1

UK

Yo

Ut

h C

lim

at

e C

oa

lit

ion

20

10 A

nn

uA

l R

ev

iew

UK YoUth Climate Coalition | 2010 AnnuAl Review

2

UK

Yo

Ut

h C

lim

at

e C

oa

lit

ion

20

10 A

nn

uA

l R

ev

iew

Contents:

The Co-Founders 3

The Co-Directors 4

The Coordinating Team 5

uK Youth Delegation to Poznan 6

Adopt a negotiator 7

un inter Sessionals 8

350 9

Power Shift 10

Youth Delegation to Copenhagen 12

Global Day of Action 14

Communications & Outreach 16

Coalition 18

3

UK

Yo

Ut

h C

lim

at

e C

oa

lit

ion

20

10 A

nn

uA

l R

ev

iew

The UK Youth Climate Coalition was born out of inspirational stories of other young people from all over the world who were taking the issue of climate change by the horns, and with their energy, creativity and passion, making it into an opportunity you couldn't resist. Of course we were won over and we wanted to do the same here in the UK.

With climate change being the defining issue of our generation, we ourselves were feeling the adrenaline of its urgency and were wondering how we could help develop and add value to some of the fantastic hard-work already being undertaken by young people in the UK.

Our vision was to kick-start the next chapter in an ever growing youth climate movement, by unifying this work to make it stronger, making it more inclusive to all young people, inspiring them to take their own action, but most of all, empowering us all to create our vision of a future we can look forward to.

By working with some other like-minded young people who were also itching for something new and exciting, we started to build a committed and passionate team.

Through our extremely positive approach to what has often been a turn-off issue, and with the help of people experienced in the field of communications and campaigning, we began to develop projects that would let us make our mark (and which you can read about further in this report).

That's not to say there haven't been some incredible mountains to climb - we are all volunteers; we have no constant stream of income; and our work is predominantly coordinated over Skype (to mention but a few), but we have taken it in our stride and, if anything, have mastered things we sometimes thought we couldn't.

More than anything, the young people who have come to be involved in UKYCC and who have been such a big part of shaping its personality, have shown that their relentless drive, commitment and team work can achieve amazing things together.

As we move on into new roles with UKYCC, we want to say what a privilege it has been to work with you all, and thank you for how much you have all shared and taught us.

emmA BieRmAnn & CAspeR teR KuileuKYCC Co-FoundeRs, Co-diReCtoRs 2008-2009

FORewORD

emma Biermann Casper ter Kuile

4

UK

Yo

Ut

h C

lim

at

e C

oa

lit

ion

20

10 A

nn

uA

l R

ev

iew

CO-DiReCTORS Alex Farrow and ellie Hopkins were appointed as the new Co-Directors in 2010. Here they explain a little about their ambitions and hopes for the coming year.

The UKYCC was set up just over a year ago, and since then has grown and achieved more than anyone could have imagined. From the first success of the delegation to Poznan, through to Power Shift – where we both joined the team – and the delegation to Copenhagen, the UKYCC has always surpassed expectations in terms of size, tenacity and success.

Whilst last year was about big events to build the energy and drive as the world headed towards Copenhagen, 2010 must be about making the connection to climate chaos real, local and changeable.

We want to ensure that climate change is not the issue of the few and the problem of the many, but the opportunity for all and a problem for no one. Through art, music, film and stories in local communities we want to build the movement of young people from all across the UK from all walks of life and to do it in a way that is inspiring, engaging and positive.

We plan to send delegations and representatives to the inter-sessional meetings of the UNFCCC, as well as to COP16 in Mexico and celebrate what young people have achieved in the UK and across the globe on the UN International Day of Youth in August.

UKYCC is also a big part of the International Youth Movement and we are all vital in reminding our governments that it will be us, the youth, that will be here in 2050 and our job as UKYCC is to make everyone feel part of something bigger whilst keeping things local and ensuring what’s going on around the world is understandable and meaningful to young people in the UK.

We have been drawn in to the UKYCC by its overwhelming positivity, vibrance and new approach, and these are things which we wholeheartedly wish to see carried on into 2010 and beyond. We are hugely excited about this year and look forward to achieving all of our collective hopes and aims.

Alex FARRow & ellie HopKinsuKYCC Co-diReCtoRs 2010

ellie Hopkins Alex Farrow

5

UK

Yo

Ut

h C

lim

at

e C

oa

lit

ion

20

10 A

nn

uA

l R

ev

iew

THe COORDinATinG TeAm

The first time we all met was at the Youth Delegation debrief session in January 2009 – when the team who had returned from Poznan were reflecting on the conference; its outcomes, the process, how they had managed to participate – so it was a very interesting time for us to all come together.

It was here that Kate and Casper first explained Power Shift, that Ben spoke of the importance of communicating positively and effectively, and Anna shared her experience of being the 'outreach coordinator' on the ground in the UK during the conference. And in that room, the atmosphere was electric. Just fewer than 20 young and bright minds were planning exciting campaigns, dreaming up creative ways of engaging with young people and inspiring them to be involved in the movement.

It was an eclectic meeting of minds and we all felt charged with energy and ideas as we left. From then, many Skype calls followed – planning how Power Shift would transform from an idea into a reality; mapping the journey to Copenhagen and finding people to join us on that journey; as well as working out how we wanted to engage with the Department of Energy and Climate Change – indeed, deciding if we even wanted to engage at all.

And so gradually the different project ideas began to take shape. We managed to be as creative as we possibly could be and learned the fine art of

bargaining; we also were incredibly grateful to receive tremendous support from donors and sponsors, all of which helped us achieve what we had set out to achieve back at that first meeting.

We are also exceptionally grateful to all the hard work that UKYCC volunteers have put into the projects with us and recognise that without all the help from all of those who gave their time, skills and knowledge, we would not have had as successful a year as we did!

We wish the new coordinating team all the best in their endeavours and we are confident that the projects that they have planned build on the success and momentum of 2009 to make 2010 an even more inspiring, empowering and mobilising year!

Ben west (CommuniCAtions), CRAig FeRRimAn (outReACH), KAte sHAYleR (poweR sHiFt), guppi BolA (CoAlition development), emilY Cousins (350 dAY oF ACtion), AnnA Collins, lizzie gAwen, And KiRstY sCHneeBeRgeR (CopenHAgen CooRdinAtoRs).

And in that room, the atmosphere was electric. Just fewer than 20 young and

bright minds were planning exciting campaigns, dreaming up creative ways of engaging with young people and inspiring them to be involved in the movement.

6

UK

Yo

Ut

h C

lim

at

e C

oa

lit

ion

20

10 A

nn

uA

l R

ev

iew

In collaboration with the Otesha Project, the first UKYCC project was the UK Youth Delegation taking 10 young people from around the UK to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference in Poznan. This was the 14th, two week Conference of Parties (COP14) and all the countries of the UN attended.

The UK Youth Delegation were:

AdAm weYmoutH, JAmie AndRews, guppi BolA, dAn voCKins, mAlACHi CHAdwiCK, KAtie RoBeRts, isABel Bottoms, AmY mount, lizzie gAwen & KiRstY sCHneeBeRgeR

After recruiting the team of youth climate advocates for this project, Casper opened up his family home for the first of the training sessions. The weekend was filled with presentations on climate change policy, the ‘role’ of the UN and the position of the UK in negotiating an international agreement. The group also learned about running successful campaigns, had training on public speaking, as well as how to organise ‘actions’ that would help translate the technical UN jargon into meaningful pictures for audiences in the UK.

We were a part of the 500 strong international youth presence and joined forces with all the European Youth to send letters to all the EU Environment Ministers who met in the first week, and agreed to form the EU Youth Climate Movement. We had two youth interventions and a speech during the negotiations making sure the youth voice was loud and prominent with the Youth Pledge being included in the official outcome report of the COP14.

It was with the support and help of many people that we were able to have such a presence at Poznan, and we’d particularly like to thank:

The Otesha girls: Jo Clarke (the delegation coordinator), Liz McDowell and Hanna Thomas (who helped bring the delegation together and worked so hard on the complicated finances and paperwork!), Emily Cantrell from People & Planet and Emily Lewis-Brown from WWF who ran workshops on ‘effective campaigning' and 'climate science and policy' respectively.

This was our first major project as the UKYCC and the energy and enthusiasm created from it kick-started not just our involvement in the UN process but the journey every project and volunteer would embark on over the next 12 months.

uK YOuTH DeleGATiOn TO THe un ClimATe CHAnGe COnFeRenCe, POznAnSeptember – December 2008

7

UK

Yo

Ut

h C

lim

at

e C

oa

lit

ion

20

10 A

nn

uA

l R

ev

iew

Yesterday people from around the world including many friends

of mine joined together to try and reclaim power. thousands tried to get into the conference centre area from the outside and hundreds left the conference centre to join them half way.

Here they held a people’s forum. they took politics and money off the table and instead brought rights and respect. they made a statement about who and what these negotiations should really be about.excerpts from Anna’s blog from Copenhagen

ADOPT-A-

neGOTiATORAnna Collins uK Tracker & Youth Delegation to Copenhagen Coordinator

One of the main aims for UKYCC surrounding the UN process was to make sure that young people in the UK knew what was going on and understood the decisions and implications of what was being talked about and decided. It was out there on the table, so they had a right to know how they were going to be affected by the lines of text of the negotiators page.

Throughout the year Anna joined the Tck Tck Tck 'Adopt a negotiator' project and travelled to Bonn, Barcelona, Bangkok and Copenhagen to keep us all updated on what was going on at the UN as she tracked the UK team through the UN process.

Anna joined a team of 13 young people, speaking 9 different languages and with one clear mission: to change the way that young people from around the world engage with the UN process.

Her blogs formed a massive part of the delegation to Copenhagen website which attracted 2000 readers a day with over 20,000 hits over the two week negotiations.

The tracker team will be back in 2010 to follow the UN negotiations in Bonn and hopefully through to COP16 in Mexico this December.

7

UK

Yo

Ut

h C

lim

at

e C

oa

lit

ion

20

10 A

nn

uA

l R

eP

OR

T

8

UK

Yo

Ut

h C

lim

at

e C

oa

lit

ion

20

10 A

nn

uA

l R

ev

iew

In February a group of 20 young people from across Europe met in Brussels to formalise the European Youth Climate Movement initiative that was developed during the UN talks in Poznan. It was here that the idea for the 'How old will you be in 2050?' campaign was born.

Whilst I was chatting with a couple of the guys from the meeting we thought it'd be a great idea to ask delegates how old they would be, every time we met them. It’s us and our generation who will be alive in the year 2050 to not just see but live the effects of climate change and every line of text, every sentence negotiated, is part of our future.

For the two week inter-sessional in Bonn in June a small team of about 25 dedicated youth advocates worked together to meet with country delegations, develop the relationship between the Youth and the UN secretariat, blog about the conference activities (or inactivities), and generally work with the other NGOs to advocate for policies that would safeguard our clean, safe and bright futures.

The Youth contingent were also fortunate enough to secure an opportunity to speak to the floor of the UN in the plenary session of the second day conference, which presented the perfect opportunity to launch the 'How old will you be in 2050?' campaign. I was very grateful to have been nominated to make the intervention.

The team wrote a great speech that enabled me to offer a youth perspective on the progress of the negotiations, as well as to submit a positive vision of the future, and to implore the negotiators to ensure that inter generational equity would be at the heart of the talks, and any subsequent decisions made. The campaign saw much support over the two weeks, culminating in at least half of the UN delegates, including the Chair of the session, wearing our blue 'think2050' t-shirts, all as a sign of 'solidarity' with the youth movement, all asking ‘How old will you be in 2050?’

Since then this message has picked up momentum across the world, and is used by many of the Youth Delegations and organisations who are advocating fairness between those who make the decisions, and those who will implement the decisions.

My thanks to the dedicated team 'speech-writers' who helped with the intervention and helped launch the campaign:

AnnA KeenAn (inteRnAtionAl YoutH AdvoCAte), will BAtes And JeRemY osBoRne (350.oRg), niC seton (AustRAliAn And uK YoutH AdvoCAte) And tHomAs spenCeR (geRmAn wAtCH)

un inTeRSeSSiOnAl meeTinGSKirsty Schneeberger

The 350 Day of Action was one of the largest global climate action days in history – and UKYCC helped bring young people from all over the country to organise their own positive, creative and exciting actions to celebrate the youth climate movement and to ensure that nobody can ignore the most important number out there: 350! 350 is the number we must recognise as the safe level of carbon in our atmosphere.

As part of the day we collaborated with young people and organisations from across the UK to join more than 600 people to form the ‘5‘ from 350 on Jubilee Gardens in London. With the London Eye and the Houses of Parliament in the background it formed part of a 3 image picture showing the number 350 with the ‘3‘ coming from Sydney, the ‘5‘ from London and the ‘0‘ from Copenhagen. It was a truly international effort and we were very proud to be part of it.

Our very own Youth Delegation to Copenhagen were up in Newcastle at a training weekend over the 24th October and found some time to fit in an action.

The Angel of the North is the symbol of the industrial past of the North of England. We chose it as a symbol that although the North may have led the charge into the industrial revolution, into the fossil fuel age, we are also ready to lead the charge into a cleaner, brighter future. We are ready to lead the charge for 350.

And on a cold and rainy morning in Newcastle, we unrolled our banner and told the world!

Building on the energy and excitement we created two weeks before the day at Power Shift we asked all our Powershift-ers to go back to their local community and run a 350 action. Young people

took this and ran with it sending in loads of pictures and forming part of the global response that we, citizens of the world, helped create.

350 DAY OF ACTiOnOctober 2008 | emily Cousins

10

Between the 9-12 October 2009 UKYCC put on the UK’s most ambitious youth climate change summit. Bringing together people from all over the UK, from different backgrounds, with different interests and with varying levels of previous engagement, Power Shift ’09 aimed to equip and empower young people to act on climate change in their local area.

Our fantastic team were:

KAte sHAYleR, emmA BRett, AmY mount, ellie HopKins, eloise lewis, Alex FARRow, mAtt williAms, dAn BRooKs, JeRemY dResneR, tom smitH, RoB Clews, sopHie BARnes, Femi FAgunwA, Joe BlAKesleY, AndY tonneR, owen eveRett, sARAH JoHnson, seAn Rose sopHie newmAn, dARRAn mARtin, Joss petRie, issY CooKe, AmBeR doneBAueR, HAnnAH smitH, sAm CAsH, sARAH iRwin, CHRis wAlKeR.

As well as support from all the Coordinating Team.

The first three days saw a series of interactive workshops and plenary sessions taking place in the amazing setting of the Institute of Education, designed to enable the participants to communicate climate change in a new way – one based on the power of stories, a concept created by Marshall Ganz in the US. We created a programme of speakers which took the 350 young people on a journey through anger and fear to hope and excitement, engaging them on an emotional level.

We mixed the plenary sessions and workshops with opportunities for the participants to network and get to know each other, including offering communal crashpad accommodation and entertainments on the Saturday evening, including live bands and DJs and a film screening of the ‘Age of Stupid’.

On the Monday we wanted to lead by example and really put the participants' excitement and hope into something practical so that they left inspired

POweR SHiFT uKOctober 2009 | Kate Shayler

11

to do something for the 350 international day of action taking place 10 days later. Taking our lead from the Australian Power Shift that had happened earlier in the summer, we organised a ‘flash dance’ to take place under the London Eye in Jubilee Gardens. The dance really emphasized that taking action on climate change can be fun – it's not all doom and gloom!

People were having so much fun that the decision was taken to walk over Westminster Bridge and perform the dance again on Parliament Square, in the shadow of Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, and the Greenpeace activists also making a stand about climate change by occupying the roof of the Houses of Parliament. The media loved the dance, and so

did the dancers and everyone left with an immense feeling of positivity and hope.

Power Shift ’09 cost £30,000. This money came partly from ticket sales, but we aimed to keep the cost of tickets low so that the event was accessible to everyone (including the use of scholarships). The vast majority of funds came from donations, sponsorship and in-kind donations. To all those people and companies, including the Funding Network, Oxfam UK, Endsleigh, NatraCare, National Express and the British Council, we offer our sincere thanks.

Power Shift was the first major project that UKYCC took on outside of the delegations to UN conferences. We’re really proud of what we managed to organise in 6 months, both in terms of the people we inspired, but also the team and friendships we created. Power Shift marked the real launch of UKYCC into the public and media spotlights, and we’ve barely had time to look back since!

we created a programme of speakers which took the 350

young people on a journey through anger and fear to hope and excitement, engaging them on an emotional level.

Photo credits: Robert vanwaarden | vanwaardenphoto.com

12

UK

Yo

Ut

h C

lim

at

e C

oa

lit

ion

20

10 A

nn

uA

l R

ev

iew

In January 2009 Anna Collins, Lizzie Gawen and Kirsty Schneeberger stepped up to 'help bring together the delegation to Copenhagen.' In the 11 months that ensued these three young women recruited 20 of the brightest, most enthusiastic, dedicated and knowledgeable young leaders, campaigners and advocates of the present and future.

The team came from all across the UK, from all different backgrounds to ensure that we could effectively communicate what was going on in Copenhagen to the young people back home. They were:

JosH soniCK, viCKY BARRon, AAsHAK nAiK, KiRstY sCHneeBeRgeR, emmA BieRmAnn, niel BoweRmAn, lizzie gAwen, isABelle ellis-CoCKCRoFt, guY sHRuBsole, AnnA Collins, gemmA Bone, will BugleR, HAnnA tHomAs, emiliA melville, dARRAn mARtin, tom smitH, AdAm tYleR, lewis

meRdleR, sARAH iRwin, JeRRi ButleR, RoB Clews, niC seton & dAve gRimwood.

Through four weekend residentials in London, Newcastle and Wales, the group started by getting to know each other and learning about the process, building an action plan and strategy development, how to run actions and finally how to effectively communicate the story of what was going on.

Before leaving for Copenhagen the delegation built solid relationships in their individual local communities and established networks through which to feed all their thoughts and feelings of the process in Copenhagen back to the people at home. They met with the UK’s core of the UN negotiators, the Department of Energy and Climate Change, where they reminded key decision makers that this is not just another conference to get through before Christmas, or a stepping-stone in their career, but that the lives and livelihoods of billions of peoples hang on these decisions.

YOuTH DeleGATiOn TO COPenHAGenAnna Collins, lizzie Gawen & Kirsty Schneeberger

13

UK

Yo

Ut

h C

lim

at

e C

oa

lit

ion

20

10 A

nn

uA

l R

ev

iew

On 2nd December 2009 the team travelled by bus, train, ferry and some even mostly by bike (!) to Copenhagen for the Conference of Youth ahead of the opening ceremony on 7th December.

Over the course of the two week negotiations the delegation got involved in most of the civil society campaigns going! They called Gordon to shut down the No10 switchboard, met, supported, learnt from, became friends and partied with the Kenyan Youth Delegation, gave Yvo (The Executive Secretary of the talks) a hug, sat in the plenary sessions with Constituent status until the civil society was thrown out to which they responded with a sit-in at the Bella Centre. They supported the international youth intervention and joined over 100,000 people marching through Copenhagen and held their candles high at the vigil for survival. Throughout it all they blogged, tweeted, took photos, recorded film, gave interviews, and spoke with friends about what they were doing and what was going on inside the negotiations to the young people in the UK.

In January the total hits for delegation.ukycc.org was 3663 individual visitors, and almost 9000 total page views. The all time high for delegation was

the 16th of December, with 2,180 visitors in a single day and averaging 1800 per day over the course of that week! It was clear that young people from around the world were connecting with what was going on and through this we achieved one of our principle goals.

One of the highlights of the delegation were the films created by Adam, a member of the delegation. His 7 films told the real stories behind the delegation members and the UN process so that people could feel what it was like, not just read about it. The films have so far been watched by over 10,000 people and have been included in many news reports and blogs around the world.

The delegation was a massive project last year but the power and impact we were able to have right at the Bella Centre in Copenhagen and back home in local communities in the UK was unparalleled. We didn’t come away from inside the Bella Centre with a fair, ambitious and legally binding deal, but we were part of creating the youth movement and outside of the negotiations we helped awake the energy, enthusiasm and passion needed to create the clean, just future that we all want.

we, 23 young people from across the uK, have descended on un

climate talks in Copenhagen. we are here to urge negotiators and world leaders to push for a deal which guarantees our futures.

14

UK

Yo

Ut

h C

lim

at

e C

oa

lit

ion

20

10 A

nn

uA

l R

ev

iew

On December 12th 2009 GCCA and the global coalition ‘TckTckTck’ organised an international day of action calling for a ‘Real Deal in Copenhagen’. Taking place half-way through the COP15 event in Copenhagen, the day of action was designed to call in leaders to create and agree on a fair, ambitious and legally binding deal. UKYCC was approached to be the ‘hub’ for the UK – the group which took responsibility for the main UK action.

The organising team were:

ellie HopKins, Alex FARRow (CooRdinAtoRs), KAte sHAYleR, AmY mount, Ben west, CRAig FeRRimAn, HAnnAH smitH & AmBeR doneBAueR

Just 10 days before the event was due to happen UKYCC was asked to take this on and after a number of setbacks the whole event was organised in just four days.

The team worked tirelessly to pull the day off, and it was a huge success. During the first part of the day we engaged with members of the general public to ask them what they wanted us, as global citizens, to protect from climate change, and we took pictures of them with their messages to send to Copenhagen. We also asked them ‘How old will you be in 2050?’ to emphasise that it will be our generation who live to see the effects of the decisions made today.

During the late afternoon we performed one of UKYCC’s signature ‘flash-dances’ outside the Houses of Parliament. As the light faded we brought out our rechargeable torches and showed

our politicians and press that young people wanted a deal that would protect our future.

Finally, we used the last of our funds to project the logo of the day onto the Houses of Parliament. Providing some really great shots, we managed to keep the projection up for a full 15 minutes, in which time members of the public and press saw our message displayed on one of the most iconic buildings in the world.

This was the first time we had been approached by an external organisation to create an event, and we are really proud of achieving so much in so little time, and on such a small budget. We really proved to ourselves that we can pull off some pretty spectacular events and really get our message across to a wide range of people, be that in passing or by stopping and fully engaging with them. It was a huge honour to be approached to lead the UK’s actions, and we really feel that we did ourselves proud.

“THe wORlD wAnTS A ReAl DeAl” inTeRnATiOnAl DAY OF ACTiOn – THe uK12th December 2009

15

UK

Yo

Ut

h C

lim

at

e C

oa

lit

ion

20

10 A

nn

uA

l R

ev

iew

members of the public and press saw our

message displayed on one of the most iconic buildings in the world.

16

UK

Yo

Ut

h C

lim

at

e C

oa

lit

ion

20

10 A

nn

uA

l R

ev

iew

From the outset, the UKYCC had the ambition of reaching and involving people that nobody else could; looking beyond the activist and environmentalist communities and seeking to inspire ordinary, mainstream young people, many of whom we knew would never have been involved in anything like this before.

Key to that was the image we projected of ourselves, and the messages we carried. We didn’t want to just be another band of ‘crusties’, scaring people off with negative and disempowering messages, bad design, and doom-laden images of imminent death and destruction. From the very beginning, the whole team knew we needed to communicate differently if we wanted to be successful. We had to be cool, we had to be original, and most importantly, we had to be positive and inspirational.

One of the most visible aspects of the Communication Team’s work has been in overseeing the UKYCCs online presence and visual identity. Starting with no more than a logo idea and a colour scheme, the team have worked to develop a look and feel for the UKYCC which break with environmental stereotypes and show us as what we are: young and creative, but with a professional edge. Having developed this identity, we’ve worked hard to give the rest of the team the skills and support to ensure that nearly everything we produce demonstrates good design principles and is consistently branded.

The graphic design work has been accompanied by the development of our network of websites over the past year. From the beginning we were keen to avoid a bland, static ‘online brochure’ of ourselves and instead create a much more flexible, dynamic platform which could be used for all of our projects and by the wider youth climate movement. All in all the stats are good so far- an average of over 1000

individual hits a day on our website and 1,800 fans on our Facebook Page.

Rhiannon Jones, who joined us as our blog editor from July-January this year deserves a massive amount of credit for working to develop our blog as a centre of commentary and debate for the youth climate movement in the UK. There’s still a way to go with it, but she’s got us off to a fantastic start.

In many respects, however, the Communications Team’s role this year has been a behind-the-scenes one: Late-night meetings to re-draft speeches for the UN and letters to newspaper editors. ‘Prettifying’ documents to be sent out, administering email accounts and providing tech support when things go wrong. We’ve done a fair bit of reading and research too, drawing on the work of people like George Lakoff and Marshall Ganz, and being inspired by the always stimulating resources and support provided by Futerra.

At every step of the way though, it has been amazingly rewarding to see the impact the UKYCC’s communications have had in inspiring far larger coalition partners and Government departments such as DECC to think about their own messaging, and in making the UKYCC itself such an attractive, innovative and accessible organisation. We’ve learned a lot, and there’s a long way to go, but there’s a strong feeling that we’re on the right track.

COmmuniCATiOnSBen west

we didn’t want to just be another band of ‘crusties’, scaring people off with

negative and disempowering messages, bad design, and doom-laden images of imminent death and destruction.

An area which has really developed over the past year is in our Outreach work, which, in 2010 has become a separate team in its own right.

In the height of the summer sun, the team and a group of 40 young people from around the UK headed to St Davids in Wales for a weekend of strategy development which really kickstarted our Outreach work.

Outreach is a core element of the work UKYCC does as we’re only going to seriously tackle climate change if we get loads of people involved and in a way that is not just local and real but inspiring and empowering to them. We’ve developed a way of doing this called ‘Builders, Networkers & Communicators.’

Builders raise cash, communicators talk and networkers connect - but together they are the heart of what UKYCC aims to do: inspire young people in the UK around the issue of climate change.

This was a late bloomer in our 2009 plans but will play a massive part in 2010 as we focus a lot of our energy on the grassroots where change really happens.

We also know that climate change is going to affect us all, but how it affects us is going to be different depending on where you live, what you do, what you believe and what life is like for you.

Throughout the year we’ve built relationships with many faith organisations, young people from ethnic minorities, disabled groups, and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community. We waved the UKYCC banner at the London Gay Pride march last August and handed out 1000 flyers the thousands lining the streets of the city.

Our diversity work has seen us create some fantastic partnerships and helped us to connect people to the issue of climate change in a way that’s unique to them and their identity community.

OuTReACH & DiveRSiTYAlex Farrow & Craig Ferriman

18

UK

Yo

Ut

h C

lim

at

e C

oa

lit

ion

20

10 A

nn

uA

l R

ev

iew

COAliTiOnGuppi Bola

The Coalition is one of the most exciting areas of the work that we have undertaken in the past year. When we started 18 months ago we saw many organisations running campaigns on climate change with young people and we felt that if we could bring these together we could be more effective and inspiring and have a real chance of creating the vision we all share.

Throughout the year we have built relationships with over 15 national organisations who have supported our work and who we have collaborated with on projects and campaigns through 2009.

Our partners represent the diversity on which UKYCC is built with some very active already in the area of climate change campaigning, some focusing on youth, religion, health or human rights. We are proud that they have shown us an overwhelming amount of support and belief in the work we are doing but also that we are moving climate change campaigning away from the traditional ‘environmental’ sector.

The success of the coalition has been in developing very personal relationships with our partners and ensuring that the coalition works for young people in the UK. We held quarterly meetings with all our partners as an opportunity to share the work of UKYCC and ensure they were a built in part of our process by being a two way dialogue and a forum for ideas and suggestions for the UK’s national climate campaigning.

They have offered a level of support unprecedented for a new youth-led organisation on projects and campaigns as well as offering advice and guidance as we have developed as an organisation. Support from partners has included financial help, project opportunities, advice and guidance, in kind services, access to networks and outreach, accreditation for volunteers, and event space.

For our partners we have delivered Ganz training, promoted their activities, offered opportunities and ways to collaborate with young people, offered support and a vision that we share for the future and been a change from the traditional NGO world.

We would like to especially thank the Otesha Project for helping the organisation in the very early stages of development and for their continued support and Oxfam for their financial assistance for Power Shift and the ongoing belief in us from all of our partners.

the success of the coalition has been in developing very personal relationships with our partners and ensuring that the coalition works for young people in the uK.

medsin The Otesha Project uK mADe in europe Oxfam

The Diana Award You, me & The Climate Amnesty international uniCeF uK

national union of Students woodcraft Folk envision British Youth Council

ActionAidPeople & PlanetRoyal Society for the Protection of Birds

Stop Climate Chaos Coalition

THe COAliTiOn

20

UK

Yo

Ut

h C

lim

at

e C

oa

lit

ion

20

10 A

nn

uA

l R

ev

iew

uk youth climate coalition uk youth united for a clean, just future

hello@ukycc.org www.ukycc.org +44(0) 7851276122 facebook.com/ukycc twitter.com/ukycc

our mission:to inspire, empower, mobilse and unite young people and youth organisations to take positive action around climate change, building the movement for a clean, just future.