PRESS RELEASE - Winners of YRE's 25th Anniversary Video Competition

This year Young Reporters for the Environment (YRE) celebrates its 25th anniversary as an international programme run by Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE). To mark this anniversary, a special 1-minute video competition was launched. YRE Students and Alumni from around the world submitted videos that reflect the essence of the programme. A total of 25 videos from 10 different countries were selected and shared on social media throughout 2019.

After a year of counting likes from social media and after collecting votes from YRE national Operators, we are now proud to announce the final three winners. These videos are fantastic examples of what YRE is all about!

“We were extremely excited to watch all the videos presented which celebrate our anniversary. Seeing how the programme has helped the YRE students make a positive change through their actions is truly inspiring.”

— Malgorzata (Gosia) Luszczek, International YRE Director

Many congratulations to the winners and huge thanks to everyone who participated and helped celebrate our 25th anniversary!

1st place winner: YRE Malta (Malta)

1st winner video for the YRE 25th anniversary

2nd place winner: What is YRE to me? (Canada)

2nd winner video for 25th year anniversary

3rd place winner: Slovakia Mladi Reporteri (Slovakia)

3d winner video for 25th year anniversary

Two videos from Portugal also received a lot of points and can proudly consider themselves as runners-up. You can enjoy these below and if you want to see all the videos, simply go to our YouTube playlist.

YRE: opening new opportunities for my life (Portugal):

among the best videos for the YRE 25th anniversary

My experience as YRE (Portugal):

among the best videos for the YRE 25th anniversary

“For the past 25 years YRE has been growing in a number of countries. Over these years, we recognize the new challenges the youth are facing with the climate change emergency. At the same time, young people have more power to act as Education for Sustainable Development Leaders and this what YRE offers to them. ”

— Malgorzata (Gosia) Luszczek, International YRE Director

Finding the three winning videos

The 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners have been found in the following way:

25 videos submitted from YRE countries around the world were chosen and shared on the facebook page of YRE International throughout 2019. The video that received the most likes on Facebook received 12 points, the second-most liked received 11 points and so on. Only likes on the original post uploaded by YRE International counted.

Once all the videos were published, the YRE National Operators were given the opportunity to vote, giving 1-12 points to any of the 25 videos - except videos from their own country.

In the end, the three videos with most points received 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place awards.

About YRE – ‘Giving our environment a voice’

The Young Reporters for the Environment programme aims to empower young people aged 11-25 to take a stand on environmental issues they feel strongly about and to give them a platform to articulate these issues through the media of writing, photography or video. The programme is based on a four-step methodology which seeks to develop students’ critical thinking and expression, creativity and leadership skills. Every year the top YRE investigations have the chance to participate in the annual YRE competition and to be assessed by professional juries on national and international levels. The programme also gives Young Reporters the opportunity to participate in international environmental conferences to further develop their skills and network.

Website: www.yre.global

About the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE)

With members in 76 countries we are the world’s largest environmental education organisation. Through our five ground-breaking programmes, we help communities realise the benefits of sustainable living. Recognised by UNESCO as a world leader within the fields of Environmental Education (EE) and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). 

Website: www.fee.global

YRE joined the Northern Dimension Future Forum 2019

YRE was part of the Northern Dimension Future Forum which took place in Espoo, Finland on 28 November 2019 with interesting discussions on fresh and sustainable experiments of the Global North.

Daniel Schaffer, CEO of FEE was among the speakers along with the Environmental Journalist and Director of the Office of Environmental Information, Angelina Davydova and Christian Kaufmann, Co-founder of WeAct & Finance Manager at Swisscontact.

A Finnish YRE, Hector Ekholm, reported from the Forum. Read his enlightening article and watch his interviews here: https://yreint.exposure.co/categories/northern-dimension-forum-2019

YRE joined the Youth Mundus Festival 2019

YRE participated at Youth Mundus Festival which took place in Rome this November. With the aim to empower youth, Youth Mundus is a new Global Content & Music Festival Initiative which included workshops, video screenings, panelists discussions and much more!

Kristina Madsen and Nicole Andreou, two FEE members and coordinators were there, running a workshop on Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Education, taking also part in a Clean-Up Action as part of the Litter Less Campaign.

Martina Misfud and Isaac Sam Camilleri, two experienced YRE from Malta, reported from the festival and wrote some very interesting articles that you can read here: https://yreint.exposure.co/categories/youthmundus-festival

YRE is now open to International Schools

YRE gives young people aged 11-25 a platform to research environmental issues and promote solutions through investigative reporting, photography, and video journalism. Read more about the programme and get registered!

It is now possible for International Schools in countries without a National Operator to join the YRE programme and be managed through YRE International.

International Schools can also join the YRE competition with submission deadline on 06 April 2020. One 1st place winner in each category will be chosen and submitted to the International Competition where they will be assessed by the International Jury alongside entries from all countries. Winners to be announced on June 5, the World Environment Day.

Here you can read more about YRE International Schools.

For any questions regarding the International Schools, do not hesitate to contact Gosia Luszczek.

Join us!

YRE at the Northern Dimension Future Forum

YRE will be involved at the Northern Dimension Future Forum 2019 with discussions on Fresh and Sustainable Experiments of the Global North. The Forum will take place on Thursday 28 November 2019 at Dipoli Congress Center at Espoo, Finland from 10am-6pm.

Daniel Schaffer will be among the speakers, participating in the Plenary Panel Discussion : Pathways towards more sustainable future taking place at 13:15-14:30. An exhibition will also be held during the same time, presenting different fresh solutions to societal changes.

Two YRE students from Finland will be reporting from the Forum and they are presented below.

“I'm currently studying at Helsingin luonnontiedelukio (Helsinki's School of Natural Sciences). I applied to be a YRE at the Forum because it sounded interesting and was something completely new for me.” - Ebrahim Afshar

“I'm studying at Helsinki's School of Natural Sciences. I am interested in politics and economics studies. I applied to be a YRE at the Forum because it focuses on my interest and I love writing.” -Hector Ekholm

Meet the YRE going to COP25 in Madrid

COP stands for `Conference of the Parties’. It’s an international meeting where civil society, governments, international organizations, businesses, bankers and many others working on climate policy and science get together to talk and negotiate climate change solutions.

COP25 will take place at IFEMA – Feria de Madrid in Madrid, Spain from 2 to 13 December 2019 and it will focus on countries’ readiness and implementation of the Paris Agreement.

Below you can read some information about some ambitious YRE who will be participating at COP25.

Joana Pedro

My adventure as a YRE began in 2011 and even though I had never dreamt to be a journalist, my love for the environment and nature made me interested in discovering the project. Since then I have participated in several missions, seminars, contests, workshops, and conferences, both in Portugal and internationally, and I am eager to continue to be a part of it since it has just got me fond memories, loads of good friends, knowledge, and skills.

Laura Morgado

I am Laura Morgado, 16 years old and I live in Madrid. I study 1st of Bach and I am very concerned about climate change. In specific, I am very interested in the field of how climate change can affect health and some other consequences it has on the Earth.

I think the project YRE is a very interesting activity which we can use to raise awareness among young people, as well as adults, about climate change and its importance. I am very excited and grateful for having this amazing opportunity of being a journalist for a couple of days.

Ishbel Cora Rodríguez

¡Hola! My name is Ishbel Cora Rodríguez, and I am 23 years old. Recently, I completed a bachelor's degree in Journalism and Comparative Literature at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus. And now, I work as a Puerto Rican journalist in Global Press Journal, a news organization that trains and employs women to produce high-quality local news coverage that elevates awareness and ignites social change. I feel committed to writing about the issues that concern me. For example, I am interested in topics related to accessing education, human rights, public health, gender equality, and the environment. In my free time, I enjoy going to the beach, seeing theatre, and spending time with my loved ones.

Alvaro Jimenez

Hello my name is Alvaro and I am from Spain, I live in a town 30 minutes away from Madrid. I am currently studying 1st of baccalaureate at Zola, a school in the north of Las Rozas. I enjoy playing sports like football or tennis. I am also very interested in health issues that could affect anyone just because of living where there is bad air quality. That is why at COP I would like to investigate more about this topic and get more information on how this may influence people's performance at sports.

Lauren Ricard

As an international news reporter and, even more importantly, a nature-lover, I have developed growing concerns about environmental and sustainable development issues over the past few years. While covering stories across Cambodia, China, India, Madagascar, the USA and Europe, I was struck by how unequally it affected people – some of the more destitute, who are only responsible for little gas emission and pollution, ending up being the most affected, their habitat being destroyed or slowly disappearing. Almost three years ago, as I was completing my masters of journalism in France, I won the Young Reporters for the Environment French competition with a video report on sustainable scuba diving in Marseille – and how we can all follow this local example to help clean our oceans and protect our resources through simple, daily gestures. I then had the amazing opportunity to keep working with this YRE network on several projects, including a wonderful workshop in Lisbon and a UNESCO conference in Paris. These eye-opening experiences made me feel even more concerned by these issues and strengthened my will to keep working in that field to better inform people about what is going on, the risks we are all facing and provide them with handy solutions to help save our beautiful planet. Being a sea lover and a diver, I plan to specifically investigate stories related to water resources, oceans protection and the issues regarding its biodiversity.

New Eco-Schools Children for Children Campaign to Support The Bahamas

It is estimated that 70,000 people, including more than 18,000 children and teachers, have been severely affected by the recent Hurricane Dorian in The Bahamas. Twelve Eco-Schools on two islands, Grand Bahama and Abaco, suffered extensive damage or were destroyed.

To support children from our twelve affected Eco-Schools and to raise educational awareness on the increasing vulnerabilities to natural disasters from climate change, the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) has teamed up with our member in The Bahamas, Bahamas Reef Environmental Education Foundation (BREEF), to launch the Children for Children campaign.

Individual Eco-Schools from our global network of 51,000 schools in 67 countries will be able to participate in this global campaign, which will help educate students on climate change risk reduction and resilience. Each of the actions taken by these schools will also include a fundraising component so they can make donations to help the recovery efforts of affected Eco-Schools in The Bahamas. Donations from outside of the Eco-Schools network are also welcome.

“The overall goal is to raise educational awareness on the impacts of climate change and the increasing vulnerabilities to disasters, and at the same time help the schools in The Bahamas buy new equipment and educational materials that will allow students to return to normality as soon as possible,” says FEE’s CEO, Daniel Schaffer. 

Since 1981 FEE, through its Eco-Schools, Young Reporters for the Environment, and Learning about Forests programmes, has been educating children, youth and adults to increase awareness and action on creating a more sustainable world. Today, with increasing vulnerabilities to natural disasters from climate change, FEE is in a position to mobilise support for rehabilitation and climate resilience, particularly within the educational infrastructure.

“Though born out of adversity, the Children for Children campaign unites the global Eco-Schools network with the children of The Bahamas not only to show that they care, but to lend their financial support to the ongoing recovery of children affected by Hurricane Dorian. As a low-lying archipelago, The Bahamas is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to the adverse effects of climate change. Nevertheless, climate change affects every one of us on earth and it is up to us all to take action,” says Casuarina McKinney-Lambert, Executive Director of BREEF.

Next summer the campaign will follow up with the progress of how the recovery efforts for the children and schools in The Bahamas is progressing and a final publication on the ‘Climate change risk reduction and resilience education’ will be published.

To find out more about how to donate, school fundraising activities, educational resources and how an Eco-School can register for this campaign, please visit: www.ecoschools.global/childrenforchildren

YRE is off to the Youth Mundus festival next week

YRE is proud to be involved in the first Youth Mundus festival which will take place in Rome on 14-17 of November. Youth Mundus is a new Global Content & Music Festival Initiative which will include workshops, panelist discussions, video screenings, concerts and much more - all with the aim of empowering youth!

Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) will be represented by Kristina Madsen (International YRE Coordinator) and Nicole Andreou (International Eco-Schools Coordinator) who will be running a workshop on Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Education as well as doing a Clean-Up Action as part of the Litter Less Campaign.

Two highly experienced YRE students from Malta will also be reporting from the festival. They will be doing interviews and social media updates directly from the venue. Read more about Isaac and Martina below.

Isaac Sam Camilleri:
My name is Isaac. I am a 16-year-old college student studying Maths and Physics. This will be my first time as a YRE International representative, but definitely not the first time working as a YRE. Some of my work includes investigating the EU milk and vegetable scheme which was a scheme that sent mixed messages because it taught children that fruit/vegetables and milk are good for you while providing a plastic container to each child. The other major thing I worked on is seeing what my home town local council (Valletta) did to be more environmentally active and report that to the citizens to let them know how it affected the environment and then leave them to decide if they want to keep the same or change.

Martina Mifsud:
Hi! It's Martina, a 22-year-old YRE. I am a Dental Technologist by profession and an Explainer at an amazing interactive science museum. I believe these two jobs have taught me about the huge impact of consistent little things, and the importance of education and raising awareness. In this light, living sustainably is something I practice on a daily basis and it is an integral part of my daily decision making. I try to spread the word wherever I go, raising awareness and having informed discussions, from which I also learn a lot. I believe that getting everyone on the same page, doing the small actions, is what will ultimately make the difference.

YRE statistics 2019

Meet the YRE going to World Environmental Education Congress 2019

The World Environmental Education Congress (WEEC) is an international conference focusing on education for environment and sustainability. This 10th Congress is the first of its kind to be held in Asia under the theme of Local Knowledge, Communication and Global Connectivity. A highly relevant theme for YRE!

WEEC will take place in Bangkok, Thailand from 3-7 November 2019 and below you can read about the inspiring YRE students who will be reporting from the congress.

Bhargav Patel (India)

I’m a 3rd year undergrad student pursuing a Bachelor of technology in the field of Information and Communication Technology from Ahmedabad University, India. My areas of interest involve Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, and AI for sustainability. I am the co-founder and elected secretary of the Environment Club at Ahmedabad University. The objective of the club is to organize activities that spread awareness towards the environment and sustainable development in a fun way. Due to my interest in technology and continuous efforts, I was selected as a Facilitator for Google’s Explore ML program and Microsoft Student Partner. Currently, I am involved in the environmental community to get a better understanding of real-life problems and the technical community to find where and how technology can help to find solutions.

Eunice Tan (Singapore)

I’m Eunice! I’m a filmmaker and I care deeply about the environment. It started in 2017 when I made a video series about local efforts to protect wildlife in Singapore. I’ve always been interested in the environment growing up, but seeing our amazing biodiversity up-close convinced me that I had to do more. Climate change is in the global spotlight and I truly believe that there is no better time primed for change than now. That's why I hope that telling stories through film and photography can make a positive impact.

Qiyun Woo (Singapore)

My name is Qiyun, I'm an Environmental Studies major with an interest in circular economy, creative social impact and systems-level change. I enjoy breaking down complex problems into opportunities, and am highly motivated to drive systemic change and social impact. I make infographics on Instagram (@theweirdandwild) to show people that sustainability and living consciously is vibrant and easy, and show that complex concepts can be digestible. I’m a creative spirit and I’m on a mission to create exciting experiences and forge new ways of looking at sustainability.

I'm very involved in the environmental community in Singapore and am a youth sustainability advocate. I was also the president of the Environmental Studies student club in my university. I strongly believe in community-driven initiatives to push for social change - the more innovative the better :) 

Loraine Lee Yen (Singapore)

Hello! I’m studying Communications and New Media in NUS, and would like to be in the media industry in the future. I believe that the media plays an important role in shaping people’s mindsets, and want to use my skills in writing for good to ensure we protect our planet home. Hence, I hope to delve more into the topic of sustainability, to learn while at the same time, influencing others to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle!

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Young Reporters from Turkey

A YRE team from Izmir Saint-Joseph French School, Turkey will also be at the World Environmental Education Congress. They will report on activities, write articles, and take photos during the conference. In one of the academic sessions, the leader of the team will present a research paper which was produced as part of a YRE project of the school.   

Litter Less Campaign: The longest-running school campaign on litter continues

PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Gosia Luszczek, International YRE Director
Foundation for Environmental Education
E: gosia@fee.global

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Over 3 million students from more than 5000 schools across the world have participated in the Litter Less Campaign the past 8 years. The campaign has helped not only students, but also their teachers, parents, and local communities address the issue of litter and waste.

The Litter Less Campaign, which was launched in 2011, has just entered its fourth phase and will be implemented in 15 countries until 2021. The campaign is a joint initiative between Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) and Mars Wrigley Foundation which educates children and youth on the issue of litter and gives them the opportunity to engage their local communities in awareness raising activities.  

“Providing students an opportunity to learn about the challenges of litter and waste in their community and empowering them to become leaders through the development of meaningful solutions drives sustainable, positive behavior change. The Mars Wrigley Foundation is proud to have supported millions of students around the world through the Litter Less Campaign,” says Anne Vela-Wagner, Executive Director of the Mars Wrigley Foundation.

Through the Eco-Schools and Young Reporters for the Environment programmes, students will carry out litter action plans and media campaigns which aim to tackle specific litter and waste issues. These issues will be carefully selected by the schools together with their National Operators in order to achieve the biggest and most relevant impact in their local communities.

“FEE is privileged for the funding and cooperation it has been granted by the Mars Wrigley Foundation since 2011. The funding of these two extra years are a testament to the impact we have had with the campaign to date. Litter is a form of a pollution that continues to increase as a serious global threat. The situation our oceans are facing due to plastic and micro plastic pollution are a sad example of this. Hence we believe this fourth phase is essential for our on-going efforts in educating and changing the behaviour of children, youth and adults around the world,” says Daniel Schaffer, CEO of Foundation for Environmental Education.

A campaign with a clear impact

Based on research conducted the past two years, the Litter Less Campaign has a clear positive impact on students’ knowledge, attitude and opinion leadership with respect to litter and waste management. The data shows that students who participate in the campaign know more about waste management, conserve more resources and are less likely to litter compared with students who do not participate in the campaign.

“The campaign highlight is always the enthusiasm of the children to make a difference and be given a platform to use their pupil voice concerning issues that affect them. Because of the raised awareness of Litter and its impacts around the world, especially to our oceans and wildlife, pupils have had a real purpose in their actions and messages to their school and community,” says Julie Giles, National Operator, Wales.

About the Foundation for Environmental Education

Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) is the world's largest environmental education organisation with members in 77 countries. Through five ground-breaking programmes, FEE empowers people to take meaningful and purposeful action to help create a more sustainable world.

About the Mars Wrigley Foundation

The Mars Wrigley Foundation partners with organizations around the world to help people and communities flourish. Founded in 1987, the Foundation works to provide oral health education and care, improve lives in mint- and cocoa-growing regions, prevent litter and waste, and create vibrant communities.

Countries implementing the Litter Less Campaign 2019-2021

Australia, Brazil, China, England, France, India, Ireland, Kenya, Malta, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Russia, Scotland, Spain and Wales

PRESS RELEASE: International YRE Competition 2020

Gosia Luszczek, International YRE Director | E: gosia@fee.global
Kristina Madsen, International YRE Coordinator | E: kristina@fee.global

Do you want to raise awareness of environmental issues taking place in your neighbourhood? Are you able to inspire people to take positive action? Do you see yourself as part of the global environmental movement?

Then join the International Young Reporters for the Environment (YRE) Competition 2020 by submitting an article, photo, or video that highlights an environmental issue close to your heart. The winning entries will be published internationally on Medium and on the websites of Climate Tracker and YRE!
 
The International YRE Competition is open to students aged 11-25 from the 42 countries running the YRE programme. Students first have to compete in the National YRE Competition in their respective country and be selected as a national winner before being sent onwards to the International Competition. 

In 2019, close to 16,000 entries were submitted to national YRE competitions and 206 entries made it through to the International YRE Competition. These are really the best of the best!

For detailed information about the Competition, visit the International YRE Website. 

The International YRE Competition consists of three different categories:

International YRE Competition

Open to all YRE countries and all environmentally related topics, except for the litter theme for countries participating in the Litter Less Campaign. Countries that are not participating in the Campaign can still submit entries related to the litter issue. 

Litter Less Campaign

The topic of the submission must be related to litter. This category is open to countries that are involved in the Litter Less Campaign: Australia, New Zealand, China, India, Wales, Spain, Northern Ireland, Malta, France, Brazil and Ireland.

International Collaboration

Open to all YRE countries with three recommended themes: pollution, loss of biodiversity and climate change that have to be linked to a chosen SDG. The submission must be in the form of one joint Article, Photo Reportage of 3-5 photos, or Video and be a collaborative work between two or more countries. Read more about this category here.

The Sustainable Development Goals through the YRE Competition

YRE is working closely with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to promote them and present case stories of initiatives that are developed by local communities and emphasize a holistic approach to achieving sustainable development for all. Therefore, we encourage participants to reflect on the link between their entry and one or more SDGs when choosing a topic to report on. Remember that an environmental lens is always required, also when a social or economic SDG is chosen as a topic of investigation.

Following alarming news about the need to take urgent action to save humans and the Earth, YRE suggests three priority topics for this year: Climate change, Loss of biodiversity, Pollution that have to be linked to chosen SDG(s).

New opportunity in the Photo Category 

For the International YRE Competition 2020, the photo category will be organised differently from the past. The three age groups will be merged into one (11-25 years) and instead it will be possible to submit photo entries within three thematic categories:

1. Single photo reportage

2. Single photo campaign

3. Photo reportage consisting of 3-5 photos (new)

The photo category is by far the most popular submission type in the competition, however, telling an impactful story through one or a few photos is not an easy task! We have therefore asked our Jury members to select their favourite photo of 2019 and justify their selection to make it clear what they are looking for when assessing photos. You can see the video featuring P.J. Marcellino below.  

Click here to read the specific rules for the three international photo categories. Please note that the national rules might differ - please check this with your YRE National Operator.  

ICSE Newsletters by YRE students

The two below newsletters were designed and written by Odell Jeremiah Dass, Palak Goyal, Paridhi Puri, Vandita Sariya, Sujit Bhattacharya, Karishma Kharbanda and Rheza Auditya Wijaya - the YRE press team at the International Conference on Sustainability Education.

Click on the above image to read the full newsletter from Day 1 of the ICSE.

Click on the above image to read the full newsletter from Day 2 of the ICSE.

Meet the YRE going to the International Conference on Sustainability Education in India

Seven aspiring YRE students have been selected to participate in the International Conference on Sustainability Education (ICSE) taking place in New Delhi, India from 9-10 September. Read more about the conference here.

The YRE students will be reporting from the event by interviewing delegates, creating journalistic articles and videos and making posts for social media.

Learn more about each of them below.

Odell Jeremiah Dass (Singapore)

Hi, I'm Odell, an aspiring filmmaker and at the side I dabble with photography and I've always been inclined to visuals since I was a kid
I would want to one day be a part of the production of documentaries like planet earth, or the next blue planet.  I believe in adopting sustainable habits to preserve the environment for generations to come, and to show everyone how beautiful planet earth really is through my work and that everyone has their part to play to preserve the environment and to educate everyone around them about it's importance. 

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Karishma Kharbanda (India)

I am currently pursuing my post graduate degree in Mass Communication from AJK MCRC, Jamia Milia Islamia and want to pursue a career in Conflict Journalism. I have been actively involved in profound deliberations on matters of international concern in the form of conventional debates and youth forums and has won several accolades across India for her endeavors.  She has interned with Ninong Ering, former Member of Parliament on Social Media Accountability Bill and her recent work as a Media Intern with the Dialogue and Development Commission, Government of Delhi has given her an in depth experience about the implementation patterns of public welfare schemes.  

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Palak Goyal (India)

My name is Palak Goyal and I am 20 years old. I basically belong from Rajasthan, India. I am currently pursuing English Honours from Delhi University and aspire to be a Journalist. I love spending my free time in painting and swimming.

From past two years I have actively been a part of a social entrepreneurship organisation named as ENACTUS. It has given me a platform to enhance myself and work for the betterment of the society. Being a part of such a prestigious organisation was a dream come true for me.

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Paridhi Puri (India)

I am currently studying Economics at Jesus and Mary college, Delhi University. I’m very passionate about Sustainability, Mental health and Equality. I was a Counter Speech Fellow at YLAC India, I’ve worked with United Nations as a Youth advocate, and I’m currently a Leaders Forum Member at The Global Education and Leadership Foundation. 

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Vandita Sariya (India)

I am 22-year-old and fascinated by stories. I am constantly on a lookout for something different. I switch between writing articles, making cartoons, performing poetry and making movies on SDGs and other issues that affect people. I have been an active participant in national and international conferences pertaining to the same issues. I believe acknowledging a problem is the first step to any solution and want to bridge the gap between ignorance and knowledge by telling stories that need our attention.

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Sujit Bhattacharya (India)

I am a Communication for Development (C4D) practitioner and currently working as a C4D intern at UNICEF, Ranchi. My area of interests is Gender, Environment, Education, Health and with the advancement in time I will increase my area of interests. I have engaged myself towards working with the community and spreading awareness on cleanliness and hygiene. During my academic career, I had the opportunity to work in some of the prestigious organisations like UNDP (Regional Office North East India), Banglanatak Dot Com (Contact Base) Kolkata and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (U) Guwahati. I have contributed in the areas of child trafficking, child rights, capacity building of communities etc.

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Rheza Auditya Wijaya (Indonesia)

I am an Indonesian-born youth who is currently pursuing his Bachelor Business and Commerce Degree at the School of Business, Monash University Malaysia. I am responsible to be the President of the Indonesian Student Association in Monash University Malaysia, a 19th TUNZA Eco-Generation Regional Ambassador to Indonesia, as well as the Student Ambassador to Monash University Malaysia.

I am highly passionate in writing and photography. He finds his interest on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Implementations and its further impacts to the society. My passion to work both in team and individually makes me capable to give contributions in any circumstances.

UNESCO 2019 Forum & GAP Partner Network Meeting in Vietnam

Daniel Schaffer (CEO of Foundation for Environmental Education) and Vinh Le (YRE Alumnus from Canada) are travelling to Hanoi, Vietnam where they will be participating in two important events:

2-3 July: UNESCO 2019 Forum on Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship

This year’s theme is ”Learning and Teaching for Peaceful and Sustainable Societies: From early childhood to primary and secondary education”. The forum is organised by UNESCO in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Training of Viet Nam and the Viet Nam National Commission for UNESCO.

4-5 July: 2019 GAP Partner Network meeting

UNESCO is convening the 2019 GAP Key Partner Network meeting in order to identify lessons learned from five years of GAP implementation. The meeting will also serve to take stock of where Key Partners stand on their current implementation activities and to share information with and among GAP Key Partners.

Meet Vinh Le - a YRE Alumni Ambassador

Vinh Le is a YRE Alumni Ambassador as it has been an important catalyst that inspires his passion for sustainable methodologies that shape his vision for an environmentally-friendly world. Vinh has contributed by creating video tutorials for YRE’s Next Green Journalist, a guide for Green Journalists to strengthen their skills and submission. Today, there are thousands of young reporters for the environment. 

As an Ambassador, Vinh has a passion for photography. Inspired by the YRE programme, he launched his own photo travel exhibition called "Sustain(able)" which illustrates climate change across the world. He studied Environmental Design and now has a passion for creating spaces that is functional and sustainable. Vinh started his interior design studio creating healthy and sustainable interiors. He has given new life to ‘York Hill Park’ in Thornhill by re-using an existing structure and transforming it into a large public installation.

Vinh contributes to his municipality as member on the Senior Task Force to bring new methodologies to make the community age-friendly.  Vinh hosted a pilot project called “MakeEco Toronto” which gathered dozens of youth to network and learn about the SDGs. MakeEco was successful and will be happening in Summer 2019 to explore the SDG #11&12.

Vinh is attending as youth representative of UNESCO Europe and North America + FEE/YRE at the ‘EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP’ Conference in Hanoi, Vietnam. His contribution to the conference is to bring unique creative thinking and solutions to other fellow youth leaders and gain skill sets to successfully host more sustainable events to further implement the SDG goals back in North America & Europe.

Call for YRE students to participate in International Conference on Sustainability Education

Click on the image to learn more.

Winners of the International YRE Competition 2019

Contact: Gosia Luszczek, International YRE Director | E: gosia@fee.global
Kristina Madsen, International YRE Coordinator | E: kristina@fee.global

Copenhagen, June 2019

From thousands of entries submitted to national YRE Competitions in 36 countries this year, the top 200 finalists reached the International YRE Competition 2019. This is the largest number of entries YRE International has ever received, highlighting the growing movement of youth voices and the global interest in the YRE programme.

The awarded entries reflect some of the very best work carried out by YRE students from around the world. The International Jury was very impressed with the students’ choice of interesting local topics, including their reflection on the links to the Sustainable Development Goals as well as their skills on investigative journalism and critical thinking. The winning entries are listed below and will be published through Medium and on the website of Climate Tracker.

“This is my seventh year as a jury member and every year I am more and more impressed by the number of countries participating and also by the quality of the reporting within the articles, videos and photos. What really struck me this year was that the themes on the SDGs were much more focused and help showcase the goals,” says Julie Saito, UNESCO.

Slovakia and Malta became the two countries that received the highest number of awards. This clearly reflects the hard work of the YRE National Operators implementing the programme as well as the efforts by students and teachers. A number of Honourable Mentions were also given to countries that are new in the YRE Programme, including South Africa, Belgium and Puerto Rico.

"Youth are leading the climate and environmental fight, and the YRE submissions prove it! They are showing great passion on denouncing the environmental damages through writing, photo and video, and taking action to change. The future of environmental journalism and activism is quite safe!" says Anna Pérez Catalá, co-director of Climate Tracker and YRE Jury Member.

This year’s International YRE Jury

The International YRE Jury is composed of professionals in the fields of environmental journalism, corporate social responsibility and education for sustainable development, including representatives from UNESCO, UNEP, MARS Wrigley Foundation etc.

The International YRE Jury meeting took place on the 28th of May at the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) head office in Copenhagen, Denmark. There was a thorough discussion on what entries should be awarded based on different criteria such as the technical quality, investigation, originality, and dissemination of the entries. The Jury was free to give 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prizes, as well as Honourable Mentions, as they saw fit.

List of Jury Members 2019:

• Anne Vela-Wagner, Executive Director of the MARS Wrigley Foundation

• Christopher Slaney, Freelance Journalist

• Mari Nishimura, Ecosystem Division, UNEP

• Torvald Jacobsson, Founding Partner of Edumanity and COO of TheGoals.org, Lund University (IIIEE)

• Julie Saito, Programme Specialist of Communication, UNESCO

• Pedro Marcelino, Documentary Film Producer and Director

• Mayra Navarrete, Photographer

• Anna Pérez Catalá, Environmental Scientist and co-director of Climate Tracker

• Filipa Murta, YRE Alumnus from Portugal

• Sasha Karajovic, FEE Board Member

• Richard Steed, Communications Officer, FEE

Find detailed information about each Jury Member here. 

From left to right: Pramod Sharma, Torvald Jacobsson, Sasha Karajovic, Gosia Luszczek, Filipa Murta, Pedro Marcelino. Richard Steed, Julie Saito, Anne Vela-Wagner, Mayra Navarrete, Christopher Slaney and Kristina Madsen

About the International YRE Competition

The International YRE Competition is composed of three age groups (11-14, 15-18 and 19-25) and three media categories (articles, photos and videos) as well as a special category for International Collaboration. To enter the International Competition, the entries must be awarded the 1st place in the National YRE Competitions held earlier in the year. For countries participating in the Litter Less Campaign, YRE students also have the opportunity to submit entries related to the issue of litter and waste which are assessed separately. All entries can be found on the YRE Competition's Exposure page.

The International YRE Competition winners for 2019 are:

Article

11-14 years old

1st Place
Title: The Upcycling Solution
Country: Slovakia

2nd Place
Title: Take Action, Don’t Wait for a Reaction
Country: Singapore

3rd Place
Title: Where is the ship sailing to?
Country: Montenegro

15-18 years old

1st Place
Title: Bees in the City: Small Insects, Big Problems
Country: Slovakia

2nd Place
Title: A Bloody Problem Period
Country: Canada

3rd Place
Title: The Folly of Developing New Vehicle Fuel Stations
Country: Malta

3rd Place
Title: The Polluting of the River Elbe by Chemical Plant Draslovka Kolín
Country: Czech Republic

Honourable Mention - for creating a moving piece on a local issue
Title: The Stream That Sees It All
Country: South Africa

Honourable Mention - for choosing a new and interesting topic
Title: The Dangers of a Bright Night
Country: Puerto Rico

19-25 years old

1st Place
Title: Climate Change: Looking Back for a Solution of Today
Country: Singapore

2nd Place
Title: A step into the unknown - climate change and Scotland's outdoors
Country: Scotland

2nd Place
Title: First Straw-Free City in Slovakia On the Horizon
Country: Slovakia

3rd Place
Title: Coastal erosion and its relation to climate change and human intervention
Country: Puerto Rico

Honourable Mention - for creating a moving piece with heart-breaking photos
Title: A noble companion - a careless beneficiary
Country: Ghana

Photo

11-14 years old

1st Place (Reportage Photo)
Title: The Secret Life of the Market
Country: Slovakia

2nd Place (Reportage Photo)
Title: Till death do us part…
Country: Cyprus

Honourable Mention (Reportage Photo) - for the technical quality of the photo
Title: Like Knows Like
Country: China

15-18 years old

1st Place (Campaign Photo)
Title: Stop Sucking The Life Out Of Our Oceans
Country: Canada

2nd Place (Campaign Photo)
Title: Next stop OCEAN
Country: Portugal

Honourable Mention (Reportage Photo) - for the technical quality of the photo and its strong message, although lacking an environmental angle
Title: The first row
Country: Belgium

19-25 years old

Honourable Mention (Reportage Photo) - for the technical quality of the photo
Title: Pollinators, the queens of life
Country: Portugal

Video

11-14 years old

1st Place (Reportage Video)
Title: ALPEDRETE QUARRIES
Country: Spain

1st Place (Reportage Video)
Title: A Little Respect
Country: Slovakia

2nd Place (Reportage Video)
Title: The energy transition in St-Pierre-etMiquelon
Country: France

Honourary Mention (Campaign Video) - for sending a good message
Title: Life without plastic
Country: Greece

15-18 years old

1st Place (Reportage Video)
Title: Where did the darkness go?
Country: Slovakia

2nd Place (Reportage Video)
Title: Wise man - Wise consumer
Country: Israel

3rd Place (Reportage Video)
Title: Plastic Packing in grocery stores
Country: Canada

3rd Place (Campaign Video)
Title: Climate smart food
Country: Sweden

19-25 years old

1st Place (Reportage Video)
Title: Stop waste now!
Country: France

2nd Place (Reportage Video)
Title: Circular economy in local community
Country: Slovenia

Honourable Mention (Campaign Video) - for the technical quality of the video
Title: Dear Everyone
Country: Singapore

International Collaboration

1st Place (Article, 15-18 years)
Title: Behind the biggest producer and exporter of cork
Countries: Portugal, Turkey, Greece, and Malta

1st Place (Reportage Video, 19-25 years)
Title: SUSTAINABLE TOURISM - IS IT POSSIBLE?
Country: Malta and Spain

2nd Place (Article, 15-18 years)
Title: Red Meat consumption – an international collaborative research
Countries: Portugal and Israel

Winners in Litter Less Campaign category:

Article

11-14 years old

1st Place
Title: Refocus and reduce….No to Junk Mail!
Country: Malta

2nd Place
Title: To Kill a Seabird
Country: New Zealand

3rd Place
Title: “Dumped from home” Were you dumped from home? Are you not in your best shape anymore?
Country: Israel

15-18 years old

1st Place
Title: When Life Gives You Lemons
Country: New Zealand

2nd Place
Title: Brown is the New-Green
Country: Israel

19-25 years old

1st Place
Title: Lower waste, slimmer waists - Fighting food wastage, one grain at a time
Country: India

Photo

11-14 years old

1st Place (Campaign Photo)
Title: It's time to wake up to the problem of plastic!
Country: Northern Ireland

2nd Place (Campaign Photo)
Title: People are blind to see
Country: Malta

15-18 years old

1st Place (Reportage Photo)
Title: Home sweet home
Country: Malta

Honourable Mention (Reportage Photo) - for highlighting the issue of plastic and wildlife
Title: We are Not the Only Ones
Country: New Zealand

19-25 years old

1st Place (Photo Reportage)
Title: FROM TIMES PAST
Country: Spain

2nd Place (Photo Reportage)
Title: Dream Island – you Decide?
Country: Wales

Video

11-14 years old

1st Place (Campaign Video)
Title: One meal, a lot of garbage!
Country: Israel

2nd Place (Reportage Video)
Title: REPORT ON SCHOOL-GROUND RUBBISH
Country: Australia

Honourable Mention (Campaign Video) - as a fun campaign video that was screened at a film festival
Title: Moepapa (Nightmare)
Country: New Zealand

15-18 years old

1st Place (Campaign Video)
Title: Bring your own
Country: Malta

2nd Place (Campaign Video)
Title: What do you do with your E-waste?
Country: Israel

2nd Place (Campaign Video)
Title: Find a Home for the Trash. We Are on the Move!
Country: China

19-25 years old

No entries were submitted in this age group

YRE given Special Commendation Award for the Global Youth & New Media Prize

YRE given Special Commendation Award

Young Reporters for the Environment (YRE) has received a Special Commendation award for its work in mobilizing 340,000 student reporters in 38 countries to find solutions when reporting about environmental issues. The prize will be given at this year’s Eurasian Media Forum (EAMF) in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Since 2002, the Eurasian Media Forum has served as a world-class platform where ‘East meets West’ to discuss the pressing topics and the latest news from the Americas, Europe and Asia. The forum brings together more than 600 delegates from at around 60 countries: notable politicians, experts and influential media speakers.

Each year during the two day forum, the Global Youth & New Media Prize jury awards organisations that innovate and strengthen engagement between news media and young people while reinforcing the role of journalism in society.

“I am delighted that the Global Youth & News Media Prize jury gave Young Reporters for the Environment a Special Commendation in The Planet Award category,” says Dr. Aralynn McMane, director of the prize. "YRE is doing a great job on a global scale helping young people do exemplary solutions journalism about the environment that has real impact at the local level”.  

The Planet Award category honors actions that excel in providing young audiences with information and hope for saving the Earth and that strengthen engagement between news media and young people while reinforcing the role of journalism in society.

The Planet Award is part of the Global Youth & News Media Prize, which was created to give recognition to news media organizations around the world that effectively innovate in the quest to serve, support, attract and learn from young audiences. The prize is supported by News-Decoder, the European Journalism Centre, and the Google News Initiative.

“It is with great honour that our YRE programme has been given this award in recognition of all the work that we do. We would like to thank them for their recognition and we are very grateful to our hard working students who make this programme the success it has become today,” says YRE International Director Malgorzata Luszczek

During the two day forum there will will be speakers from media and development fields, like Nelson Graves (News Decoder CEO, former Senior reporting and editor at Reuters), Zahra Rasool (Head of Contrast, Al Jazeera), Martin Ford (Best selling author, researcher and software entepreneur) as well as from across the political spectrum like Toomas Henrik Ilves, former President of Estonia and Jerrol Thompson, former Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

The Forum takes place on 22 - 24th of May, 2019 in Almaty Kazakhstan.

More about Global Youth & News Media Prize 2019 Laureates can be found here.

Download here the YRE Presentation for the Award in PDF or click on the picture below.

About YRE – ‘Giving our environment a voice’

The Young Reporters for the Environment programme aims to empower young people aged 11-25 to take a stand on environmental issues they feel strongly about and to give them a platform to articulate these issues through the media of writing, photography or video. The programme is based on a four-step methodology which seeks to develop students’ critical thinking and expression, creativity and leadership skills. Every year the top YRE investigations have the chance to participate in the annual YRE competition and to be assessed by professional juries on national and international levels. The programme also gives Young Reporters the opportunity to participate in international environmental conferences to further develop their skills and network.

Website: www.yre.global

About the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE)
With members in 77 countries we are the world’s largest environmental education organisation. FEE’s programmes represent the cutting edge in Education for Sustainable Development and Environmental Education. It is the vision of the Foundation for Environmental Education that through its five programmes we empower people everywhere to live sustainably and in an environmentally conscious manner.

www.fee.global

Educational activities and resources from WWF

We are happy to share some brand-new educational resources for students and teachers created by WWF. The below text and photos were produced by WWF to inform about Our Planet and the ways that students and teachers can participate and use the educational materials.

Our Planet, Their Future

“Young people are the future of our planet. We must equip them with the information, insight and practical skills to understand the importance of biodiversity - both intrinsically and for the survival of humanity. Educators have a key role to play in preparing young people for the challenges that lie ahead. There can be no greater legacy than giving young people the tools they need to save our planet.” - Sir David Attenborough

WWF’s 2018 Living Planet Report revealed the scale of human impact on our precious natural world. Our Planet, launched on Netflix earlier this month, takes the story further. The eight-part series, voiced by David Attenborough, reveals the natural wonders that remain, and explores what we need to do to ensure a future in which nature and people thrive.

Today’s young people will be the stewards of our planet in the years to come, and the future of all life depends on them gaining the knowledge, skills and passion for nature necessary to transform humanity’s relationship with the natural world and build a more sustainable future. With just 10 years to bring huge changes to lifestyles and business practices worldwide if we are to avoid global environmental collapse, young people will be faced with a turbulent and challenging world as they move into adulthood and make decisions about their own personal and professional futures. Their actions and voices in support of the changes that are needed to save the planet will be pivotal factors in whether the change is achieved in time, and in a positive way for those living through this transition. The School Strike for Climate movement has shown how powerful youth voice and action can be, and how urgently young people feel change is needed. It is vital that young people are given access to the most current information and evidence about the plight of our planet, so that they can direct their energies towards making the changes that will make a positive difference to the future.

WWF has created a range of resources and activities for schools and young people that build on Our Planet and ensure that the important subjects and messages in Our Planet can be accessed by a wide spectrum of young people around the world. We are empowering educators in primary and secondary schools to draw on the incredible wealth of free high-quality video resources on ourplanet.com to delve into the key issues of our time with their students. We are galvanising schools to confront and discuss the state of our planet as a community through assemblies and screenings. We are prompting young people outside school to pay attention to the natural world and ‘tune in’ to the reality and importance of biodiversity in their everyday life through our innovative nature ID app ‘Seek’. Last but not least we are supporting and enabling a growing movement of young people who want to play an active role in creating the future they want, but need information, skills and resources to do so.

INSPIRE

• Bring the story of our planet to life for young people with the spectacular videos and interactive explorable globe available for free on www.OurPlanet.com. Take inspiration and guidance from the Our Planet educator guide, which includes ideas for sparking ideas, discussion and engagement with videos. Present to the whole school or even the wider community with the using the Our Planet Assembly Pack.

• Take inspiration from young people who are already taking action to create a sustainable future for our planet – follow the Youth for Our Planet blog. www.youthforourplanet.com

CONNECT

• Access free classroom resources and educator guides for primary and secondary schools to build a deeper understanding of our living planet, the links between our lifestyles and the health of the natural world, and the actions needed to bring our planet back from the brink.

• Connect live with nature and sustainability experts and projects around the world via Skype in the Classroom on the Our Planet Live site. https://education.microsoft.com/ourplanetlive

• Get outside and discover the natural world around you with the Our Planet Seek app. https://www.inaturalist.org/pages/seek_app

ACT

• Contribute to global citizen science when the Our Planet Biodiversity Action toolkit launches in June, and join a worldwide network of youth-led biodiversity action projects.

• Put young people in the driving seat by running an Our Planet’s Future Summit for young people (11-16) and support young people to come up with a model for a sustainable future for our planet.

• Speak up and add youth voice and pledges of action to the global movement to save our planet. https://www.ourplanet.com/en/voice/

YRE & YouthMundus

FEE is partnering with Inner Voice Artists (IVA) to support YouthMundus - a new, environmentally conscious global short content and music festival, specifically designed for the world’s youth and inspired by the SDGs, which is taking place 14-24 November 2019 in Rome, Italy.

The festival is organised by Inner Voice Artists (IVA) - a global media and entertainment company whose mission is to inspire and help create more opportunities for underrepresented voices within the areas of film, television, music, commercials and endorsements. The company’s goal is to ensure equal representation, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, social status, age or language.

The three educational programmes of FEE (YRE, Eco-schools and LEAF) will assist the development of different festival activities, seminars and workshops related to education for sustainable development and will help encourage people to take environmental action during the festival.

YRE students will also participate in the festival where they will do interviews and report on the different events through articles, photos and videos.