Young Friends of the Earth Europe continued to strengthen its network of volunteer environmental justice activists, with hundreds of young people joining our online events.

Young Friends of the Earth Europe brought together over 3,300 young people through seminars, workshops, debate and actions to discuss how to build a just food system for the future, based on the principles of food sovereignty.

Together with our national member groups in five countries, we reached out to young people in rural areas and connected them with youth in towns and cities. Many of these participants were trained-up to engage in active debate, advocate to decision-makers, and practice their communications skills.

They also helped produce a Youth Declaration on Food Sovereignty, which was published in collaboration with young activists from La Via Campesina and ASEED.

These activities were part of the Growing Together project which came to an end in 2020 on a high note. In total, the project reached 130,000 people including urban and rural youth. The European-level trainings reached 170 youth from 6 countries who developed specific skills and in-depth knowledge required for effective organising with rural youth on issues of food sovereignty.

We created tools and resources on food sovereignty.

We brought activism online, with over 300 people registered for our first-ever online youth gathering.

Over the course of ten days, we ran 30 workshops and sessions on topics ranging from eco-feminism and the European Green Deal, to climate migration, the commons, and sustainable activism. Recognising that we’re all sick and tired of Zoom calls, we experimented with different formats, including ‘TV shows’, yoga, a cinema session, speeches, and skill-shares.

The gathering was organised as part of our System:Reset project, which aims to reach young people who are under-represented in European policy-making and gather their visions for how to build a Green Deal which guarantees a sustainable and just future.

Two volunteers from Mladi Za Zemiata/Young Friends of the Earth Bulgaria were the Bulgarian national delegates at Mock COP26 – a global, youth-run virtual climate conference organised in place of the postponed COP26 in Glasgow.

330 delegates from around the world gathered for two weeks at the end of November to agree joint policy demands for a justice-led approach to the climate crisis. Together with a legal team, and prioritising voices from countries most affected by climate breakdown, the delegates drew up a treaty which they are urging governments to commit to ahead of the rescheduled COP26 in 2021.