How YRE impacted me

In celebration of our 30th anniversary, we asked a former YRE student to share some reflections on how the programme supported her aspirations and goals.

I gained confidence - from writing news in my local community, YRE believed in me enough to give me an award. As a young journalist there is nothing more powerful than having people who believe in your work and support you. This made me seriously continue writing throughout university and eventually allowed me to go to COP23 with YRE. YRE gave, what felt like my hobby, a sense of legitimacy and importance, and it pushed me to continue working harder. YRE essentially told me - your work matters, please continue doing it

“YRE essentially told me - your work matters, please continue doing it!”
— Allison Gacad

YRE also gave me the skills to be a journalist. I never went to journalism school! Thanks to programming and workshops, I learned how to report on stories on-the-ground - how to interview, write, edit, and work with others. 

YRE also gave me a beautiful, international community. Reporting on the environment can be difficult and lonely, given the state of the world.

But I was always inspired to learn about the work happening around the world through the eyes of other YRE.

It was also so beautiful to share cultural values and gain perspectives about our environment I never would have otherwise. 

Allison Gacad is a former YRE participant and is now working in climate journalism as a correspondence for Carbon Pulse, where she covers carbon policy, clima-tech and policy.

Young Reporters for the Environment are ready for COP28!

The Conference of the Parties (COP) is an international climate summit, which is held annually. At COPs, world leaders gather to work together on solutions to tackle climate change. This year, the COP28 is hosted in the United Arab Emirates and is expected to host over 70,000 delegates, including heads of state and world leaders, to build consensus and facilitate progress on climate action among 197 countries, the EU and thousands of non-government organizations, companies, youth groups, and other stakeholders.

Since 2016, the YRE programme has given young people the opportunity to report on these historical summits. Also this year, a bright group of YRE will be investigating the fields of sustainability at COP28 in Dubai!

Meet the YREs reporting from COP:

Fatema Al Sweidan

With just simple steps, we make a huge difference in an environment whose safety and sustainability are our shared responsibility. I'm Fatema Al Sweidan, a sustainability ambassador and a fervent advocate for positive change in the environmental sustainability. I participated in a lot of environmental campaigns and presented many environmental workshops, initiatives and competitions. I’m very interested in the topics of  youth and education, climate change and food security, as they’re the most important fields of sustainability to be discussed during the COP28.

Zineb Marjana Khochch

Hello my name is Zineb Marjana Khochch. I’m 16 and I’m a high school student at High tech in RABAT. I’ve been a Young Reporter for the Environment since October 2022 and a proud environmental activist with the Med 6 Foundation for the Environment chaired by princess Lalla Hasna. I have really high hopes concerning this amazing opportunity. It would be life-changing since not many people get to live this type of experience where as a young teenager your voice is being heard your ideas shared and hopefully contribute to making things better. The world we live in deserves people to take care of it and I will do everything in my power in order to help it heal and I know I will.

Isha Khemka

My name is Isha Khemka, I am a 14-year-old environmental activist living in London. I want to give a voice to those who are suffering the dramatic impact of climate change but do not have a platform to share their pain and enforce change. I want to use my writing to put a spotlight on those people and animals, using creative writing to tell the story of each and every person allowing the reader to empathise with their experience, to drive us to change.

Fatima Saeed Al Falahi

Hello, my name is Fatima Saeed Al Falahi. I am an 18-year-old student from the UAE who will be majoring in Global Studies and Languages at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. I am highly motivated and passionate about the environment, and constantly seek new opportunities to educate myself in this field. As a trainee in the environmental sector, I have gained valuable experience. My goal is to make a positive impact in this field and contribute to the well-being of our planet.

I am proud to be a part of a country that prioritizes environmental care and is dedicated to educating the younger generation about it. It is an honor for me to be part of this program and represent my country in the upcoming COP28 hosted by the United Arab Emirates. I am excited to learn more about the global efforts to address climate change and to share my own experiences and insights.

Hatim Lachheb

I'm Hatim Lachheb, an 18-year-old Young Reporters for the Environment from Morocco and a freshman at Al Akhawayn University, majoring in Engineering and Management Science. My commitment to environmental advocacy stems from a deep connection to my family's agricultural background and the significant loss they suffered due to water scarcity in Morocco. This personal connection propels me toward addressing environmental challenges on both a local and global scale.


Starting my journey in environmental advocacy, I won the National Prize in 2018 for the Young Reporters for the Environment contest, organized by the Foundation for Environmental Education and implemented by the Mohamed 6 Foundation for Environmental Protection in Morocco. From there, my involvement grew, actively participating in The Youth Environmental Education Congress in Prague in 2022. I also contributed to the discourse at COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, in November 2022. In March 2023, I addressed the National Operators meeting at the Hassan II Center for Environmental Training, and later in July 2023, I took part in the PRE-UNEA Youth Consultation at the same center. Currently, I contribute to the startup YAZ at Al Akhawayn University, exploring sustainable agricultural practices. As I prepare for COP28 in Dubai in December 2023, my commitment to learning and active participation remains steadfast. 

Looking ahead to COP28 in Dubai, I actively expect to contribute and engage. Having attended COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, I'm familiar with existing environmental laws and resolutions, reinforcing my commitment to witness their implementation. My goal is to influence meaningful policies, participate in discussions, connect with young environmental enthusiasts, and address events during COP28. I'm eager to immerse myself in the UAE's vibrant environmental initiatives, promising a comprehensive and enriching experience.

Aya Mohamed El-Sayed

I am Aya Mohamed El-Sayed , a 16.9 years old student from Al-Samha School. I possess many skills and talents, including: the skill of recitation and public speaking, especially poetry recitation, writing such as writing short stories and novels and writing articles, through which I won many local and international competitions, including: The Creative Reader two years on  Consecutively, the pioneers of reading for two years, the little writer in the Big Book for three years, reading is an art, fun and beauty, by reading we rise, with my words, I created two years, the reading challenge I participated in for six years and this is the seventh year, and the heritage competition for writing, the fifty book competition, a competition in  Zayed's love, most important thing I have won Hamdan award Due to the extra curricular I did well at.

I love learning and practicing programming, especially the Python language. Through that, i won the IOS design challenge Compition, participated to be in the national team for the Informatics Olympiad and the Hope Challenge competition, which was based on its idea of ​​programming a robot to take a trip to Mars, participated at STEM challenge made by Abu Dhabi university and more.

I am a journalist for Abu Dhabi media channels and have appeared before on Sharjah Radio and TV channels, as well as a cartoon voice performer in cartoon programs. I present a journalist with one of Abu Dhabi media channels. I speak Arabic, English, Russian and Chinese, and I practice sign language. I am also good at video editing, as I have edited many short and long videos that I edit and are on my social media accounts as I'm a content creator.

 I aspire to specialize in the field of aviation and then apply to become an astronaut in the future with an agency  Mohammed bin Rashid Space.

Alaa Alsayed

Hello, My name is Alaa Alsayed, I’m a 16 years Sustainability ambassador, content creator, Graphic designer, Voice actress & TV presenter with Abu Dhabi Media, the youngest CodersHq ambassador, an inventor with 3 inventions, author, content & podcast creator, and many more… 

One of my most special talents is public speaking! Since I was very young I hosted TV shows with Abu Dhabi Media TV’s and Radio’s. I also presented in lots of awarding ceremonies and activities. I also have a broadcast and was the youngest broadcast maker awarded by Sheikh Rashid Alnuaimi in the Arab broadcast.

As a a content creator and an inspiring youth with a strong track record of achievements and active involvement in the field of sustainability, my participation in COP28 fills me with immense pride and excitement. It's an incredible opportunity to contribute to global efforts in addressing climate change. My aim is to make a meaningful impact by sharing my knowledge, collaborating with like-minded individuals, and advocating for practical solutions. aspiring to empower youth in the fields of sustainability, inventions and creativity I’m really looking forward to my participation in COP28. Let’s make COP28 memorable and make a difference!

Chaima Ahajem

“This is not just about the environment, it’s about the community, it’s about jobs, it’s about justice.”

My name is Chaima Ahajem, I'm 17-year-old, I'm in my last year of high school and I'm an economic student, And I am from Khouribga a small city in morocco. I've always wanted to give a voice to those people who are the most affected by climate change, And I am currently a member of the Young Reporters of the Environment led by Mohamed 6 foundation. I would be honoured to take part in the 28th meeting of conference of the parties COP28 to expand my knowledge on all challenges facing the world climate and to negotiate global goals for tackling climate change, And i'm so grateful for this amazing opportunity that not many people get to experience as a young teenager representing a large category of young people and I look forward to raise their awareness about the importance of protecting the environment.

Aafaf ID LAFQIH

"The future does not choose us, but we choose our future"

Hi. My name is Aafaf ID LAFQIH, I'm an 17 years old Young Reporter For the  Environnement from Morocco, specifically from the city of Sidi Ifni ( a very small city in the south of Morocco) . I started my environnementale career from 2018-2019 . I won the National Prise in 2019 for the YRE conteste, organized by the Foundation for Environmental Education and implemented by the Mohamed 6 Foundation for Environmental Protection in Morocco.

I love mathematics and its problems, and I was with the national team for the Mathematical Olympics, but my love for the environment and my ambition to make change is greater. So I abandoned my Olympic track to participate in Cop28, as this event coincided with the December training for the Olympics.                        

My interest in the environment began with my grandfather, who owned a farm, which had a very good return, given what we know about climate change, his farm was greatly affected, and he appeared very sad.  And here I began to think about what simple people who depend on agriculture as their basic income suffer from.  That is why I will take advantage of my participation in Cop28 to represent the voice of everyone who suffers in silence. I believe that we are the hope and we are the ones who will make a difference.

Omaima Bani

" They call us dreamers, but we're the ones who don't sleep, born to make history "  

Hello, my name is Omaima Bani, I am sixteen years old, young reporter for the environment from morocco specifically from the city of Dakhla (south of Morocco). I was born on July 26, 2007 It is a very important day for me because the moon was on it Waxing Gibbous, this is my favorite moon shape.

I have many interests and talents, some of them are singing, I love to sing Arabic songs because they are distinctive and make my voice strong and comfortable to hear.

My family calls me the little photographer, because I am very interested in photography, and I take beautiful pictures of everything amazing I see " I was created to create "

Since I was young, I have been filming videos on my mother’s phone and imagining myself as a journalist " Act like the person you want to become ", That is why I have loved journalism since childhood, and I participated in many competitions about it, I won at the regional level It was a wonderful experience, I did the best and God did the rest.

My talents and interests do not stop here, but I am even interested in the field of the environment I love nature, water, fresh air and forest, I smell purity in them. " Our planet is in our hands”

I always say die with memories not dreams, Because it has been one of my dreams since I was young to succeed, My choice to participate in the United Nations Conference on Climate Change, the twenty-eighth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 28 ) in Dubai United Arab Emirates (UAE). With the distinguished participation of the Kingdom of Morocco in this conference, it is considered a success for me. I joined The Moroccan delegation include the Secretary General of the Mohammed VI Foundation for Environmental Protection. I am proud and I want to thank Mrs. Nazha Al-Alawi Secretary General of the Mohammed VI Foundation for Environmental Protection , the Foundation’s Director of Partnerships, Ms. Kenza Al-Khalfi Director of the Ministry's Partnership for Communication and Cooperation for Economic Transition and Sustainable Development, Mr. Rachid Ferdidi, Director of Climate Change for Biodiversity and Green Economy at the Ministry, Mr. Razi Bouzkar, for their efforts to make this institution successful and for giving us this opportunity.

Nihal Bentoumia

Hello, my name is Nihal Bentoumia, I'm 16 years old and I'm high school student from Jerada, a coal mining city in the north east of Morocco.

I'm really happy to be a part of those who are defending our planet and contributing to sensitising my generation to the nessecity of preserving the environment and exploiting its resources in a rational manner, within the framework of what is known as sustainable development in order to preserve our lives and the lives of the future generations.
So I extend my sincere thanks to everyone who contributed from near or far, to guiding us and taking our hands as young journalists so that our voices can reach the world, and to express our expectations from officials and decision-makers so that they take the necessary measures to reduce environmental degradation.

A warm welcome to them all! Keep an eye on YRE’s Facebook (Young Reporters for the Environment) and Instagram (@yre_int) pages during COP28 for daily updates from the conference!

Litter Less Campaign Project Shines at the 70th Anniversary Celebration of the UNESCO ASPnet!

Last Wednesday, November 8th, the UNESCO Associated Schools Network (ASPnet) hosted an event to celebrate its 70th anniversary. A strong partner of the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) for several years, ASPnet schools are actively engaged through the Young Reporters for the Environment (YRE) programme and the Litter Less Campaign. This celebratory event served to showcase the transformative practices of students and teachers from around the world who are all committed to building more peaceful and sustainable societies.

The Litter Less Campaign was also highlighted during this event through the innovative e-waste campaign “The Forgotten Fortune” from Ibn Khuldoon National School in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The project was spearheaded by the Ms Huda Labib, who has shown outstanding initiative and creativity in empowering her students to develop and implement the e-waste campaign. Her student Ms Halah Noor won the ASPnet international competition part of the Young Reporters for the Environment. She wrote a very compelling article on e-waste, which got published in the Gulf News.

Halah and Ms. Huda Labib presented their school’s efforts to raise awareness on e-waste, and  Ms. Labib reflected on the experience, sharing that,

“Thanks to the Litter Less Campaign, my students came to embrace new ways of thinking, involving other students, teachers, parents, and the community at large, fostering a sense of collaboration and engagement for the environment. Through the campaign we managed to collect over 1.6 tons of electronic waste, which are now being recycled.”

You can learn more about their fantastic project in the video below.

Video Block
Double-click here to add a video by URL or embed code. Learn more

The First Step Toward Change Is Being Aware That We Need It

Reflections on Being a Young Reporter from Mexico

Victoria Morrell is a 17-year-old from Mexico whose photo, Northern Drought, won first place in Photo Reportage category in the 2023 YRE Competition. 

The jury congratulated her photo and appreciated it for its symbolic representation of change and nostalgia. For them, the photo reflected how things used to be before the impact of climate change.

However, Victoria's commitment to raising awareness about climate change doesn't stop with her award-winning photograph. She has returned to the YRE programme to help inspire and guide future Young Reporters.

In the video below, Victoria shares how she got the idea for her photograph:  

“I walk by a river every day on my way to class. Once, its water flowed with colour as beautiful as the sky, and I remember everyone stopped to admire it. Now that it has run dry, they ignore it,” Victoria observed.

 

She believes this indifference is rooted in the fear that we are witnessing the devastating effects of global warming right before our eyes. Her photograph serves as a poignant reminder of how fragile our environment is and how swiftly we can lose the beauty of nature if we don't act against climate change.

 

Her message is clear: raising awareness about climate issues around us is critical and the YRE programme is one way that helps do this, by empowering young people to take action.

 

“The first step toward change is being aware that we need it. We can raise awareness about it, we can take the first step, make conversation about it. Making everyone know, because when everyone knows there is no way of denying it, so don’t be afraid of being a Young Reporter to the Environment.”

Empowering Tomorrow's Climate- heroes: Probha Aurora Pioneers YRE Programme in Bangladesh

The YRE team is excited to see the launch of the YRE Programme in Bangladesh on the 31st of August 2023. The Probha Aurora, a youth-focused social enterprise in Bangladesh, is taking another significant step towards promoting sustainability and environmental responsibility in Bangladesh.

The launch of the programme in the country was a blend of physical and virtual participation, uniting esteemed dignitaries, stakeholders, students, parents, and teachers. The presence of Dr. Susan Vize, Officer-in-Charge of UNESCO, Daniel Schaffer, CEO of FEE, and Pramod Kumar Sharma, Senior Director – Education, FEE underscored the program's global significance. Bidhan Chandra Pal, the Founder and Managing Director of Probha Aurora, shared his vision of making Bangladesh an exemplary country in terms of environmental and climate consciousness.

YRE isn't journalism for the sake of reporting; it's journalism with a mission—to drive youth leadership in environmental solutions.

This event marked a significant milestone on the path to a sustainable, environment-friendly, and climate-conscious future for Bangladesh, one where education is the key to change, and the youth are the torchbearers. The YRE team is very happy to welcome Bangladesh to our global network.

To learn more about this news, click on this link: Young Reporters for the Environment (yrebangladesh.org)

 

About Probha Aurora:

Founded in 2021, Probha Aurora is a youth-focused social enterprise in Bangladesh. They are deeply committed to addressing environmental challenges and promoting sustainability. With a strong focus on engaging young people, they work with a climate-sensitive approach. Their steadfast dedication to sustainable practices harmonizes with the urgent demands of today's sustainability landscape.

Hear from the Winners of the 2023 YRE International Competition!

Finding an entry point to subjects as broad as pollution and biodiversity can seem challenging. How do you show the link between a local problem and the global one? How do you inspire the reader while focusing on bold solutions, with a broader view of events? Meet winners of the 2023 YRE International Competition and discover their journey through environmental journalism.

WRITING ENGAGING ARTICLES

Emma Venancie and Hugo Marrequeste (France)

Photo credit : istock

🎙 What's the story behind the choice of our subject?

💬 Initially, we wanted to work on the problems of over-visiting nature parks. This was a very broad topic, so we began by interviewing David Leroy, a ranger from the Vercors regional nature park. We asked him about the problems posed by tourism or too many hikers in the parks. It was he who told us about the Black Grouse. Before this interview, we had no idea of the existence of this "snow hen". He told us that this species is particularly endangered because it's so fragile. It doesn't like to be disturbed, especially during its winter resting phase. But with the development of cross-country skiing during the pandemic, David Leroy began to see this as a problem.

This information caught our attention, and as we continued to work on the subject, we realized that it was a central species in the Alps, and a very important one, since it indicates whether other species are doing well. It was at this point that we decided to refocus our subject on the Black Grouse, as it enabled us to tackle all the problems of over-visiting from a much more precise angle.

🎙 Do you have any advice for finding a subject about the environment?

💬 In our opinion, it's important when you start writing a story to focus on a specific subject. It's important to talk about a fairly specific location, such as a region, a department, a mountain range or a town.

On the other hand, focusing on one aspect of a subject in order to talk about a global problem makes it much easier to take ownership of the issue. That's what we did when we talked about the Black Grouse and the problem of over-visiting nature parks. We were able to understand all the issues involved. Then we multiplied our sources by questioning the French League for the Protection of Birds, other nature parks in the department (Isère) and other associations.

We think it's important to focus on a subject that you enjoy talking about and that touches you emotionally. That way, you can talk about it in depth. Finally, it's best to find an original topic. For topics on biodiversity and environments, it can be interesting to focus on a particular species of animal, insect or plant. The aim is to show how humans impact this species while evoking the importance of this animal for the living world.

Discover their article ISÈRE MASSIFS: OVER-VISITATION OF NATURAL PARKS THREATENS AN EMBLEMATIC BIRD.

 

Lucia Klučárová and Gregor Šturdík (Slovakia) 

My mother is a teacher. She receives lots of flowers from her students at the beginning and end of the school year. I have noticed that some of the flowers, especially the roses, are wilted and she has to throw them away. Why is that? I was intrigued by the problem and Gregor and I began to investigate why this was so. 

The Young Reporters for the Environment program gave us experience and skills. We can use everything in our everyday life (e. g. taking a photo, asking the right questions...). To look at an issue from various angles. It taught us not only to point out the problem but also to look for solutions to fix it.

Discover their article THE ROSE’S SECRET: A GIFT OF CARBON DIOXIDE.

 

Mária Jánošíková (Slovakia) 

Last year, as a part of my studies at Masaryk University, I visited several bogs and wetlands. These ecosystems are disappearing very fast, even though they play a key role for climate. I’ve seen the problem in my own eyes, and how it looks like when these precious ecosystems are disappearing. And it is us, humans, who are responsible for this loss because we want to use peat in our gardens. Therefore, I decided to write an article and present alternatives to using the peat so that we prevent the loss of these rare and strategic ecosystems. 

Being a Young Reporter gives me a chance to show my surroundings the importance of protecting the environment in our country and elsewhere. Environmental journalism is still underestimated and underrepresented, so it is vital to contribute and inspire the others. 

Discover her article PEAT-FREE GARDENING: PROTECTING THE CLIMATE.

TELLING A PHOTO STORY

Andrej Zjavka (Slovakia)

Through my photo story “Reading without Comprehension” I wanted to express how much I personally care about nature and the environment and thus inspire others with my example. And to make people more and more aware of how precious our nature and everything in it is. 

Discover his photo story READING WITHOUT COMPREHENSION.

CAPTURING AN AUDIENCE THROUGH VIDEO

Lukas Vyhnalík and Nina Šidlíková (Slovakia) 

When I was returning from school one day at the train station, there were a large number of cigarette butts in our town. I thought about why they were there and how the problem could be solved. 

During the making of the video, we met with various experts directly from the cigarette butt "environment" and we even established cooperation with some of them. We initiated the campaign in cooperation with our city and made new contacts with many people. Today, we are pleased to see how some places in the city are cleaner thanks to the bins that were added after the implementation of our campaign. 

Discover their video THEY CONTAMINATE THE SOIL AND FOUL THE ENVIRONMENT.

 

Hamshini Pathmaruben (Malaysia) 

“The Earth, our home is in a dire state, being choked mercilessly with plastic waste, we need your help to clean and heal the Earth.” We, the generation of the 21st century, have a huge responsibility in resolving the mistakes that were made from the past till this very present moment, due to the ignorance of the general public towards the dangers of plastic waste. Let me share with you my story.

The canal in my neighbourhood was constantly littered with plastic waste, despite having good schedule waste management by the local municipal council. It was disheartening to observe the careless attitude of people in treating Earth as a massive trash can. I fear if this continues on, it will only backfire and eventually destroy the entire human population. Hence, I decided to come up with this video, in hopes to raise awareness and educate the people around me, so that we could preserve and protect whatever that is left of Earth. We need to act FAST, we need to act NOW because with every minute that passes, Earth is rapidly declining. So come forth my dear comrades, let’s work together! Throw your plastic waste responsibly! Save our Earth from destruction. We only have ONE Earth! As Katherine Hannigan wisely said, “We don't own the earth. We are the earth's caretakers...we take care of it and all the things on it. And when we're done with it, it should be left better than we found it. 

Discover her video MY PLASTIC PANDEMIC STORY.

Thank you to the Young Reporters who have shared their experience with the YRE network and congratulations again for their success in the 2023 YRE International Competition!

PRESS RELEASE - Winners of the International YRE Competition 2023

Discover the results of the International Jury and the winners of the 2023 Young Reporters for the Environment (YRE) International Competition!

This year, the YRE programme received more than 230 entries from 37 countries are part of the YRE International Competition. This high level of participation allowed for a competition with a wide range of topics, approaches, and solutions. From member countries, international schools, and Scouts around the world, it is a great pleasure to present the winners of this year's competition.

Bakeries, billboards, menstruation, algae, floods, mines, birds, surfing, roses, and zombies! The inventiveness of this year's participants is to be applauded! Click here to explore the articles, photos and videos created by Young Reporters from all over the world and find below the list of winners of the different categories.

 
 

This year’s International YRE Jury

This year’s International Jury meeting occurred online on June 20, 21 and 22nd of June, 2023. The Jury assessed each shortlisted entry thoroughly, and awarded 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prizes, as well as Honourable Mentions, based on the technical quality, level of investigation, originality, and dissemination of each submission. The International Jury represents expertise across a broad spectrum of fields and consists of professionals in environmental journalism, corporate social responsibility, and Education for Sustainable Development.

YRE Jury members:

·       Sasha Karajovic – President of the Jury

·       Anne Vela-Wagner – MARS Wrigley Foundation

·       Bernard Combes – UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization)

·       Carina Mutschele – UNEP

·       Christopher Slaney - Journalist and Editor

·       Cynthia Pugelj Marquez – Director of Global Initiatives at World Organisation of the Scout Movement (WOSM)

·       Mark Terry – Youth Climate Report

·       Nick Nuttall – We Don’t Have Time

·       Selen Unal – YRE Alumni from Türkiye

Find detailed information about each Jury Member here.

All entries competing in the YRE International Competition have been awarded 1st place in their respective countries’ National YRE competitions earlier this year. The articles and video entries are divided into three age groups (11-14, 15-18 and 19-25). The photos categories are not split into age groups but into three types: reportage, campaign and photo story of 3-5 photos. There is also a special category for International Collaboration.

All entries have been uploaded on the YRE Competition’s Exposure page.

The winners of the competition will receive diplomas and will be published in different international media, forums, environmental conferences and sessions.

DISCOVER THE 2023 INTERNATIONAL YRE COMPETITION WINNERS

ARTICLE: 11-14 years

1st Place

Title: Our Fight Against Plastic Pollution

Country: Singapore

2nd Place

Title: Plastic Pollution on Nonsuch Island, the Home of the Endangered Cahows

Country: Bermuda

3rd Place

Title: The Rose's Secret: A Gift of Carbon Dioxide

Country: Slovakia

ARTICLE: 15-18 years

1st Place

Title: I am scared!

Country: Montenegro

2nd Place

Title: Young people: the key to resolving global problems

Country: Switzerland

3rd Place

Title: Plastic Pollution: What can we do about it?

Country: Malaysia

ARTICLE: 19-25 years

1st Place

Title: Isére massifs : over-visitation of natural parks threatens an emblematic bird

Country: France

2nd Place

Title: Peat-free Gardening: Protecting the Climate

Country: Slovakia

3rd Place

Title: Environmental DNA: Invasives Species Under Investigation

Country: Portugal

SINGLE PHOTO REPORTAGE: 11-25 years

1st Place

Title: The northern drought

Country: Mexico

2nd Place

Title: Nature Finds a Way, but at what cost?

Country: Malta

3rd Place

Title: What a risky way to begin my day

Country: Israel

SINGLE PHOTO CAMPAIGN: 11-25 years

1st Place

Title: We don’t care do you?

Country: Iceland

2nd Place

Title: Grey World

Country: India

3rd Place

Title: The Trash Traveller, the German who fights to save the Portuguese coast

Country: Portugal

PHOTO STORY OF 3-5 PHOTOS: 11-25 years

1st Place

Title: Recycling Embrace, no disgrace

Country: Montenegro 

2nd Place

Title: Reading Without Comprehension

Country: Slovakia

3rd Place

Title: Vertical Gardens: a response to climate urgency

Country: Portugal

VIDEO: 11-14 years

1st Place

Title: Food Waste Cafe

Country: New Zealand

2nd Place

Title: The Ballad of 65 Billboards

Country: Slovakia

3rd Place

Title: My Green Land

Country: Israel

Honourable Mention

Title: My Plastic Pandemic Story

Country: Malaysia

VIDEO: 15-18 years

1st Place

Title: Think about it

Country: Sweden

2nd Place

Title: Black City

Country: Czechia

3rd Place

Title: They Contaminate the Soil and Foul the Environment

Country: Slovakia

VIDEO: 19-25 years

1st Place

Title: Zero Waste Berlin

Country: Belgium

2nd Place

Title: Sustainable Menstruation

Country: Argentina

3rd Place

Title: A Poisoned Paradise

Country: India

INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION

1st Place

Title: Tweeting Trouble: Climate Change. Are We Silencing Our Birds? - Article

Countries: Türkiye & Slovenia

2nd Place

Title: Under the Surface: the unknown importance of Wetlands - Video

Country: Portugal - Slovenia

3rd Place

Title: We cannot prevent natural disasters, but we can preserve urban biodiversity - Article

Country: Portugal - Türkiye - Japan

PHOTO OF THE YEAR

1st Place

Title: The Seventh Continent

Country: Belgium

Congratulations to all winners of 2023!

The YRE team is impressed by the quality of the projects, and wishes to congratulate the winners of the 2023 competition!

The winners will be invited to a webinar in early September to celebrate together.

Get ready, information is coming soon!

About YRE: Founded in 1994, the YRE programme empowers young people to research and report on local environmental issues and promote solutions through investigative reporting, photography, and video journalism, giving them a sense that they can really make a difference in the world

Celebrating Environmental Educators with the FEE Teacher Award!

Monday, 5th June: On the occasion of World Environmental Day, we are proud to highlight the amazing work of teachers from our global educational network and promote their excellent contribution to sustainable education.

 
 

The first-ever call for the FEE Teachers’ Award was opened in 2022, so we are incredibly excited to be announcing the winners today!

The FEE Teachers’ Award highlights teachers who have been engaged in the Eco-Schools, Learning about Forests (LEAF) or Young Reporters for the Environment (YRE) programmes for five or more years and whose institution has been awarded a Green Flag Award, a LEAF Award or has produced a finalist/winner for a national YRE competition.

The selected teachers exemplify excellence in environmental education and commitment to our young people and planet. We are sincerely grateful for the energy they continuously dedicate to empowering the next generation to tackle the world’s environmental challenges and hope they serve to inspire others in doing the same.

We are proud to announce the following winners of the 2022 FEE Teachers’ Award:

  • Andrea Tláskalová - Š J. V. Sládka Zbiroh (CZECHIA)

  • Bindu Chona - Nand Vidya Niketan Jamnagar (INDIA)

  • Draženka Kolonić - 1 st Primary School Varaždin (I.Osnovna Škola Varaždin) (CROATIA)

  • Inés Nancy Acolt Ariano - Colegio Contadero (MÉXICO)

  • Kate Doyle - Everton Nursery School (ENGLAND)

  • Liliana Zepeda Zepeda - Colegio Contandero (MÉXICO)

  • Ľubica Noščáková - Narnia Church Elementary and Middle School  (SLOVAKIA)

  • Maria Manuela Moura dos Santos Costa - Escola Cidade de Castelo Branco /Agrupamento Nuno Álvares (PORTUGAL)

  • Marianthi Giannakopoulou - Athens College Elementary School (GREECE)

  • María Olivia Pérez Esquivel - Colegio Contadero (MÉXICO)

  • Monica Murphy - Presentation Secondary School, Castleisland (IRELAND)

  • Nuray Eran Türedi - Captain Altay Altuğ Kızılay Kindergarten (TÜRKIYE)

  • Özge Karaevli - Şehit Öğretmen Nuriye Ak Kindergarten (TÜRKIYE)

  • Poonam Tiwari - Nand Vidya Niketan - Jamnagar (INDIA)

  • Saziye Bekdogdu - Narlıdere Kilicaslan Secondary School (TÜRKIYE)

  • Sibel Ünlü - Private Akdeniz Birey Secondary School (2017-2022) Private Akev Secondary School (present) (TÜRKIYE)

  • Vitor Moreira Martins - Agrupamento de Escolas Andre Soares (PORTUGAL)

Congratulations to all the incredible teachers making a difference every day!

Video from awarded teacher Ľubica Noščáková - Narnia Church Elementary and Middle School (SLOVAKIA)

Discover the Shortlisted Entries of the 2023 Young Reporters for the Environment International Competition!

In an effort to ignite the passion for environmental awareness and storytelling among young people worldwide, the highly anticipated shortlist of entries for the 2023 Young Reporters for the Environment (YRE) International Competition has been unveiled today. The competition, open to young people around the world, aims to uncover impactful stories that shed light on critical environmental issues.

The selection process was undertaken by the team from the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), with many submissions pouring in from talented young individuals across the globe. Entries span a diverse range of topics, capturing the beauty of nature, the challenges it faces, and the urgent need for sustainable solutions.

With the shortlist now open for public viewing and voting, it's time to explore, appreciate, and share the fantastic submissions by Young Reporters.

Although the public's votes will not directly influence the International Jury's decision, readers are encouraged to explore the shortlisted entries and support the talented participants by clicking on the vote button for their favourite submission.

Congratulations to all participants for their hard work and we encourage everyone to stay tuned for the announcement of the winners in July.

Discover shortlisted entries here: 

Entries are presented in random order.

UNESCO ASPnet students and teachers become the voice of the environment

Each year the world generates over 2.01 billion tons of waste. Litter and waste clog our oceans, fill our streets and clutter huge areas of the planet. They cause great damage to our natural environment, wildlife, and people’s health and well-being. Since June 2022, students and teachers from ten UNESCO ASPnet schools from the Dominican Republic, Italy, Japan, the Kingdom of Bahrain, Namibia and the Republic of Korea are participating in the Foundation for Environmental Education’s Litter Less Campaign and Young Reporters for the Environment Competition, engaging their peers and communities to eradicate litter and waste.

One of the initiatives started as a school project to raise awareness of e-waste and ended up becoming a campaign that caught the attention of the government. ASPnet teacher Huda Labib from the Ibn Khuldoon National School in the Kingdom of Bahrain explains: “Together with my students, we developed the Forgotten Fortune e-waste Campaign. We aim to raise awareness on the increasing issue of electronic waste and how much we could save if we were to produce and consume smarter and recycle our old electronics.” With the support of school leadership and other teachers, Huda engaged students in a range of applied learning experiences, including study visits to the recycling company authorized by the government to deal with this type of waste and the Bahraini Supreme Council for the Environment. But the students did not stop there: They launched a social media campaign and competitions to raise awareness among their classmates and the broader community. They managed to collect 1.3 tons of e-waste, which is now being recycled. They also built partnerships with stakeholders from the public and private sector, such as with Bahrain’s largest national telecommunications company to disseminate the e-waste campaign. And they have been discussing with the Minister of Oil and the Environment on policies that could help to reduce e-waste in their country. “It has been an amazing experience for my students, my peer teachers and myself. I am very proud of my students, who have shown extraordinary creativity and skillfulness in this Campaign,” explains Huda.

ASPnet students from the Ibn Khuldoon National School in the Kingdom of Bahrain investigating issues and solutions around e-waste for their “Forgotten Fortune” Campaign.

© Huda Labib

The issue of e-waste also prompted 12-year-old student Halah Noor to become an ardent voice for the environment: “Did you know that 60 - 90 % of the world’s e-waste is either illegally traded or discarded annually, causing the loss of materials worth nearly USD 19 billion? And did you know that e-waste produces 70% of society’s overall toxic waste? Most people don’t know what to do with their old electronics, so they end up lingering in a drawer or on a shelf for years on end.” Halah and other students are now working on establishing the “E-waste Recycling Initiative'' in collaboration with the Supreme Council for Environment and the national e-waste recycling company of Bahrain. For the Young Reporters for the Environment Competition, Halah wrote an article on the challenges and solutions to tackling e-waste that reached an audience way beyond her school community: “I am very proud that my article got published in our local newspaper, the Gulf News, and I hope many people in Bahrain read it and think twice about the implications when buying a new phone or other electronic item.”

““I am very proud that my article got published in our local newspaper, the Gulf News, and I hope many people in Bahrain read it and think twice about the implications when buying a new phone or other electronic item.””
— Halah Noor

The ASPnet school Ghazi Algosaibi has focused its attention on food waste. “We started with a small Campaign and now we are working with another 70 schools to curb food waste,” explains teacher Aisha Fareed. “We are also exchanging with the Ministry of Education to widen the Campaign to the whole country. Our long-term goal is to achieve inclusion of responsible food consumption in the Ministry of Education’s environmental curriculum by 2025.”

“Your wasted plate is a blessing to others”

Her 17-year-old students Jenan Jaffar, Lojain Jassim, Alaa Swaid and Zainab Jaffar developed a campaign image for the Young Reporters for the Environment competition “to showcase the root of the issue in our society that causes food waste. As shown in the picture, there is a mother in a Bahraini family who throws out excess leftovers which can’t be preserved or eaten later. […] The hands in the photo represent less fortunate people who do not have the same food accessibility as other families.” Aisha underlines that “This project comes at such an important moment following the COVID-19 pandemic. It motivates students to go outside and to actively collaborate again, especially on topics that no one necessarily thinks about but faces on a daily basis, like food waste.”

© Jenan Jaffar, Lojain Jassim, Alaa Swaid, Zainab Jaffar

In the Dominican Republic, Miguel Coradin, the Principal of the San José Obrero School and the students and teachers from his school focus on tackling plastic pollution: “Plastic pollution is a big problem in the Dominican Republic, and critical action is needed to keep our land and sea clean. The Litter Less Campaign activities have made a big difference to our students. The topic speaks to them. Everybody is now busily taking action: Older students are teaching younger students about the 5 Rs (Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose, Recycle), our school community organizes school wide action days and the students who participated in the YRE competition are taking stance as young reporters for the environment.”

“Deaf and Blind to Plastic”

14-year-old student Wilner Perez Otañez created a Campaign image to alert to the consequences of excessive use of plastic: “Soon enough we'll all be swimming in a sea of bottles, and some will drown in it. This is a call to stop this excessive waste of plastic bottles.”

© Wilner Perez Otañez

Students and teachers from the ASPnet school Liceo Niccolò Machiavelli in Italy also focused on the topic of plastic pollution. “Next time my students are on a beach, they will think about the hours it took us to clean just one beach from litter and pollution. Our students are now much more aware on the positive and negative impacts we can make on our environment,” explain teachers Monica Rizzo and Mariella Fasanelli.

“A world wrapped in plastic”

Their 12-year-old student Alessandra Enfurance created a Campaign image to call on people to learn to use plastics responsibly to avoid planetary suffocation. She now advocates for using alternative, less harmful materials to protect our environment.

© Alessandra Enfurance

Fostering waste reduction, environmental awareness, collective action and sustainable behaviours stand at the heart of the Litter Less Campaign. The Istituto Comprensivo 1 Siniscola in Sardinia is located in a Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Reserve. Teacher Giovannamaria Maloccu talks about the impact the Campaign has had in their school: “The Campaign has helped us to broaden and deepen our work on environmentally conscious tourism. Students are documenting our MAB’s biodiversity, identifying risks and coming up with creative solutions, which they share through articles, photography and videos for the Young Reporters for the Environment competition.”

“The little important monsters”

With a photo reportage entitled “The little important monsters”, their students Piras Andrea, Mele Chiara, Scrudato Stefano, Lavra Rebecca and Salis Celeste are raising alarm bells for the protection of vital species for biodiversity: “The beetles can be defined ‘animals extremes’. They live in deserts and in the dunes and they are important bioindicators of the habitat’s health. The species are less frequent in our beaches due to marine pollution and bathing activities; and this jeopardizes the survival of all beaches’ animals.”

© Piras Andrea, Mele Chiara, Scrudato Stefano, Lavra Rebecca and Salis Celeste

In Japan, ASPnet students from the Kyoto Gaidai Nishi High School are conducting comparative research on single-use plastics and more generally plastic waste and exchanged on their results during trips to their partner schools in New Zealand and Canada. Edward Escobar, the teacher running activities at the Kyoto Gaidai Nishi High School explains: “They administered 4 surveys to compare waste management between Japan and New Zealand to better understand how similarly or different litter and waste are being handled at home, in school, in the supermarket and in parks and public spaces. I’ve seen them make good progress especially in their critical and analytical thinking skills.”

Japanese ASPnet students from the Kyoto Gaidai Nishi High School working in teams to analyse impacts and solutions to litter and waste

© Edward Escobar

To reduce the amount of waste in their environment directly, students and teachers from the Namibian ASPnet Coastal High School organized beach clean ups and shared key ideas and messages to reuse, recycle and repair before throwing away

““Leaners have appreciation and understanding of the importance of keeping our environment clean, they share their ideas with others, and we all discuss how to recycle waste at our school now.””
— Teacher Annety Moody

Namibian ASPnet students from Coastal High School after a successful beach clean up.

In this project, participating teachers and students have been working through the tried and tested YRE methodology, which includes 4 steps:

  • STEP 1 – INVESTIGATE (to identify and define a local environmental issue, investigate relevant information from primary and secondary sources, conduct original research, such as surveys/questionnaires, and interview key individuals or groups to obtain first-hand information, etc.)

  • STEP 2 - RESEARCH SOLUTION (to identify possible solutions through experts/stakeholders voices to the environmental issue and evaluate its likely effectiveness, giving reasons for and against, etc.)

  • STEP 3 – REPORT (to create a journalistic piece to report on the local environmental issue and its possible solutions, identify target audiences and tailor communications, plan reporting on the issue and use the appropriate journalistic format and style, etc.)

  • STEP 4 – DISSEMINATE (to share their work with a local audience through the media, e.g. newspaper, magazine, radio, television, social media, exhibition, film show, local events, etc.)

YRE’s 4 steps methodology

To support the participants in these steps, they met in regular online meetings to share and exchange on promising practices as well as a range of resources, including online courses on environmental journalism, pollution or the circular economy as well as sample lesson plans on Litter and Waste. Not only did the students tackle a real problem in their environment, but the project fostered their skills and knowledge about the environment, enhanced their communication and citizenship skills, individual initiative, teamwork, critical analysis, social responsibility and their leadership abilities.

“It is very encouraging to see how teachers are empowering their students to take an informed stand on environmental issues, investigate them, research solutions, and report and disseminate this work through journalistic pieces,” says Gosia Luszczek, International Director of the Young Reporters for the Environment. “By giving them this opportunity, the youngsters are given the chance to make their voices heard and to feel that their voice matters.”

““By giving them this opportunity, the youngsters are given the chance to make their voices heard and to feel that their voice matters.””
— Gosia Luszczek

New course for teachers on FEE Academy about Young Reporters for the Environment!

Are you a teacher or an educator wondering how to implement the YRE programme? We are happy to launch a new course on FEE Academy——YRE for Teachers!


The course is designed to provide an opportunity for teachers from registered schools to learn how to carry out the YRE programme systematically. It integrates a variety of topics such as the YRE methodology, journalistic skills used in YRE, as well as teaching practices and activities from the FEE network. Using various resources such as videos, graphs, readings, and quizzes, the course will help teachers become familiar with the programme, and get inspired to implement the programme in and outside of their classrooms.

What’s the Impact? Find Out How Young Reporters Have Made a Difference!

International YRE Follow-up Competition

The Young Reporters for the Environment programme has been running for over 29 years, with thousands of young people having participated from around the world. Each year, high-quality articles, photographs, and videos created by Young Reporters are submitted to national YRE competitions. Winners are then entered into the International YRE Competition, where the most inspiring journalism pieces are selected. Many stories from Young Reporters reveal environmental challenges in their local communities, but it is the stories that offer solutions that stand out the most. But have these Young Reporters been able to make a change?

Earlier this year, we invited winners from the 2021 and 2022 International YRE Competition to share with us the impact their story had after it was disseminated and today we’re delighted to present the winners of this follow-up competition! We received nine entries from six different countries that highlighted the impact of the Young Reporters’ work. The exceptional pieces that were submitted to this follow-up competition demonstrate YRE participants’ ongoing drive and development.

Competition entries were reviewed by a jury made up of the YRE International team and the YRE representative on the Foundation for Environmental Education’s (FEE) Board of Directors. The jury evaluated the entries based on the themes they chose for their competition story, their analysis and how the situation changed thanks to their work as Young Reporters. The entries that were nominated and recognized this year show that YRE participants have a thorough awareness of local environmental challenges. They provided insightful and fascinating projects that showed both the environmental problems and the local solutions that have been produced.

Screenshot from the video "The Forgotten Duchess of the Adriatic"

“The Forgotten Duchess of the Adriatic"

The winning entry is a video by Diandra Kočan’s called "Zaboravljena knjeginja Jadrana" or “The Forgotten Duchess of the Adriatic" from Montenegro, on which four individuals worked. The winning team was originally motivated to join the YRE Competition because of the uniqueness of the competition and the fact that it was a way to make their voices heard, which is exactly what they did with their video.

"Diandra's work is a worthy recipient of this year's award for the very good and impactfully described story," said FEE Board Member, Sasha Karajovic. In their original entry, this group of four Young Reporters highlighted that the Bratica River, locally referred to as “the septic tank” flowed into the Port Milena. The Young Reporters explained that “It is Port Milena's biggest polluter. Wastewater and faeces from 1,200 residential buildings that do not have a sewage system were discharged into the Bratica River. As a result, an enormous amount of trash, chemicals and faeces give the water in Port Milena unpleasant colour and smell, while also taking away its title of a "home". With the living conditions, it presents sea creatures with, there is no foundation for surviving let alone thriving.”

Screenshot from the video "The Forgotten Duchess of the Adriatic"

Screenshot from the video "The Forgotten Duchess of the Adriatic"

Their video about the pollution in the Port of Milena caught the local media’s attention, and the students talked about their experience in the YRE Competition at their local TV station, which also shared their video. The students believed that what made their video impactful was that “we presented steps that have to be taken in order to resolve the problem, so what's up to them is to be open-minded, to change the budget priorities and to listen.” Their video urged “the government of our town, but also our country, to consider the situation of the canal, as a serious problem, and to then take action.”

““We presented steps that have to be taken in order to resolve the problem, so what’s up to them is to be open-minded, to change the budget priorities and to listen.””
— Diandra Kočan

"Saving Stray Animals Is the Hope of Saving the Environment"

We also have the pleasure of awarding an Honorable Mention to Nour Nabulsi from Israel, who wrote an article titled "Saving Stray Animals Is the Hope of Saving the Environment." In Nour's words, the biggest challenge was “choosing the problem that most affect the environment to shed light on it, as I collected dozens of problems, which I wished to publish as many as possible and start solving them together.” The impact of her article on her local community after it was published was significant. It increased awareness about stray animals and environmental problems and she began to take actions to address these challenges.

Stray Animals from Nour’s article

Stray Animals from Nour’s article

The YRE International team would like to congratulate these Young Reporters for the excellent work they have produced and for sharing the story of their impact through this follow-up competition. The effort to track what impact the YRE stories are making locally will be continued next year and hope to see how the YRE youth are gaining leadership skills that drive impactful and positive changes locally.

About Young Reporters for the Environment (YRE): Founded in 1994, the YRE programme empowers young people to research and report on local environmental issues and promote solutions through investigative reporting, photography, and video journalism, giving them a sense that they can really make a difference in the world.

About FEE: Established in 1981, the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) is one of the world's largest environmental education organisations, with over 100 member organisations in 81 countries. With 40 years of impactful experience in ESD, our new strategic plan - GAIA 20:30 - prioritises climate action across all five programmes to address the urgent threats of climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental pollution.

Environmental Justice Event Webinar

Exciting news for all those interested in the intersection of climate change and social justice! The American Library in Paris, the Climate Academy, and News Decoder are teaming up to present the second Ecologues event, Environmental Justice. This interactive webinar is set to take place on Thursday, 23 February 2023 at 19h CET at the American Library in Paris and online.

The webinar will feature three highly esteemed speakers: Maria Couhet, a climate and social justice activist, Paul Spencer Sochaczewski, a noted author and environmentalist, and Floriane Marie, a former intern and experienced alumni of the Young Reporters for the Environment (YRE) program.

Floriane Marie, who will be speaking on behalf of YRE, has an extensive background in environmental advocacy and reporting, having worked on various climate and sustainability projects around the world.

If environmental justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies, then there is much to do. Where to start?

Are you interested in learning more about environmental justice and how we can work towards a more equitable and sustainable future? Make sure to tune in and register for the event!

3 YREs covering COP27 and FEE holding Key Climate Education Sessions

3 Young Reporter for the Environment will take part in COP27 and cover the event! The COP (Conference of the Parties) is the annual meeting of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Each year, countries “come together to take action towards achieving the world’s collective climate goals as agreed under the Paris Agreement and the UNFCCC.” The COP27 will take place in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

Catarina Semedo de Oliveira from Portugal, Hatim Lachheb from Morocco, Emer Rafferty from Northern Ireland, will act as YRE (and even more) during the event.

They will attend sessions as both reporters and speakers, conduct interviews, explore the Blue and Green Zone, investigate climate change issues that they are passionate about and so much more! As ambassadors of the YRE programme, they are also representing youth calling for climate action!

 

Presentations of the YREs

Catarina Semedo de Oliveira

Curious and passionate. These are, I believe, the traits that led me to become a young reporter at COP 27. The desires to experience first-hand governments’ discussions and to report them in a way that is truly relevant to my generation. As a young reporter since 2018, I have had the privilege of reporting at events such as the Youth Environmental Education Conference (Prague, 2022) and the Web Summit (Lisbon, 2021). I have also worked as an Environmental Trainer in the `One Health´ International Campus for initiation to research and communication of the Erasmus+ e-InnoEducCO2 Project (Aveiro, 2022) and I am currently part of the environmental NGO “Bora Ambientar”, based in Portugal. I hope all of these experiences give me a global relevant perspective to represent the YRE in the best way possible at COP 27! Looking forward to it :)

 

Hatim Lachheb:

Hii !! My name is Hatim Lachheb and I am a 17 years old environmental activist in a small town in southern Morocco. My passion for the environment started at a young age, I remember visiting my Grandpa and my Grandma in the countryside and being fascinated by their job as farmers and their life as a simple family and as Gardners. So I decided that I too follow in their footsteps, not in our village but in our big urban world. The latter deserves people that care about our environment and prioritize it above everything else, so I believe that I can and I will make that change sooner rather than later.

           

Emer Rafferty

I am an environmental activist and Queens University chemical engineering student with a strong determination to ensure a safe future for today’s and subsequent generations, wildlife and the natural environment. My enthusiastic, vibrant and focused yet down to earth personality helps me appreciate the world around me, makes me value my friendships and the opportunities I have been given, and gives me determination to bring about change for the better wherever I can. I have a keen love for sports and music and I work hard to improve my skills in both these fields. I have a great sense of drive and immerse myself fully in whatever I put my mind to- education, environmental activism, charity giving, community work and sports. My level of expectation and standards for myself is high- I want and expect the best from myself.  

I am super excited, motivated and determined to make a lasting impact at COP27, to ask difficult questions and represent us young people. As I was COP26 ambassador last year, I hope to build on my work and outcomes from last year.

 

We are looking forward to following their adventure live on Facebook @yre.global and Instagram @yre_int and to reading their reports on Exposure afterwards.

The two Key Climate Education Sessions (climate change education session and “Global Call for Climate Education”) hosted by FEE at COP27 will be available online, you can learn more and register for it at the link below.

Learning more about FEE at COP27

Youth Voice for Climate Change - from Young Reporters in Ghana

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change's (UNFCCC) Youth Climate Report (YCR), a digital database documentary project, will once more be presenting films young people from around the world made this year at the UN climate summit, COP27, in Egypt in November. The focus this year for many YCR workshops was the impacts of climate change on Indigenous communities. Two YCR projects - the Ghana Youth Video Program out of Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Canada and the Planetary Health Film Lab out of York University in Toronto, Canada - worked with youth in both Ghana and Ecuador this summer. 

 

The project in Ghana produced 12 short documentary films and its compilation video represents the country's first climate change documentary film. It will be screened at a special Side Event at COP27 on November 9, 2022 at 4:45 pm in Room 8 (150) in the Blue Zone. A press conference announcing the film will be held the day before November 8 at 10:30 am. All are encouraged to attend.

 

The project in Ecuador worked exclusively with Indigenous youth representing 11 different communities throughout the country. A total of 16 films were produced and each one using the Indigenous languages of Kichwa and Shuar. The event showing these films will take place November 7 at a time to be announced at the UNFCCC's new Children and Youth Pavilion.

YCR made an effort to train, recruit, and curate films made by youth in their Indigenous languages as 2022 marks the first year in the UN's International Decade of Indigenous Languages. All participants successfully completed the program and were awarded Certificates of Achievement. For more information, please contact Mark Terry, Executive Director, Youth Climate Report, at ycrtv1@gmail.com or Laura Bannon, Project Manager, at ycrtv2@gmail.com. Both will be in attendance at COP27 from November 5 to 13, 2022.

Press Release - YRE International Competition 2022/2023

Our annual Young Reporters for the Environment International Competition is without a doubt one of the highlights of the YRE programme! Every year, the most inspiring and creative entries from the National Competitions are assessed by an International Jury and have the chance to be recognized globally. In the 2021/2022 YRE competition alone, we had 430,176 students from 43 countries involved, and 5.6 million people got reached by the “voice” of all the amazing Young Reporters.

The YRE International Competition is for the YRE National Competition winners in countries running the YRE programme. Students who are participating in the YRE programme in each country and students from International Schools in countries where the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) has no member have a right to participate in the competition. Students must compete and be selected as the 1st place national winner before being submitted to the International Competition by National Operators.

For next year’s 2022/23 International Competition, we’ve cleaned up and clarified past years’ competition criteria to make them as clear and strong as possible. But don’t worry, things haven’t changed too much!

There are still four categories: article, photograph, video, and international collaboration. Within photographs, there’s the single reportage photo, the single environmental campaign photo, and a photo story of 3-5 images. The video category is divided into a reportage video and an environmental campaign video.

YRE works to actively promote the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 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.

Following the alarming need for urgent action, YRE International recommends that students investigate local environmental issues linked to the following three themes:

•          Climate Change

•          Biodiversity Loss

•          Environmental Pollution

The highlight of the 2022/2023 competition is Environmental Pollution. During this year we will be sharing additional educational resources related to the theme of pollution.

The assessment criteria are divided into five categories: Format & Structure, Honest & Unbiased Reporting, Constructive & Well-Rounded Perspective, Originality & Independence, and Dissemination.

In the category of “Dissemination,” YRE encourages youth to use their voice to bring positive change, and actively sharing one’s work within different communities and networks is key to making an impact. For this reason, the dissemination criteria have been emphasized and restructured in a way that’s hopefully clear and easy to follow.

Submission requirements and assessment criteria can be found on the YRE International website at YRE Competition — Young Reporters for the Environment. Most national YRE competitions follow a similar structure to the YRE International Competition, so make sure to take a look and familiarize yourself with the criteria! We look forward to seeing you in the YRE International Competition 2022/2023!

 

“Participating in the competition has made me more aware of what is happening in my community, more sensitive to my surroundings and being active, just like thousands of students around the world, which gives me hope that we can do things locally better. You can also gain valuable experience, same as me, which led me to take a role as one of the jury members and stand on the other side of the competition but still being active as a professional journalist.”

 -- Adriana Hencekova, YRE Alumni from Slovakia and the YRE international jury member

 

We have hosted a press release webinar on the YRE international competition 2022/2023, you can find more information from it. To watch the recorded webinar, please click here.


About Young Reporters for Environment

Young Reporters for the Environment (YRE) is an award-winning programme coordinated by Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE). The programme empowers young people to take an educated stand on environmental issues they feel strongly about and gives them a platform to articulate these issues through the media of writing, photography, or video.

 

About the Foundation for Environmental Education

The Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) is one of the world’s largest Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) organisations, with over 100 member organisations in 81 countries. With a network of over 60,000 educational institutions, the Eco-Schools, Learning About Forests and Young Reporters for the Environment programmes empower young people to create an environmentally conscious world through experiential, project-based learning. Our Green Key and Blue Flag programmes are globally recognized for promoting sustainable business practices and the protection of natural resources. With over 40 years of impactful experience in ESD, FEE’s strategic plan, GAIA 20:30, prioritises impactful action across all five programmes to address the threats of climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental pollution.  

International Collaboration month for the YRE network

International Collaboration Month for the YRE network

Find your partner to collaborate with and submit your entry for the YRE International Competition

International Collaboration Month is now open. If you want to join the YRE competition program by collaborating with another country, this is a piece of news you must read.

To know the structure of the YRE programmme better, there are three ways to participate in the YRE International Competition:

The International Collaboration category is open to all countries with three recommended themes: environmental pollution, biodiversity loss and climate change, and must be linked to chosen SDG(s). The submission must fulfil the criteria for its category “Article”,” Photo Reportage of 3-5 photos”, or ”Video” and show significant collaborative work between two or more countries. It is open to the age categories 11-14, 15-18, and 19-25 years.

Find more information here:

International Collaboration — Young Reporters for the Environment (yre.global)

You may wonder: How does one find a match?

It is very simple, if you are a school or a teacher who wants to participate with your students via the international collaboration, fill in the following form. If you are a student, please ask your teacher and/or your National Operator to register. The validation of your registration will be done by the NO of your country, and the FEE International Team will match schools and let you know about it at the beginning of November! This form is enabled from the 1st to the 25th of October:

YRE Collaboration 2022-23 (google.com)

 

You are interested but need inspiration on how to start? Find it from these winning examples from 2022

1st Place

Title: WILDFIRES & CLIMATE CHANGE A fiery summer for Turkey and Greece

Countries: Greece & Turkey

Honourable Mention

Title: Change for The Worse: Forest Fires in Turkey and Frost in Slovenia

Countries: Slovenia & Turkey

Call for sustainable local projects - Join GAIA Fellowship programme!

Are you an active youth who want to make a positive change in its community? Do you have an idea for sustainable project but you do not know how to start?

If your answer is YES at least once, we have something for you! We are pleased to invite you to join our new leadership programme GAIA Fellowship.

What is GAIA Fellowship:

The GAIA Fellowship, organized and developed by FEE, challenges young people to create and develop their own solution to an environmental-related problem. Each fellow is guided by a mentor and receives several education materials to support the development of their project. The goal of the fellowship is to help the fellows become sustainable leaders and have their projects implemented in real life.

GAIA Fellow’s profile:

The perfect GAIA Fellow: 

  • Is between 18 and 30 years old 

  • Is part of or involved in one of the 5 FEE programes

  • Is motivated and wants to take climate action 

  • Wants to develop and implement their own project 

  • Has 2 hours/week free to participate in the Fellowship

Benefits of participating:

A total of 10 projects will be selected and will receive several benefits:

  • 8 months of guidance from professionals

  • Develop several essential leadership skills

  • The chance to transform and implement an idea into real-life, change-making actions

  • Recognition through FEE’s website and social media

  • A certificate of participation and completion

Important deadlines:

Application deadline: 16th of September 2022

Start date: 3rd of October 2022

Total duration: 8 months (October - May/June)

YRE students from India will report from the 4th Edition of International Conference on Sustainability Education

The overall aim of the conference will be on strengthening partnerships and building connections through sharing innovative ideas, experiences and case studies on sustainability education that leads to positive actions. This is also confirmed by the main theme of the conference: Building Connections and Partnership for Sustainable Future.

The 4th ICSE will be organized on September 9 and 10 2022 through hybrid mode at SCOPE Complex in New Delhi by Mobius Foundation in partnership with some of the key environmental organizations, UNESCO, UNEP, Centre for Environment Education (CEE), Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE, Copenhagen), The Climate Reality Project India, The Energy and Resource Institute (TERI), WWF India.
The conference is expected to bring together around 300 participants physically (250 Indians + 50 Foreigners) and will be joined by thousands virtually from across the globe representing multi-disciplinary and diverse group of stakeholders including: policy makers, teachers and educators, young professionals, representative of schools and education networks, youth, scientists and technical experts, as well as individuals from the private sector and civil society.

What is more impressive are the five students from India will be covering the event on behalf of Young Reporters for the Environment programm. Let them introduce themselves!

JUI GUSANI, 22 years old, is presently working as an Intern with the Centre for Environment Education under the YRE and Eco-Schools Programme, India. A graduate of the Pandit Deendayal Energy University (Gandhinagar), she has gained a Diploma in Liberal Studies and a degree of B.A.(Hons.) in English Literature with a minor specialization in Environmental Studies. Jui's avid interest lies in the interdisciplinary areas of Environment and Literature. She believes in the kind of literature or writing that can help create a ripple or a strong wave in the stagnant waters of the mind. This is where journalism bridges the borders between environment and people. People are taking up individualistic steps to counter climate change but by laying out stories through different forms of journalism or art, it could help unite those steps. Jui takes pleasure hiking through different kinds of forests/biodiversity and observing the problems therein. After some amateur but considerable years of traveling, she has come to the conclusion that “living sustainably and teaching sustainability” is the only immediate answer to help save the planet. She has recently adopted the lifestyle of a vegan by unlearning speciesism and loves to cook various vegan dishes. When at leisure, she could always be seen hooked up with a good novel in a corner or writing some random pieces of poetry.

JAHANVI ARORA, 19 year old. She is currently pursuing B.Com hons in the second year aiming to major in BFSI from the Institute of Commerce, Nirma University. She has interned with CEE in the Eco Schools and YRE programme and has gained a pool of knowledge about sustainable education and its benefits. She has worked closely with the marketing of both these programmes and understands that honest and creative journalism goes a long way to promote any programme. She also has a background of writing climate change blogs from her school days and thinks it's integral that climate change discourse be propagated. She believes that by using journalism, we have the power to talk about what is wrong in our world and hold those accountable and being a strong believer of honest journalism, she aspires to bring that level of honesty in her reporting as well.

SHIVANGI VERMA, resident of Delhi, and am currently a class 12th student of Little Flowers Public Senior Secondary School in Science stream. Exploring different art forms, music and culture are my hobbies. I like learning new things and am always curious about how things work. World is an amazing place to explore because everyday there is a new challenge and I personally love challenges.
Journalism is the fourth invisible pillar of government. It aware the public about a particular issue without being biased. Today the world is going through severe environmental issues and there is a need to make people aware about this and journalism is the best way to highlight this issue. I am glad YRE is providing such a platform to these voiceless issues.
And Tom Stoppard once said, “I still believe that if your aim is to change the world, journalism is a more immediate short-term weapon.”'

ARNAV ARORA, 17 years old, a resident of Delhi and studying in ASN Senior Secondary School, he is an avid reader and lover of all that is fantasy, he loves storytelling and wishes to find more stories and to share them through this dying art form which he believes is a unique form of journalism in itself. He believes that Journalism is the best means to spread awareness. Though journalism in its essence should be impartial and factual, it is also a gateway to the voices and problems of the masses. Journalism brings to light the issues that affect the public and should concern the public, it holds the power to influence and bring about radical change. It shapes the ideas of the youth and is thus of quintessential importance to the progress of a generation.

 DIVYANSH NARANG, a 18 year student currently pursuing Journalism from Mumbai . He is an aspiring journalist who loves writing and sharing stories with the people . He believes with the right mindset and correct toolkit , journalism plays an important role in society for creating awareness. Especially in these times of chaos , it is more crucial for journalism to stay in a good spirit. He is an enthusiastic person who is moved to bring the true essence of down spiralling journalism in our country.

 
Find more about conference by clicking here.

The YRE Photo of the Year 2023 - THE WORLD’S A HARD PLACE by Michel Cecil from India

“This is a candid shot of a child working at welding at the age where he should have been having a life away from child labour, a life for a bright future, for education, nourishment, and self-health. Seeing this made me realise that even in this 21st century, an age we call modern, there are still these things going on, be it due to his own need for money for the family or for a way to get out of poverty,” with these words, Michel, the author, begins to describe his winning photography.

The photo impressed the Jury not only with its excellent technical processing, but also with a deeper message focusing on human. At first glance, photography may not seem to be connected to environmental issues, but they are hiding in the background. The Jury also pointed out that the author managed to connect several of the SDG´s goals in one picture.

“This photo offers a concrete illustration that our emphasis on environmental sustainability should not be limited to environmental concepts alone, but should embrace and reflect all three dimensions of sustainable development – economic, social and environmental, as interdependent and mutually reinforcing, with culture as the essential underlying element. As photo of the year, it captures a snapshot of the complex interdependence between human needs and the natural environment, between socio-economic development and culture, and between the local and the global.”
— Bernard Combes, YRE Jury member, UNESCO

Michel, the author of the photo, described his motivation to submit this picture in the YRE competition: “Later on I approached this guy and had a talk and got to know he studies during the day and works by the night, I was bit moved after understanding his situation and opportunities as to mine, I wish to spread awareness regarding child labour through this picture and a request to help such kids in need of bright future not bright lights around.”

The Photo of the Year are usually announced every year after the International YRE competition and it will be used for the PR and communication purposes of the program.