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The Little Earth hosts youth climate leadership training in Tajikistan

20.04.2021

Twenty young activists between the ages of 18 and 25 participated in the first ever School of Climate Leadership (SCL), held on 25-27 March 2021 in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. The School raised awareness about trends in climate change, national climate policies and climate activism, providing an opportunity to gain new knowledge and skills as well as promote the development of new youth initiatives on climate change and environmental protection.

The three-day interactive training was organized by Mountain Partnership member The Little Earth, with the support of the British Embassy in Tajikistan and the assistance of the Climate Action Network for Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia.

“Our work aims to strengthen the voice of young people in their communities by supporting youth to develop their leadership skills and expand communication between young activists from the different regions of Tajikistan, to promote cooperation to solve environmental problems together,” said Anton Timoshenko, Director of The Little Earth. “The SCL is a great example of how this can be done.”

The SCL programme included presentations by climate change experts, activities and group work. Among the speakers of the event were representatives of the Russian branch of Greenpeace, the coordinator of the "Fridays for the Future" movement in Russia and a representative of the Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change under the UN Secretary General.

The youth participants spoke positively about their experience at the SLC. “I gained new knowledge on the topic of climate change and met others who – like me – are concerned about global warming,” said Sabrina Muzafari, Vice President of the University of Central Asia's “Green Community” student project. “It was great that the other participants were from different regions in Tajikistan. This will allow us to take action across the Republic.”

“The SLC completely changed my mindset. I am now developing many environmentally friendly habits. For example, I have started carrying a backpack instead of using plastic bags and taking a thermos with me instead of buying water in plastic bottles. My sincere thanks to the organizers and speakers who pushed us to become eco-activists,” said another participant, Shakhrukh Abdulloev, a student of the Russian-Tajik Slavic University.

In the mountainous country of Tajikistan, young people make up the majority of the population. However, many are unaware of how climate change is affecting daily life in Tajikistan. Even fewer young people are involved in shaping national climate and environmental policies.

“We need new, caring and active people who could bring fresh breath and innovative solutions to the environmental movement,” said Timur Idrisov, Senior Advisor of The Little Earth and initiator of the SLC. “We want our members' desire and thirst for change to take shape in the form of concrete actions to address the climate crisis on the ground.”

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News and photo by The Little Earth