Multi-solving Audio Blogs
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This audio blog series is a component of Youth Climate Lab’s project with Green Africa Youth Organization (GAYO) called “Youth Voices on Climate Action and Recovery on the road to COP26”. COP 26 is the 26th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) happening October 31st to November 12th, 2021. We recognize that COP26 is inaccessible for many young people, and the conversations that happen at these international forums can often feel very disconnected from the everyday realities of climate impacts that frontline communities are facing. This series shows how young leaders from the Global South are putting multi-solving into practice at the grassroots level, and offers us the opportunity to learn from them what action needs to be taken at COP26 and beyond.
Intersectionality, Multi-Tasking & Meaningful Youth Engagement
Episode 1
In the first episode of the series, former YCL International Policy Specialist Sabrina Guzman Skotnitsky speaks with youth climate leaders Carlo Delantar (Philippines), Manal Bidar (Morocco), Neeshad Shafi (Qatar), and Nisreen Elsaim (Sudan). They discuss how they define multi-solving, regional challenges, and how youth are already implementing multi-solving approaches to address them. They also explore what principles institutions should follow to include youth and other vulnerable stakeholders in multi-solving program design. Themes include circular economy, renewable energy, intersectionality and accessibility, and meaningful youth engagement.
Guests
Manal Bidar
Manal Bidar is an 18 year old Climate Activist from Agadir, Morocco. She is lead of communications for YOUNGO (The Official Youth constituency of the UNFCCC), Coordinator of Accessibility and Inclusivity for COY16 (UN Conference of Youth 16), an ambassador for the African Youth Climate Hub, and the lead of Communications and Website Development for the LCOY (Local Conferences of Youth) Working Group.
Manal has represented the Kingdom of Morocco at PRECOP26, and represented FM6E and her country at the G20 summit in Kyoto, Japan, and in the MockCOP26. Nationally, Manal is Project Manager & Adviser at the Moroccan Youth Government and Young Parliamentary Deputy at the Moroccan Youth Parliament.
Recently, she has been selected along with other young people from all regions of the world to join the GCA’s (Global Center on Adaptation) Youth Advisory Panel and will provide strategic advice to Dr. Prof. Patrick Verkooijen.
Carlo Delantar
Carlo Delantar is a founding partner of Core Capital which invests in the next generation of the Philippine’s most promising startups. As the Head of Circular Economy at Gobi Partners, Carlo leads investments in innovative companies that champion sustainability.
Previously as an award-winning social entrepreneur, Carlo’s work as the Country Director of Waves For Water Philippines (W4W), a non-profit providing access to clean water, impacted one million Filipinos.
Carlo is currently a Circular Economy Pioneer at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, and was the Co-Chair of the Global Shapers Climate Action Steering Committee at the World Economic Forum.
Neeshad Shafi
Website: www.neeshad.com
Email: neeshad@aycmqatar.org
Neeshad Shafi is a young environmentalist, speaker, and policy-oriented social change advocate with a master’s degree in Energy & Environmental Engineering based in Doha, Qatar.
He is the Co-founder & Executive Director at the Arab Youth Climate Movement Qatar, a Board Member at Climate Action Network (CAN) Arab World and CoalitionWILD, and a steering committee member of the UNESCO Youth Climate Action Network (YoU-CAN). Neeshad is also a TEDx Speaker, a UNEP Youth Regional Facilitator for the Middle East and Agenda Contributor for the World Economic Forum
His accolades include Apolitical’s List of the 100 Most Influential People in Climate Policy 2019 and his interviews have appeared in numerous publications including Al Jazeera, BBC, France24, Washington Post, Guardian, Wired Italia, Anadolu Agency, The Gulf Times and the Qatar Tribune.
Nisreen Elsaim
Instagram: NisreenElsaim
Twitter: NisreenElsaim
Linkedin: Nisreen Elsaim
Nisreen Elsaim is an environmental and climate activist with a Bachelor's degree in physics from the University of Khartoum, Sudan, where she is pursuing her master's degree in renewable energy.
General coordinator for Youth and Environment - Sudan (YES) platform to give all environment working youth the networking they need, Ms. Elsaim is also the Chair of Sudan Youth Organization on Climate Change (SYOCC) and a junior negotiator with the African Group of Negotiators in technology transfer, where she focuses on the policies of countries regarding climate change and renewable energies
As part of many regional and international platforms, Nisreen has led and mentored young people within YOUNGO, PACJA, Abu Dhabi youth Voices, and others. She has written several policy papers in climate change, renewable energy, gender and youth empowerment, and was recently chosen to chair the UN Secretary General youth adviser on climate change along with 6 other young climate activists.
Health, Climate Change & Government Approaches
Episode 2
In this episode, Sabrina speaks with youth climate leaders Rohini Dutta (India), Xiomara Acevedo (Colombia) and Desmond Alugnoa (Ghana) on working at the intersections of climate change, green economy, healthcare, gender equity and more. Guests discuss the importance of governments integrating multi-solving into policy-making and COVID-19 recovery, the necessity of having youth at decision-making tables, and providing them with the resources to implement their ideas.
Guests
Rohini Dutta
linktr.ee/RohiniDutta
Rohini Dutta (she/her/hers) is a medical student at Christian medical College Ludhiana Punjab India and a Global Surgery Fellow at the WHO Collaborating Centre for Research in Surgical Care Delivery in Low-Middle Income Countries, India. Her clinical and research work currently focuses on increasing access to surgical and obstetric care in low-resource settings to rural and marginalised communities. As a part of health system strengthening, she hopes to bring in sustainable solutions while scaling surgical healthcare systems.
Xiomara Acevedo
Instagram: xioacevedo
Twitter: Xiomy_Acevedo
Facebook: Xiomy Acevedo
Linkedin: Xiomara Acevedo
Xiomara Acevedo is an Internationalist and Climate Change activist, consultant and social entrepreneur from Colombia. She is the founder and director of Barranquilla+20 a youth-led & focused NGO whose mission is to educate and empower children and youth in climate change, biodiversity and water in Colombia and LAC countries. Since 2012 she has been an active part of the environmental and climate movements. She also coordinates the Global Youth Biodiversity Network in Colombia and the Women for Climate Justice project. Generation Equality youth grantee from the Gates Foundation and One Young World Ambassador.
Desmond Alugnoa
Desmond Alugnoa is the Co-Founder of the Green Africa Youth Organization (GAYO) and the Program Coordinator for the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA). He is a youth leader with focus on Community Empowerment and Rural Innovation.
Desmond’s work focuses on building movements to provide youth and gender-based leadership and support frontline communities to adapt to climate change. His work is dedicated to building capacities of vulnerable groups and providing solutions to pressing environmental issues through youth empowerment and public education.
Desmond’s professional background is in Climate and Development policies, Zero Waste Models and Organization Management. He has a Master’s degree in Public Management from the University of Potsdam, a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from the University of Cape Coast and further studies with the Zero Waste Academy in Manila, Philippines.
Grassroots Activism, Mental Health & Youth Solidarity
Episode 3
In the third and final episode of the series Jeremy Raguain (Seychelles), Raquel Sagot (Costa Rica) and Irfan Ullah (Pakistan) join Sabrina to discuss bridging the gap between COP26 and grassroots movements, showing us how multi-solving has been happening for many years in small communities by different names. Major themes include youth solidarity across the climate justice movement and issues around burnout and climate anxiety.
Guests
Jeremy Raguain
Instagram: turtlecommuter
Twitter: mahesituated
Facebook: Jeremy Sadler
Linkedin: Jeremy Raguain
Jeremy Raguain (he/him) is a 27 year old conservationist primarily working with the Seychelles Islands Foundation (SIF) which manages Seychelles’ UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Currently as SIF’s Communications and Outreach Coordinator and previously as its Project Officer, Jeremy has led and facilitated projects that tackle invasive alien species, plastic pollution and climate change. Jeremy also volunteers with the Global Shapers Victoria Hub, principally coordinating the Environmental Youth Leadership Program which seeks to empower young Seychellois to take community level climate action. He also volunteers with the Sustainable Ocean Alliance’s Youth Policy Advisory Council and runs projects with this youth led ocean focused international NGO.
Raquel Sagot
Instagram: raq.sagot
Twitter: RaSagot
Raquel is a 28-year-old climate activist living in Palmares. She is an investigator with a masters in sustainable development and ecology education who is also a partner of the Youth and Climate Change Costa Rican Network, and is now is co-leading a Youth Program called Climate Agents. She works with communities on intersectional climate action projects and is obsessed with manatees.
Irfan Ullah
Instagram: irfanullahdm
Twitter: IrfanUllahCDO
Linkedin: Irfan Ullah Afridi
Mr. Irfan Ullah is a passionate social and climate activist with the ability to motivate and inspire individuals in identifying their potentials to continue and share the passion of serving others. Mr. Irfan has a Master’s degree from the United Nations University Institute of Environment and Human Security Bonn. He has five years of multi-sectoral experiences spanning from disaster risk reduction, climate risk insurance, climate change adaptation and resilience, community mobilization, water hygiene and sanitation, food security and livelihoods, and from conflict triggered disasters to earthquake, flood response, and sustainable development.
HOST
Sabrina Guzman Skotnitsky
Instagram: sabrinaskotman
Facebook: Sabrina Guzman Skotnitsky
LinkedIn: Sabrina Guzman Skotnitsky
Sabrina (she/her) is Youth Climate Lab’s former International Policy Specialist. She is also a climate justice advocate, researcher, and youth consultant residing on the unceded territory of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh peoples (Vancouver).
EDITOR
Rachel Rose Chevalier Gordon
YCL Bio: Rachel R. Chevalier Gordon
LinkedIn: Rachel Rose Gordon
Rachel (she/her) is Youth Climate Lab’s Communications Lead. She has a special interest in community-centric organizing, effectively leveraging privilege, and sustainable change models
The above resources on multi-solving and how it can be used to further climate justice were produced in partnership with Green Africa Youth Organization (GAYO) and with support from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).
