What It Was Like to Go to the Youth Climate Justice Camp 2022
Participating in the Youth Camp for Climate Justice, a transformative three-day event organised by Youth Advocacy Nepal (YAN) in partnership with UKaid, NAFAN, and the KIOS Foundation, from May 27 to 29, 2022, was an honour for me. The camp, which was surrounded by Nepal’s beautiful scenery, brought together passionate young people from all over the country who wanted to make the future more sustainable and fair.
I went to the camp as a trainee, eager to learn and interested. Along with information, I found energy. The sessions covered a wide range of topics, such as human rights, environmental laws, climate justice, and building up communities. Everything being able to be changed made it even more interesting. We weren’t just listening; we were also working on projects, having conversations, playing games, and even making art like climate art and stories.
One of the most important things I learned was that climate change is a deeply social problem as well as an environmental one. We learned that women, indigenous people, and people living in poverty are especially affected, along with other poor groups. I saw things differently after reading this. Fairness, equality, and inclusion are important parts of climate justice, which is more than just planting trees or lowering emissions.
The trainers were very helpful and pushed us to think about our own situations and ways to make changes at the neighbourhood level. In addition, I made great connections with other attendees, each of whom brought something unique to the table in terms of knowledge and experience. We shared stories, strategies, and even hopes for a world that is fairer and better.
What I loved most was the sense of power it gave me. People saw us as agents of change instead of just young kids. The workshops on advocacy, policy engagement, and youth leadership renewed my sense of direction and chance.
I’m thankful to Youth Advocacy Nepal, UKaid, NAFAN, and the KIOS Foundation for putting together such a powerful camp. It was both an event and a call to action.
