Youth organisations across Ireland have been given a greater incentive to lead the fight against climate change thanks to a new fund.

Almost €500,000 is being made available in 2020 for a fund to support youth-led action and innovation on Climate Justice at community, regional and national level.

The Youth Climate Justice Fund is now open to applications from all national youth organisations, with this inaugural year set to be a learning curve for future funding pots. A national Outcomes Conference will then take place at the end of 2020 where applicants and young people will come together to reflect on achievements and consider how the Fund should develop further.

Opening the fund, Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Dr Katherine Zappone said: "After attending the UN General Assembly Session of 2019, when the youth of the world raised their voices about the climate crisis for world leaders to hear, I was determined to support Irish youth to take their lead on action for climate justice. This Fund will do precisely that. Its intention is to support the enthusiasm and innovative ideas of our young people to target this crucial issue of our time. It is my hope that this fund can grow as young people embrace it and use it to effect positive change. 

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"This initiative represents an important opportunity for youth-led change to address the climate crisis that our planet faces. We are making a clear statement - that the young people of Ireland will be taking a lead in this, that they recognise that they are part of a global family and are making sure that we are part of what needs to be a fair and balanced international effort to tackle the greatest challenge of this generation – or indeed any generation."

The Fund is being established following the United Nations focus on youth engagement as part of the global response to climate change.

Applications to the Fund should propose projects which will achieve one, or more, of the following key goals and/or actions:

• Raise climate justice awareness amongst young people.

• Educate youth groups and clubs on climate justice, including supporting development education organisations to work with young people.

• Empower young people to influence, effect and sustain local, regional or national climate justice change, creating dialogue with people outside of the youth sector.

• Deliver practical climate justice initiatives by young people in their communities, including supports to facilitate the participation of young people with fewer opportunities.

• Develop youth related activities to embed climate justice communications, network building and deliberative capacity that connects with, and leverages, local youth and community activities.

• Strengthen youth practitioner capacity to integrate climate justice education into their youth work practice.

• Participate in and influence local public and private policy formation aimed at environmentally sustainable development and management of climate action.

(CM/MH)