Youth for Climate Action

The British Council’s ‘Youth for Climate Action (YCA)’ project is offering Nepalese youth an opportunity to engage in community-level climate actions- raising awareness, mitigation, and adaptation to develop their knowledge, leadership skills, and networks to offer better, more impactful, and sustainable solutions to pressing social, economic, and environmental issues.

The project is providing skills and capabilities to young people, connecting them to changemakers and enabling them to act to deliver outcomes in their communities.

The project is being implemented in partnership with the Association of Youth Organizations in Nepal (AYON). 72 young influencers from Kathmandu, Gandaki and Sudurpaschim provinces received training on youth leadership for climate action and further support with seed funding to initiate small steps as social action projects to influence change in their communities.

Through the social action projects, participating youths became active and valuable contributors to community-level climate actions, through youth engagement and empowerment.

Various inclusive social climate action projects run by young leaders through social mobilisation:

Homemade Sanitary Pad-making Training in Baglung

Homemade sanitary pad-making training in Kathekhola rural municipality of Baglung district. Young influencers raised awareness of health and environmental hazards due to the use and improper disposal of commercial sanitary pads. They trained 30 local women on homemade sanitary pad making including the local government officials, health post-in-charge and volunteers also actively participated in this initiative.

Trash to Treasure in Pokhara

The Trash Art Competition held on May 9-17 2023, was a unique climate action project that engaged young people from Grades 9 and 10 of Ananda Jyoti Secondary School, from Pokhara Metropolitan City, Gandaki Province in creating art through waste materials that inspires action on climate change. Seven youths receiving the British Council youth leadership training developed and implemented this initiative with support from mentors and school administration. The students also got an opportunity to understand 3R (reduce, reuse and recycle) concept through a field visit to a recycling plant.

LED distribution in Kanchanpur

The LED bulbs were distributed in 150 houses of Dodhara Chaandani Municipality of Kailali district followed by an awareness campaign.

Waste to Wonder in Kathmandu

The Art of Vermicomposting. This social action was carried out in Janajagriti Gyan Rashmi Secondary School, Kharibot Banasthali. The training provided detailed information about vermicompost, its use, and theoretical methods of tank installation. The students also observed the installation of a vermi tank with 4kg of earthworm, 500kg FYM, 5kg cocopeat and about 20kg organic waste. They were told to inspect the tank daily and to add any organic waste. The training also focused on technical aspects of vermicomposting like harvesting, packaging, by-product management and marketing.

Prevention of Forest Destruction in Kailali

The project held a discussion with the officials of the local bodies of Gauriganga Municipality about the prevention of forest fires and the control of wood smuggling under the legal framework and discussed how to develop the necessary coordination between the local people, consumer committees and local bodies. The project distributed plants to 175 houses by implementing the "Ek Ghar Ek Bot" program.