THE Penang government, through the Penang Green Council (PGC), will organise a youth-focused climate summit from Oct 14 to 18 this year.
Known as the Youth Climate Summit (YCS) Southeast Asia 2024, the event will take place at the University of Wollongong (UOW) George Town campus.
With the theme ‘Empowering Action for Nature’, the five-day programme is sponsored by Think City Sdn Bhd and empowered by The Wild Centre, a natural history museum in New York.
During a courtesy call on Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow at his office in Komtar today, PGC general manager Josephine Tan Mei Ling said the YCS programme was initiated by The Wild Center in New York, USA in 2009.
“It has been implemented in nine countries worldwide and has garnered recognition from the White House.
“The YCS 2024 also marks the first time this programme has been introduced to the Southeast Asia region.
“The objective of the programme is to increase awareness about the impact of climate change and the role of youth in addressing environmental challenges.
“Through this programme, we aim to provide a platform for educating youth about sustainable practices and climate change while empowering them to take action in their communities,” she said.
Tan added that the event organising committee will also involve PGC, Think City, PowerSains, state Education Department, UOW Malaysia, WorldFish, Tropical Spice Garden, Penang Hill Biosphere Reserve, Green Educators’ Workgroup (GREW), Water Watch Penang, Penang Youth Development Corporation (PYDC), The Habitat Penang Hill, Entopia by Penang Butterfly Farm, and Centre For Marine & Coastal Studies (CEMACS), Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM).
She said the summit will serve as a platform to convene, engage, connect and empower young people aged 15 to 25 years old in Southeast Asia to take action on climate change.
“This summit focuses on equipping participants with the knowledge and skills necessary to become effective climate leaders, while also empowering youth to generate climate action plans that they can implement in their schools and communities.
“We expect around 300 participants (Malaysian and international youth) to join this summit.
“The event will also feature various exciting activities, such as expert sharing sessions, workshop sessions, booth and exhibition showcase, excursion, and climate action plan,” said Tan.
Tan also invited Chow to officiate the summit.
Meanwhile, Chow expressed his full support for the programme and hoped for its success in achieving all its objectives.
“Climate change is a very important matter that needs to be addressed, as the impact can be felt by all of us nowadays.
“Thus through this programme, I am confident that it can facilitate collaboration among youth organisations, community leaders, and environmental experts to develop effective climate solutions,” he said.
Also present during the courtesy visit were PGC environmental education executive Farah Hanim Mohd Sharif, PowerSains managing director Prof Dr Khong Yoon Loong, PowerSains director Tengku Nasariah Tengku Syed Ibrahim, Think City senior manager Dr Yogeswary Chellappan and The Wild Centre director Jen Kretser (present virtually).
Story by Riadz Akmal
Pix by Alissala Thian