Youth inspires youth

Youth inspires youth across continents:

Cykla Ya tak! African youth activists met with SustainableEnergy’s youth volunteers in UngEnergi (Danish for Young Energy) in Denmark. During a whole week in May, the youth activist from Europe and Africa discussed methods and techniques to raise awareness among other youth about climate change. “The sharing sessions with other likeminded youths on creative and innovative approaches was the best thing from the stay”, Stephen Okwany from Amazon Theatrix in Kenya explains.

The activists and volunteers might be young but all had extensive experience with campaigning. During their stay, the Danish hosts invited their African guests to participate in the campaign “Cykler – Ja tak” (Cycles – Yes Please!) that aims to get more people to abandon the car and take the bike instead. The African guests appreciated the campaign’s positive message: “I learned a lot from SustainableEnergy’s positive campaign. Since my return we are considering to send thank you-letters to the ministry, other environmental NGOs and private supporters” Olivier Tuina from Jeune Volontiers pour l’Environnement in Burkina Faso explains.

Volunteers from Denmark also felt inspired by the visit and UngEnergi is now planning to use street theater as a campaigning method inspired by experiences from Amazon Theatrix. Stephen and Olivier are active in SustainableEnergy’s project ‘Youth take the Baton for a Green Future’ that ends in 2016.