Youth Climate Summit Toolkit

Positives

• Organizing a youth climate summit is a great way to empower students to engage with their communities and take climate action.
• Students learn how to use their passions and skills to work together and lead.
• All supplemental materials, including sample budgets and agendas, are provided.

Additional Prerequisites

• The supplemental materials can be accessed via the landing page or by clicking the appropriate buttons in the toolkit PDF.
• The time to begin planning an in-person youth climate summit is at least five months before.
• A virtual toolkit is also available for planning an online youth climate summit, which could be easier to do.
• The toolkit is available both online and as a downloadable PDF.
  

Differentiation

• Extra care may be needed to ensure the planning process is accessible to all students, including those who may have difficulty attending meetings outside of school hours.
• Having students collaborate across grade levels may help younger students find guidance in their older peers and allow younger students to participate.
• Consider a non-hierarchical approach to organizing the summit, through which all organizers can contribute ideas equally and make decisions as a group.
• A general understanding of climate science, climate justice, and solutions will allow students to make more informed decisions when selecting speakers and organizing events.
• Students should be encouraged to join whichever working group aligns most with their passions, skills, and interests.
• Although not mentioned in the toolkit, ensuring that the summit is as accessible as possible for attendees is critical to engaging them in climate action. For example, when deciding on the food that will be provided, consider dietary restrictions and food allergies, and when choosing a venue, consider whether or not it is wheelchair accessible or accessible by public transportation.