COY11 at distance from Spain: Carlota's testimony

by Carlota Cruz Díez

I was one of the young Spanish “Let’s Take Care of the Planet”- participants who were elected to participate in COY11. Since the moment I knew I was one of them and that I was travelling to Paris in order to make the message from the youth of my country heard by people from all over the word, I got very excited.

One of my biggest dreams was going to come true! I had never heard of COY11 before and I didn’t know that our voice was really going to be important to adults!

Suddenly came the attacks in Paris and my “near reality” was again a dream and I got sad...

But then I thought “Why am I sad?”

So, I started to spread the word in my new school, asking my friends to tell their other friends how to pollute less the world... I made many conferences in my new school and made people change their mind.

Maybe, I couldn’t travel to Paris and make our common voice heard, but I can make my voice heard. So…if it’s not now, when? If not us, who?

Alone we go faster, but together we go further.

COY11 at distance from Spain: Jade's testimony

by Jade Vega Pueyo

I woke up on 14th November and knew about the massacre in Paris. I couldn’t believe it, I was totally shocked by what happened and felt sorry for all the people who had lost their lives so cruelly. Afterwards, one thing came to my mind: the celebration of the COP/COY had to take place, but a few days later I realized that the security was a main issue and understood the decision of the French authorities of not letting the youngest attend the 11th Conference of Youth.

However I had to do something. I just couldn’t sit back and ignore what’s going on with the environment. We have to make people conscious of the fact that caring for the Earth and solidarity must be top priorities for everybody. Therefore I decided to take an active part in most of the activities on Climate Change programmed by my school during the last week of November. For example, my school, together with other schools in Gran Canaria, took part in a parade through the main streets of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. So we all had the opportunity to raise our voices so that everybody could hear that it is important that we look after the environment by using renewable energies, recycling…

I was also interviewed by two local newspapers and had the opportunity to explain the reasons why I couldn’t attend the COY and to encourage people to care for the Earth.

IT’S ABOUT TIME WE CARE FOR OUR PLANET, THE EARTH.

COP21 Portraits: Clément and Marion, volunteers for the COY11

By Alexis Gillet

 

At the Climate Generations Area at Le Bourget, I spoke with Marion and Clément, two young French people who have volunteered for the COY11.

Marion is a young person who entered active life recently. Working as a professional consultant in the public domain, she was not predestined to work for the defence of the planet. But little by little, being sensitive to the impact of climate change, she decided to apply as a volunteer in her free time and help out in this event.

She therefore applied on the Internet and as the door to saving our planet is open to all, she was selected. She found this to be an enriching experience as it allowed her to meet other people like her, sensitive to issues that are being discussed right now and participate in a dynamic space for exchange and sharing.

It was a good experience for her and she would be willing to repeat it next year in Marrakech.

Clément, a member of CliMates, (co-organizer organization of COY) has followed the startup of this gathering since February.

He himself was more focused on the organization of writing the manifesto issued to heads of state. Prior to the COY, a first manifesto was realised by the host association for this event. This first manifesto was made to lay the foundations of the second manifesto (the largest) and show the first youth commitments to climate change.

During the COY, work on the manifesto was produced in partnership with YOUNGO (the youth group officially represented at the negotiations for the climate). The drafting of this manifesto was made during the 3 day running of the COY and different working groups were active in drafting it.

Moreover, a room was opened to the public so that everyone could state their opinions on what would be written in the manifesto and so contribute to it.

Therefore, people of different nationalities (about 150) were active in its drafting.

Alongside the COY in Paris, COYs were organized locally (in 8 other cities in the world) and could interact with people on the spot and give their opinions on the content of the document.

This event helped to launch different dynamics, the 5,000 participants present in Paris during those three days were mainly interested in what will happen after this gathering, starting with the presentation of the manifesto to the heads of state and of continuing the projects that were created or merged through this gathering.

More information here.

COY11 Portraits: KELI Simplice

 by Alexis Gillet

Keli Simplice is a self-taught Ivorian entrepreneur of 32 years of age. Uniquely through his life experiences, he has succeeded in creating his business from scratch. Little by little, he has, thanks to his perseverance, founded a security company in his country. But his actions did not stop there because, coming from a very poor background, he wanted to help young people who have no access to education.

To do this he educates youth to something that seems trivial to us but which is very important, especially in developing countries facing difficulties in medical treatment: hygiene. This seems trivial to us but a person who has never received any education cannot know, for example, that washing one's hands helps eliminate bacteria responsible for diseases.

He therefore hopes that the COP21 will launch sewer creation projects in the slums of the big cities of Côte d'Ivoire, because there the waste is not treated and garbage decomposition can be seen by everybody.

From the Portuguese delegation of "Let´s Take Care of the Planet"

The Portuguese Association for Environmental Education (ASPEA) is the coordinator in Portugal of Let's take care of the Planet! Through the Project and as a partner of the French association Monde Pluriel, ASPEA participated in the COP21 Conference in order to give visibility to the project and to collaborate with the International Youth Press Agency, a team of young journalists that give visibility to the activities taking place in COP21.

The participation of two youth of the Portugal-Galicia delegation was expected but after the November events in Paris and due to safety reasons, the presence of minors was not allowed.


This is the case of Ana Sofia (Viseu) and Pablo Romeu (Galicia), who had planned to participate but unfortunately could not. However this did not stop them to write a few lines about their expectations for COP21:

Ana Sofia : Earth is our home, let's save it!

If there is a topic right now that can unite politicians, journalists, youngsters and older people...of all cultures, races and religions of the world, it's the environment. We all know that there is still a lot to be done in order for us to be able to redeem our past actions and avoid a future possibly irreversible and profoundly damaging climate change. I know that this is the last opportunity (we are racing time) to achieve a political agreement that avoids the planet´s global warming.


I wish that in COP21 it will be possible to implement a new hope in our future of the survival of all species in the planet. I know that the first victory will be to convince all countries that economic growth is possible without the intensive consumption of fossil fuels. Therefore the most important thing will be to incentive countries to use new technologies and methods that allow economic and social development, for example the use of solar panels, wind turbines, policy that involve the use of cleaner energies, ecologic life styles and the use of public transportation. An important part of this process is to inform the population about the consequences of climate change and the effects that will be seen in the future (floods, droughts, extreme climate occurrences, price rises of food, worsening life quality, more diseases and wars, reduction of drinkable water, alteration in the sea currents due to the melting of the glaciers, which can cause the modification in the habits of the aquatic species, climate changes in the surface and the acidification of oceans, among many others) in order to sensitise and change peoples' actions.

Even though I couldn't be present at COY11 and COP21 due to the lack of safety, my thoughts go to everybody that is present there, so that the world can achieve an agreement, and that we can all show union and strength to fight climate change.



I truly believe information and knowledge are the only weapon we can use to save the planet.

Pablo Romeu_ What do I expect from COP21?

What I expect from this event is to become a historical moment when humans avoid climate change.
This problem traps us in a negative, self-destructive and obscene vicious circle, and not only in the biological or climatic environment.
Rich countries are fighting over territories rich in fuel and oil, creating confrontations that only cause more violence; and poor countries suffer these consequences.
For these reasons, we can say that climate change not only causes natural disasters, this problem promotes wars, poverty, and even terrorism.
Despite everything, I would love telling the world leaders that they must worry about what is really important, what really matters.
The economic model must change. The pollution that we cause is unsustainable, and we have already exceeded the limits.

Now is the time to change, and we must change drastically. We are technologically prepared to eradicate polluting energy sources, and replace them with more clean energy.
The economy can not be an impediment to do what we must do.


It's time to save the world. Let's do it.

Rencontre - portrait à la COP21 : Clément et Marion, bénévoles de la COY11

Par Alexis Gillet

Dans l’Espace Génération Climat du Bourget, j’ai pu parler avec Marion et Clément, deux jeunes français qui ont participé bénévolement à la COY11.

Marion est une jeune étant dans la vie active depuis peu. Avec un profil professionnel de consultante dans le domaine public, elle n’était pas prédestinée à œuvrer pour la défense de la planète. Mais le bouche à oreille et étant sensible au impact du dérèglement climatique, elle a pris sur son temps libre, pour postuler en tant que bénévole et aider au bon déroulement de cet événement.

Elle a donc posée sa candidature sur Internet et comme : la porte pour la sauvegarde de notre planète est ouverte à tous, elle a été sélectionnée. Elle a trouvé cette expérience enrichissante car cela lui a permis de rencontrer des personnes sensibles, comme elle, aux enjeux qui se discutent en ce moment et de participer à un espace dynamique d’échanges, de partages.

Ce fût pour elle une bonne aventure et serait partante pour renouveler cette expérience l’année prochaine à Marrakech.

Clément, membre de l’association CliMates, (organisation co-organisatrice de la COY) a donc suivi depuis le mois de février la mise en marche de ce rassemblement.

Il s’était, lui, plus penché sur l’organisation de l’écriture du manifeste remis aux chefs d’Etat. Préalablement à la COY, un premier manifeste a été réalisé par les associations organisatrices de cet événement. Ce premier manifeste a été réalisé pour poser les bases du second manifeste (le plus important) et montrer les premiers engagements des jeunes envers le dérèglement climatique. 

Durant la COY, le travail sur le manifeste a été réalisé en partenariat avec YOUNGO (le groupe des jeunes officiellement représenté lors des négociations pour le climat). La rédaction de ce manifeste, c’est faites sur les 3 jours de déroulement de la COY et différents groupes de travail se sont activés à sa rédaction.

De plus une salle a été ouverte au public pour que chacun puisse exposer son avis sur ce qui allait être écrit dans ce manifeste et ainsi apporter sa contribution à celui-ci.

De ce fait, des gens de nationalités différentes (environ 150) se sont activés à sa rédaction.

Parallèlement à la COY de Paris, des COYs étaient organisées localement (dans 8 autres villes du monde) et pouvaient interagir avec les gens sur place et donner leur avis sur le contenu du document.

Cet événement a permis de lancer différentes dynamiques, les 5000 participants présent à Paris durant ces trois jours, sont surtout intéressés par ce qui va se passer après ce rassemblement, à commencer par la remise du manifeste aux chefs d’états et de la poursuite des différents projets qui se sont créés ou fusionnés grâce à ce rassemblement.

Pour plus d'informations

COY11 : La Conférence de Jeunes sur les Changements Climatiques la plus importante de ces dernières années

La COY11 (http://coy11.org/fr) (onzième Conférence de Jeunes sur les changements climatiques) qui s’est déroulée pendant 3 jours (26, 27 et 28 novembre) a été conçue comme l’une des plus importantes conférences, car cet événement a été organisé juste avant la très attendue COP21 (vingtième Conférence des Nations Unies sur les changements climatiques), et aussi parce qu'elle pourrait être la conférence la plus importante de toutes les COY précédentes : non seulement se réunissent à Paris (où a lieu la COP21) des jeunes venus de partout dans le monde, mais également d’autres conférences parallèles sont organisées en même temps dans d'autres pays.

La COY11 de Paris a été organisée par 6 organisations françaises de jeunes (Avenir Climatique, REFEDD, Climates, la Fédération Française de Scouts, Le REFEDD, le mouvement We are ready now! et YOUNGO), avec le soutien de 55 bénévoles sur notamment la logistique, la traduction, les repas, et avec 35 organisations partenaires dans le monde entier. Cette COY attend la participation de 5000 personnes sur trois jours, au Parc des Exposition de Villepinte.

Dans ce cadre, plusieurs activités étaient proposées (plus de 400) parmi lesquelles des tables rondes, des formations, des réunions, des représentations, des stands, des groupes de travail, des espaces pour la production de matériaux, ainsi que des manifestations artistiques de différents groupes et organisations (danses, représentations théâtrales, chansons).

Cette COY est la plus grande jamais organisée car Paris n'est pas la seule ville où cette conférence de jeunes a lieu. C'est la première fois qu’elle a lieu dans 8 autres villes : Ahmedabad (Inde), Abomey-Calavi (Bénin), Montréal (Canada), Nouméa (Nouvelle Calédonie), Rabat (Maroc), Tokyo (Japon), Florianopolis (Brésil) et Antananarivo (Madagascar). Chacune d'elle a invité des milliers de jeunes venus de différents pays, qui ne pouvaient peut-être pas être présents à Paris mais qui sans aucun doute voulaient aussi faire entendre leur voix à la COP21 de Paris.

Pour cette édition, la parole des jeunes a été présentée juste avant la COP21 dans un document intitulé "Manifeste de la COY" (http://coy11.org/en/manifesto / en anglais et en français) dans lequel sont regroupées les voix du plus grand nombre de jeunes dans le monde, qui ont pu participer grâce à des consultations en ligne de plusieurs organisations, discussions en groupes de travail thématiques (droits humains, éducation, énergie, droit de l'environnement, production alimentaire durable, adaptation, conservation et inclusion des jeunes) et réunions de plusieurs groupes de pays dont l'Amérique latine. Dans ce manifeste, l’objet est d'exprimer que « les jeunes sont conscients des limites de notre modèle de société [et que donc] ils  sont prêts à proposer un changement de paradigme orienté vers une société plus durable et souhaitable ".

À la fin de la COY, le 28 novembre, ce manifeste  a été partagé avec les organisations de jeunes et autres participants qui pourront eux aussi signer et valider ce document. Il vise en effet à être inclusif et global, tout en prenant en compte la diversité des positions, des attentes et des espérances des jeunes du monde.

*Membres de l’Agence de presse de jeunes internationale.