This year YRE International is sending no less than six YRE students to COP! The six participants were chosen based on their excellent journalistic skills and their high engagement with environmental issues. Three of them (Jasmine, Kristin and Maria) will participate in the COP during the 1st week (3-7 Dec) and the three others (Lovely, Martina and Wesley) will participate during the 2nd week (10-14 Dec). Read each of their profiles below.
Tasks of YRE students at COP 24:
Each of students will be making two journalistic pieces (articles or videos) on two topics of interest linked to climate change. They will conduct their main research and interviews during the COP and their journalistic pieces will be published on Exposure shortly after.
The students will participate in the two events organized by FEE (Youth Training Workshop on Constructive Journalism and Round Table Discussion on the challenges of Climate Change Education) as well as other events by FEE’s partners.
They will conduct and record interviews with high-level COP participants which will be shared on YouTube.
They will make daily updates on YRE International’s social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Jasmine (Scotland)
Currently Scotland’s only ambassador for Keep Scotland Beautiful and a proud Young Reporter for the Environment. I write about causes in the hope to seek and achieve change. It was early 2018 when I first got involved with YRE and attending COP24 will be my second international YRE conference.
I am a photography student from a small town outside “bonnie” Glasgow. Through my photography, I have the ability to document a range of topics, especially as a photo speaks a thousand words. I am particularly passionate about both writing and the environment, so being a YRE member enables me to fulfil my passion.
By participating in these conferences, it allows for me to meet like-minded people and can share my opinions and views with those from different regions of the world. As Scotland’s only ambassador, I have the key role of representing both Scotland and the UK as a whole.
I am absolutely thrilled to be attending the COP24 event all about climate change. This is one area which has multiple factors and I have a keen interest in it. By attending, I hope to gain some vital knowledge and skills which I can then share upon arrival back home. I would describe myself as being an enthusiastic individual when it comes to learning new things, and I like a challenge.
Kristina (Canada)
Starting from when I was a little kid, I have always been fascinated by nature and our environment. Now, as a Bachelor of Science graduate in Zoology, I am invested, more than ever, in the preservation of our planet’s natural resources and its inhabitants for generations to come. I hope to take on the topics to be discussed in COP24 in a scientific and biological approach, and also present it in a non-anthropocentric perspective to remind others how dependent our own human existence lies on the conservation of our resources. Collectively, we can evoke awareness to others of how grand and impactful our actions can be if we act now
Maria (Portugal)
My first contact with YRE was three years ago, after writing an article on air pollution in Lisbon. I was then selected to participate in a national mission, which was the starting point for an enthusiastic path as an YRE, with an ex-situ conservation mission in between! Indeed, the enriching opportunity to grow as a young journalist while studying sustainable initiatives and meeting people from different backgrounds, whether in Portugal or worldwide, captivated me. This year, I was awarded the ex-aequo prize on the national YRE contest with an article on glyphosate.
I am currently studying Biochemistry at University College London, with a strong desire to pursue a carrier in research regarding public health: being an YRE allows me to interconnect science, writing and critical thinking. At COP 24, I am looking forward to apply in practice all the knowledge I acquired in the past three years and I couldn’t be more motivated to face this challenge!
Lovely (Canada)
As a resident in the city of Toronto and an economics student at the University of Toronto, I have experienced and learned about some of the impacts of climate change. At a young age, I quickly realized and understood our responsibility to the Earth. This passion got me involved in countless leadership initiatives relating to climate change, sustainability and raising environmental awareness. In 2014, I wrote an article regarding waste management solutions for disposable coffee cups which gave me the opportunity to participate in an international YRE workshop. That experience motivated me to educate the youth about climate change and helped me realize that our actions, no matter how big or small, can indeed make a change.
Currently, I work with a youth-driven climate change organization that supports and helps youth find their voice and power to advocate for a more aggressive climate policy at the municipal level. I am looking forward to participating in COP24 because I believe that it will not only provide me new insights and long term solutions for climate change but it will also challenge my ability to go beyond the borders of my local community and towards a more international approach on environmental issues.
Martina (Malta)
I am Martina. I am 21 years old and I live in Malta, a beautiful little island in the Mediterranean Sea. I have recently graduated in Dental Technology and I am now working as a Dental Technician.
I have been part of the YRE program since 2013. YRE is the optimal platform for voicing one’s concerns, both locally and internationally and, it was during the international workshops in Sweden in 2014 and Lisbon in 2018 that I was given the opportunity and resources to do so. I am confident that attending COP 24 will help me improve my constructive writing skills as an environmental journalist, and teach me how to be more receptive and resourceful with information which I will be well equipped to filter.
Wesley (Singapore)
I am an undergraduate studying law with an interest in environmental justice and policy. I was acquainted with the YRE programme in 2017 when I submitted a comparative piece on how environmental initiatives take root and vary in different countries. Thanks to YRE, I’ve had the privilege of attending the ESD conference last April where I learnt methods for effective change-making and refined my journalistic skills.
I have now been given this unparalleled opportunity to attend the United Nations Climate Change Conference in December as a young journalist—I look forward to engaging with discussions on sustainability education, observing the interplay between law and policy on an international level, and to provide a perspective for the youths of today.