3 ideas to better include rural youths in #COP26 conversations
It’s the 1st of November 2021, Day 1 of #COP26, and the world has come to a standstill as we all hold our collective breaths anxiously awaiting progress in some form or the other to convince us that our leaders are genuinely committed to a safer climate for all of us. It’s a huge expectation to have of leaders of state systems that tend to lookout for number 1 as their primary objective but the alternative to not waking up to such high ambition is waking up to an increasingly uncertain future as the climate crisis worsens. Important as these discussions are, many developing country youths experience exclusion from such mainstream conversations about the future and usually only get information after such events have passed and when the discussions have all but closed. Developing country communities, and youths more so, are invariably the most affected by the effects of climate change and yet tend to be the least included in important climate policy processes.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
Here are 3 relatively easy ways to better include developing country youths in the current #COP26 discussions that may hopefully turn their experience of exclusion around. These suggestions are based on experience and observations by Khulani Development Trust when working with rural communities in Buhera, Chegutu, Chimaninani, Chivi, Kariba, Kwekwe, Marondera, Mazowe, Mutare, and Zaka in Zimbabwe that are facing worsening climate change impacts on their livelihoods. Readers are encouraged to use these points not as prescriptions but as stepping stones for further research into this field in Zimbabwe and other developing country contexts.
Radio and newspapers are far-reaching
Youths in areas where Khulani Development has conducted research in recent months in Zimbabwe have indicated that their most prominent sources for receiving news about current affairs are local radio and newspapers, and in some cases smartphones. These media platforms were said to be the most affordable and far reaching in some of the most hard to reach areas in rural areas. #COP26 inclusion must focus on creating radio shows that discuss the ongoing conference and disseminate key information about commitments being debated and the various positions being taken by participants. The radio shows must be designed to have feedback mechanisms to media houses around the world and especially at Glasgow so that views coming from as far in the developing as possible make their way into mainstream global media. #COP26 conversations should be published in local newspapers everyday so that the conversation is continuous and includes them.
Youths actively engage on social media
COVID-19 movement and social gatherings restrictions have seen more time being spent online by youth and adults alike. We have all seen our lives shift from the physical to the virtual overnight. For young people in Zimbabwe this has meant that they are spending an increasing amount of time online, particularly on WhatsApp with a few being active on other platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. Unfortunately not much productivity takes place in the time that they spend online as they tend to mostly share jokes and gossip about celebrities and little much else. Youths’ attachment to online platforms presents an opportunity for #COP26 partners to make the ongoing discussions in Glasgow interesting and catchy enough for a young audience that is easily distracted. Youth focused messaging on #COP26 can include partnerships with local celebrities who know how to communicate to young crowds and keep them interested. Partnerships with mobile services providers to make data more affordable to youths paired with regular WhatsApp updates on the conference can be explored to bring youths into the ongoing conversations.
Young people actively engage social media platforms that are interactive
Youths can perform media functions
Our observations during our research have been that young people respond with enthusiasm to participation requests and especially to activities that involve learning a new skill. #COP26 inclusion strategies should take advantage of this characteristic and support media partners to work with youths to perform research and reporting activities in media roles. This could range from researching and reporting brief 250 to 500 word summaries on climate change impacts in their communities to more engaged online searches on the progress of #COP26 to support the media partners to report on it. This approach would double as a #COP26 inclusion strategy and a work experience exercise which would help young people value work and climate change awareness simultaneously.
Youths can perform media functions to be better-included in mainstream discussions
There are many innovations that youth-focused organizations, practitioners and policy makers can implement to better include youth in #COP26 conversations. Indeed young people are well known to take a keen interest on interesting and new ideas that involve them. However while these innovations offer a wide world of possibilities for better inclusion, the most important step to achieving impact with any of them is to get started.