Youth-Led Initiatives for Gender-Responsive Climate Action and Participation in Marginalized Communities

This project empowers youth as drivers of gender-responsive climate action in marginalized communities across the climate-vulnerable islands of East Nusa Tenggara and Indonesia at large, targeting those most disproportionately affected — adolescents, young women, and people with disabilities — who face education disruptions, food insecurity, and systematic exclusion from decision-making. Through two funding streams, the project delivers grants and technical assistance to 150 youth advocates (60% girls and young women, 3% people with disabilities) to champion youth inclusion in Indonesia’s Enhanced Nationally Determined Contribution (2022), while simultaneously supporting 60 youth organizations across four climate-affected districts with capacity-building in gender-responsive local policymaking and climate-resilient agricultural practices. Across both streams, 270 youth leaders will be trained as agents of change, directly benefiting 16,000 community members as village governments adopt resilience practices to reduce water shortages and prevent crop failures, while a broader reach of 72,800 people will be engaged through youth-led podcasts, webinars, newsletters, and videos — ensuring that the voices of the most vulnerable are not only heard but institutionally embedded in Indonesia’s climate governance architecture.