Make way: The youth are coming

27 Nov 2018

A teenager on track to plant one trillion trees. A business graduate turned organic farmer. A fiery environmental activist changing the public perception of trash.

They are our future leaders, the ‘next generation,’ the optimistic visionaries disrupting systems to change things their own way; they are the youth who will take the stage at GLF Bonn 2018 to share, provoke and inspire ways to change the world – and change it now.

In the youth-led plenary, participants will learn how young people today are using technology and social media, launching courageous business ventures, and shaking up institutional structures from the inside out to take immediate action against climate change.

On the roster is Felix Finkbeiner, a 21-year-old who’s spearheaded the planting of more than 15 billion trees through Plant-for-the-Planet; Lawrence Afere, who’s empowering Nigerian women and changing the country’s food system in tandem through his social enterprise Springboard Nigeria; and Fe Cortez, whose contagious persona and market-savvy company Menos 1 Lixo are inspiring people worldwide to reduce their plastic waste, one utensil at a time.

If you’re joining GLF Bonn online, stay tuned after the plenary for a live Q&A session with the speakers exclusive for the GLF Digital Edition.  And if you’re coming to the event, be sure to also check out the Learning Pavilion for mini-workshops for and led by youth.

The GLF’s focus on youth is one of its defining factors. Without empowered young people leading the charge, sustainable development will never be achieved. This is why the Youth in Landscapes(YIL) initiative was launched in 2013 and has since brought together 20,000 young people from around the world to learn from experts, connect with each other and propel their careers in sustainability.

To celebrate its fifth anniversary and the monumental change it’s already achieved, the YIL, and and its coordinating partners the International Forestry Students’ Association(IFSA), the Global AgroEcology Alliance(GAEA) and Young Professionals for Agricultural Development(YPARD), will sign a memorandum of understanding with GLF.

This is only the beginning. As global young people usher in a new generation of sustainability, GLF Bonn 2018 will allow them to show the world as they see it and the groundbreaking ways they’re inciting major change. From the young to the young at heart, join GLF and take part in the youth movement shaping our future.

Read about a new report on the YIL initiative on Landscape News.

Share your thoughts with us