The following are reports from the Young People, Young Adults, and the Climate Crisis Workshop in June 2025. It was led by Elvin Landaeus Csizmadia, the International Liberation Reference Person for Young People, and Janet Kabue, the Apprentice International Commonality Reference Person for Care of the Environment.
The Young People, Young Adults, and the Climate Crisis Workshop in 2025 included participants from Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Sweden, and the USA.
Elvin Landaeus Csizmadia [International Liberation Reference Person for Young People] spoke about his journey as a young person (now young adult) in RC, from embracing Co-Counseling to advocating for climate change. He said that young people and young adults are an important part of every society and that our energy and creativity are powerful tools.
Later, Elvin talked about liberating our minds from hurts and oppression. He emphasized the value of Co-Counseling tools and support systems in the RC Community. He reminded us that while climate change, war, and oppression are terrible, we don’t have to face them alone. There is power in gathering together to confront these challenges.
Janet Kabue [Apprentice International Commonality Reference Person for Care of the Environment] spoke about climate change and how it affects young people and young adults. She talked about “eco-anxiety” [fears about the climate crisis] and about empowering young people and young adults and building resilience through Co-Counseling.
Janet also led a powerful class on racism and systemic divisions, highlighting how oppression keeps people apart. She talked about how racism was essential to the development of capitalism, which she called a “wrecking ball” [destructive] to our human connections and our planet. Due to colonialism and capitalism, there are African countries currently at war because they have gold and diamonds. She said that colonialism, neo-colonialism, and the climate crisis are all products of oppression. Janet challenged us to recognize that although we may not be responsible for creating racism, it’s important to understand its links to capitalism and environmental exploitation.
We Global Majority people had the opportunity to talk about how we may have internalized racism.
NOT GIVING UP IN THE FACE OF DISCOURAGEMENT
Elvin led a class on young people and young adults’ power to lead change. He made it clear that we are not as small as we feel. He talked about how young people’s oppression and young adults’ oppression run deep and have affected every individual. He reminded us of how powerful, intelligent, and unique we are, and how the world should be grateful that young people and young adults are in it.
Society tries to silence our voices. It tells us that we can’t impact change, but that’s a big lie. Elvin said that we all get to play big roles: some of us might lead protests for change, some of us may go into politics, and some may work in important institutions and organizations. He reminded us that young people and young adults are powerful and do not give up easily. Elvin said that we are good at knowing what’s needed. When we unite and have each other’s backs [support each other], we have the power to change the world in the most positive and beautiful ways possible.
Janet spoke candidly about climate discouragement. She shared some disturbing facts: 2024 was the hottest year on record, and by 2050 an estimated 1.2 billion people may be displaced as climate refugees. It was sad to hear the reports. However, we discussed how feelings of discouragement stem from old hurts being restimulated. We did a mini-session on our earliest experiences of feeling discouraged.
There was a panel in front of the workshop where participants from around the world expressed their anger and fear about the consequences of climate change. They talked and discharged about natural disasters, inflation, unemployment, insurgencies, and clashes between farmers and herders.
SUSTAINING OURSELVES FOR A HOPEFUL FUTURE
The final day focused on something many of us were desperately seeking: hope. Janet said that hope isn’t naïve—it’s possible and present and necessary. She described it as a tool she turns to when the world feels too heavy, and she encouraged us to search for it in the good that still exists around us. She is optimistic that countries in the Global South can tackle [work on] the challenges of climate change when they come together.
Janet also talked about the RC Commitment for World Changers—that our work to change society is important but should not be at the expense of our lives. As Africans, we’ve seen and heard about our ancestors giving up their lives for our freedom, so it’s been hard to picture the possibility of caring for ourselves while fighting for change. She said that we should keep working toward the world we want, and that includes being happy and getting enough rest and then figuring out what needs to be done. We need to fight for ourselves and our minds, and build a community and family we can turn to when hard feelings come up.
Elvin said that young people and young adults must rise up and secure the future by active participation in community building, climate advocacy, and the liberation of our minds. He encouraged us to focus on the work ahead of us and figure out the roles we want to play in the current world situation.
Lagos, Nigeria
Kaduna, Nigeria
Kwara, Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria
"Kindness, Strength, and Hope"
If I were to choose one word to describe this workshop, it would be enlightening. I left feeling expanded, emotionally and intellectually. My deepest appreciation goes to Elvin for leading us with kindness and strength, and to Janet for reminding us of the radical possibilities rooted in hope.
Kaduna, Nigeria
"I'm Not Alone"
I’m grateful to have attended this workshop. It has inspired and educated me in more ways that I could imagine. I got to connect with a lot of young people and acknowledge that I’m not alone. The Co-Counseling sessions I had on hope, young people’s oppression, discouragement, and activism healed me.
Nigeria
"We Aren't Small"
This work helps us to remember that we aren’t small. Young people’s oppression and young adults’ oppression can easily get internalized if we work against each other, but if we have each other’s backs [support each other], we can challenge the system. We need to discharge the fears we have about each other and fight side by side as young people, young adults, and allies so we can back other young people and young adults. The workshop ended with heartfelt appreciations. I was missing the participants before we even said goodbye.
Nigeria
"Born Intelligent and Full of Potential"
As young people and young adults, we often feel discouraged when trying to make a difference in society. Despite being born intelligent and full of potential, society often fails to recognize our value. This leads to confusion and feelings of inferiority. We face emotional pain and societal challenges, yet we continue to stand up and fight for change.
Elvin encouraged us to discharge our feelings together, so we can heal and keep moving forward. He reminded us why it’s important to stay connected, support each other, and never give up in the face of oppression. I was excited and grateful to attend this workshop. It gave me the chance to discharge with people from different countries and make new friends from across the world.
Kwara, Nigeria
"We Are the Authors of Our Lives"
In the course of the 2025 Young People, Young Adults, and the Climate Crisis Workshop, I got to realize lots of things that I thought I knew but hadn’t been paying attention to, such as the ways the climate crisis affects me as a young adult. Rising temperatures and heat waves are making it harder to work, study, and sleep, especially in poorly ventilated homes and schools. Increased flooding is displacing families, destroying homes, and spreading diseases like cholera and malaria. Food insecurity is growing as droughts and irregular rains reduce crop yields, and it affects both rural and urban young people and young adults.
We young people and young adults, especially those from lower-income backgrounds, face health risks from dirty water, poor nutrition, and air pollution linked to the use of fossil fuels. Many young people and young adults depend on agriculture, directly or through family, and climate change is disrupting growing seasons and harvests. Urban young adults face unemployment and underemployment, which is worsening as climate-related shocks strain the economy. Migration from rural to urban areas is increasing as land becomes less productive, leading to overcrowding and competition for jobs. Floods and heat waves often disrupt school attendance and damage infrastructure. For displaced young people or those in climate-impacted zones, schooling can become irregular or stop altogether. Financial pressures on families mean some young people drop out to work and support others.
Regarding racism, young people and young adults have been stigmatized [oppressed] so much as members of different races. We lose opportunities because of our skin colors, and we are often looked at as irrelevant. Young people and young adults also face oppression in our schools, workplaces, and homes. I now see that young people and young adults play a vital role in the world at large, and that we can make the world a better place. No matter how oppressed we feel and how hopeless the situation may be, we are strong and we are never alone. No one can define us. Our success is in our hands and we are the authors of our lives. If we are given the opportunity, we will make it big [become very successful].
After each of the classes, we broke out into smaller groups where I met with wonderful people who made me feel comfortable and loved and gave me hope. It was such an amazing experience that I can’t get over the excitement of.