YOUTH LEADERSHIP
Our youth leadership programme aims to support young people in Southern Africa to create meaningful change within their communities, engage in climate action, and grow into positive leadership roles throughout society. We do this through knowledge building, strengthening capacity, and developing environmental leadership in our youth within our various projects and activities.
Since 2007, Project 90 by 2030 has been empowering youth through the Leadership Club initiative across Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. From 2007 to 2017, the Young Leaders programme focused on developing climate leaders at the school level and supporting the creation of carbon-cutting clubs to inspire low-carbon actions. Over the past 16 years, our work has highlighted the critical role of positive role models in shaping the next generation of environmental leaders.
When I’m taking action, I don’t feel like I am helpless and that things are hopeless, because then I feel like I’m doing everything I can”
– Greta Thunberg
Our Activities and Projects Include:
The YouLead Initiative
Launched in 2018, the YouLead Initiative is an annual youth leadership development programme created by Project 90 by 2030. Building on the Leadership Clubs model, this programme empowers young people aged 14 to 17 from Khayelitsha in the Western Cape to become environmental leaders and active participants in addressing climate change. The YouLead Initiative provides these young Climate Leaders with the skills and knowledge needed to support the shift toward an equitable, low-carbon society. As part of the programme, Project 90 trains and supports local mentors who guide the participants, known as YouLead Warriors, through two structured learning tracks: YouLead Lite and YouLead Plus.
The YouLead Alumni Network
After completing the YouLead Initiative programme, our young climate leaders become part of the YouLead Alumni Network. This dynamic network consists of motivated youth aged 18 to 35 from across South Africa, committed to advancing their engagement with climate justice, environmental leadership, and sustainable development. The YouLead Alumni Network serves as a platform for continued growth through peer-to-peer mentorship, climate education, and opportunity sharing. Our goal is to support these young changemakers as they deepen their impact and leadership within South Africa’s growing climate movement.
Afrocentric Climate Culture
The language of climate justice is often exclusionary, disconnected from the lived realities of the Global South, and frequently places blame on marginalized communities. The Afrocentric Climate Culture Project seeks to shift this narrative by working with youth to co-create Afrocentric climate knowledge that is inclusive, accessible, and rooted in indigenous African perspectives. By integrating local knowledge systems, indigenous wisdom, and the insights of African researchers and climate experts, this project ensures that climate information is relevant to the South African context. Through reframing climate education and promoting culturally resonant storytelling, the Afrocentric Climate Culture Project empowers young people to drive urgent and meaningful climate action.
