Today, young people around the world are working tirelessly behind the scenes to address socio-environmental challenges and the gaps in political action that leave the most vulnerable at risk.
In Indonesia, Michelin Sallata works with other young indigenous leaders to protect their most cherished resource: forests, intrinsically tied to their identity. These forests face significant challenges, with illegal logging and unrestrained mining clearing tree cover rapidly. Between 2001 and 2023, mining concessions in Indonesia cleared a forest area equivalent to 68 times the size of Paris—an expanse so vast it would cover the entire French capital more than six dozen times. This has led to significant biodiversity loss and contributed to global warming.
“Indigenous and rural youth feel the adverse impacts of the climate crisis and the extractive industry most acutely,” says Michelin. “The heat [from rising temperatures] is already merciless. If we let more gold and nickel mining companies operate in these pristine areas, it will become impossible to live here.”
In addition to ravaging forests, mining operations frequently lead to the forced displacement of communities, pollute waterways, and disrupt the lives and vital resources of entire populations. When faced with challenges of this magnitude, Michelin points out, indigenous youth often find themselves with limited options, frequently having to work with companies whose practices threaten their culture and environment.
With inadequate youth-centered solutions or government-backed initiatives that promote political engagement for young indigenous leaders, POMANARA - Task Force Youth for Climate was born
As a young leader herself and Founder and Project Lead of the group, Michelin emphasizes:
“We cooperate with indigenous youth, asking them about the solutions that work for their communities. We know they’re the only ones who can truly safeguard their lands and culture, but they lack the resources.”
POMANARA - Task Force Youth for Climate's first focus was the Galela indigenous community on Halmahera island, where forests and waterways are threatened by mining. Michelin and her team spent a week with the youth during the Festival Duma Mia Tahu, discussing climate change and mining impacts. The "forest guards," as Michelin calls them, have already faced volatile weather patterns that disrupted their harvesting season.
“To really bring the message home, we taught the youth about climate impacts while living in the forest, getting a better understanding of the situation on the ground at the same time. We talked about the threats posed by the extractive industry to their [indigenous community] livelihoods and the environment,” Michelin recounts.
With a clearer understanding, the Galela youth are more determined to safeguard their rights and cultural identity. They’re now collaborating with POMANARA - Task Force Youth for Climate on a book highlighting their culture and the increasing climate change impacts they face.
The pages reveal difficult truths but also present solutions, such as traditional medicines and sustainable agricultural practices resilient to climate change—innovations born from dialogue with community elders.
“We all need to work together and that intergenerational transfer of knowledge is vital for the protection of indigenous communities and to preserve this knowledge for future generations,” she concludes.
Supporting Change and Collaboration
This locally-driven focus is also shared by other changemakers around the world. In Peru, Fer Galvez Aranda, despite being nearly twenty thousand kilometers and an ocean away from Indonesia, holds a similar belief. As the co-founder of the Peru-based youth collective called Yachay Suyu, a Quechua term that translates to “Being in the Territory” in English, they had been working with communities in the periurban areas of Lima on climate change adaptation and water and food management. That’s how, in 2022, Fer arrived in Flor de Amancaes – one of many settlements established by families who migrated from rural areas to the city seeking improved living conditions and employment in Peru’s bustling capital.
Perched on the arid hillsides behind Lima, the village of approximately 143 inhabitants is named after a yellow, star-shaped flower, native to the fog oases of the South American country. For now, the name reflects its potential to flourish rather than its reality.
“When we came to the community, the neighbours told us not to come and undertake projects that don't reflect their realities, such as setting up a vegetable garden when most families don't have enough drinking water for the daily needs of their families,” Fer recounts.
For over two decades, women of Flor de Amancaes made a dangerous, hours-long journey to collect water, as the village was inaccessible by car.
In Metropolitan Lima, more than 635,000 people lack access to drinking water from the public water network. Most of those without access belong to low-income sectors and reside in peri-urban areas of the city. Yachay Suyu’s project ‘‘Tejiendo Comunidad: Por una Justicia Hídrica’’, or “Weaving Community: Path for Water Justice” in English, aims to change this by working with the elder members of the settlement to take ownership of the infrastructure they need, specifically by supporting the construction of a paved road to bring water to the community.
In 2023, the collective worked side by side with the community to build the road.
“Over a ten-month period, twenty-five families were hard at work, day in, day out,” Fer explains. “Because they had been engaged from the design phase, they really took ownership of the project. Who knows more about Flor de Amancaes and its needs than the people who live here?”
For a community that relies on their land for survival, access to water is more than just a resource—it's a lifeline. It prevents infectious diseases, supports better childhood development, and boosts economic conditions. By actively engaging the community at every step of the project, Yachay Suyu encouraged ownership, ensuring long-lasting impacts through intergenerational work and collective action.
Turning Local Knowledge Into Action
The power of grassroots youth to spur change and generate sustainable solutions is also something that gets Simon Bayingana out of bed every morning. As Team Lead at Green Foster Action Uganda, a youth-led organization, he focuses on climate change mitigation, policy advocacy, renewable energy, and transitioning away from fossil fuels.
Communities in Uganda, like many in the developing world, face climate impacts such as erratic rainfall, landslides, droughts, and food insecurity. Amid these challenges, a key concern for Simon is:
“How do we support young people pushing to change this narrative about their communities?”
Simon learned that the answer lies in deep listening and questioning traditional approaches, including his own. Green Foster Action Uganda engages with communities, including in Hoima, where the Uganda-Tanzania Crude Oil Pipeline has severely impacted livelihoods, with Human Rights Watch reporting that many communities were displaced without adequate compensation.
During a workshop in Hoima, Simon and his team had the youth work in groups. By the end, they realized the youth had significant knowledge about the pipeline and their communities, leading them to design their own action plan—something Simon hadn’t expected.
“We provided a safe space and guided the participants to realize the local resources and solutions as answers to the problems their communities are facing, so that they can build on them and foster sustainable change.”
And build they did. While the traditional approach involved meetings with local councils and dialogue sessions, Simon explains that the youth now advocate for more visible, direct actions to amplify their voices.
“This is an immense opportunity. We are seeing young people, communities working together and rising up. We should make the most use of those opportunities,” he adds.
From Indonesia to Peru to Uganda, young leaders are working with their communities across generations to drive grassroots climate action. Whether improving water resilience, protecting forests from mining, or challenging harmful fossil fuel investments, they’re driving bold solutions. As they collaborate with policymakers, they need the support and resources to scale their impact and shape a better future that works for everyone.
To see more of the incredible work these youth leaders are doing, follow them on social media and check out their websites:
Yachay Suyu
Task Force Youth for Climate
Green Foster Action