National Youth Symposium on Climate Change

Youths in Vanuatu getting ready for action against Climate Change

National Youth Climate Change symposium is jointly organized by the Government of Vanuatu through the National Advisory Board (NAB) in partnership with many other civil societies and international organizations including Save the Children, National Youth Council, 350 Vanuatu, Care International, Wan Smol Bag theater (WSB), VCAN, Oxfarm and SPC-GIZ Climate Change Adaptation Program.

Vanuatu is a small island developing nation vulnerable to the unavoidable impacts of climate change. Sea level rise, more regular extremes in weather patterns causing drought and heavier rainfalls as well as the likelihood of higher intensity of cyclones all present challenges that will require people to prepare for uncertainty and be able to adapt.

Children and young people have the potential to make a very real contribution to climate change responses and disaster risk reduction.

The picture on the right shows youth participated during the Climate Change Symposium on a post with their planting materials "Vertiver grass (Vetiveria zizanioides)" for their gardening to prevent soil erosion and coastal erosion when they get back to their communities.

Highlight Activities 
1. Debate
On the first Day of the conference seen the youths being on a panelist to discuss on the topic "Traditional knowledge is Compatible with Scientific knowledge of Weather and Climate" which let youths on a basis of modern and traditional competition to give possible and straight weather and climate indicator's in their communities.

"Go For" Challenger sharing his experience on a traditional perspective
 in his community of Torres Island 

The youth participants were given a chance to speak of their experience on accessing the information's on whether traditional indicators or through radio and other western technology and how accurate is the information's being used the people of Vanuatu.
In fact both sides mention positive comments and share experiences on the information's access for their daily activities within their communities to do gardening, fishing and livestock.

In the end, comments were made clear as youths sharing their experience on the effects of climate change in their specific area and communities, thus panelist who also are specialist made no charges and come up with final key options for youths to make decision's so agreements was to combine both traditional knowledge and scientific knowledge as changes of the climate is seen realistic and shift calendars from normal existent.