BALANGA City, Bataan: The Nuclear- Free Bataan Movement (NCFBM) in partnership with Young Bataeños for Environmental Advocacy Network (YoungBEAN) held a three-day Summer Environmental Youth (SEY) camp that underscored the critical role of the youth in addressing current environmental challenges.
The activity has for the theme “Educate, Engage and Empower: Make the Youth Voice Matter for a Just and Sustainable Future.”
NFBM Derek Cabe on Tuesday said the SEY Camp highlighted the many challenges the environment is facing and urged the youth to take up its important role in addressing the challenges. One way, she emphasized, is through ensuring that the upcoming elections would produce politicians and lawmakers that would take care of the welfare and rights of the environment.
Cabe saw the camp as a reflection of a growing movement in which the youth are recognized as essential stakeholders and agents of change in environmental advocacy. By providing education, engagement opportunities, and empowerment, such initiatives help nurture a new generation of leaders equipped to champion a just and sustainable future, she said.
“This approach demonstrates that meaningful youth participation through education, civic engagement, and leadership development is vital for achieving long-term environmental sustainability and justice,” Cabe said.
She considered workshops and action planning sessions as an encouragement to participants of taking active roles in their communities and the broader climate justice movement.
Cabe said the camp featured interactive sessions like “Di- bati” (debate) where participants engaged on a competitive debate on the pros and cons of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant, climactivity workshop and other environmental concern.
The camp served as a platform for young participants to: 1) deepen their understanding of pressing environmental issues 2) emphasize the importance of youth engagement in political processes, particularly by advocating for the election of leaders who prioritize environmental welfare and rights, and 3) foster leadership and action planning skills, enabling participants to brainstorm and implement innovative solutions for local environmental challenges.
Each participant undertook a symbolic pledge to the environment which the they sealed in a ballot box. This act, Cabe said, symbolized the power of youth votes and their commitment to holding future leaders accountable for environmental stewardship. (30)
