 young people from all over the country participated in the second iteration of the policy training.
The training created a robust co-learning space between the facilitators and participants with a deep dive on increasing participants' knowledge of UNFCCC processes and carbon market-based climate financing mechanisms.
The rationale of the training was driven by the ever-growing need for youth to build on their knowledge and skill base- to understand and conceptualize through thematic areas, their role in contributing towards addressing the climate crisis.
Moving forward from the Workshop, GAYO Uganda in collaboration with the Youth Climate Council envisioned a long-term strategy to build the capacity of youth along thematic tracks.
Isaac Ndyamuhaki, Programs Manager, Circular Economy at GAYO Uganda encouraged the participants and trainees to embrace intensive learning and building self-capacities around topics that matter most to their experiences, interests and professional aspirations.
The training further sets a precedent on the power of youth (co)learning spaces and how youth have continued to effectively support themselves and build their own capacities to address the critical societal challenges that arise from climate change.
"The Green Africa Youth Organization and the Youth Climate Council remain strongly committed to building the capacities of youth to identify their niche while continuing to contribute meaningfully from an informed perspective through both policy and implementation processes."
