by Tomas Matraia

26 November 2009

Bonn, Germany: UNV volunteer Camelia Tri Lestari gazes from the window of the United Nations building at the calmness of the natural environment outside. But inside the meeting room, the atmosphere is lively.

Youth volunteers engaged in combating climate change are here from all over the world, eager to share their experiences, voice their achievements and face new challenges.

This is the Bonn Symposium workshop 2009, organized by UNV and the Bonn International Model United Nations, and funded by the European Commission. It is named 'Addressing Climate and Environmental Sustainability – Youth Volunteers Leading the Way'.

The session starts with some historical background about how the global environmental movement has been driven by volunteers and Volunteer-Involving Organizations since its birth. The delegates focus on the spontaneous involvement of volunteerism in development, and how the capacity acquired by volunteer groups in generating visible results has become a strong element of attraction for new membership.

"Youth volunteerism is already having an impact on climate change," says Mae Chao, Chief of Research and Development at UNV. "Through cooperation with institutions, universities, the private sector and NGOs we can successfully enhance the role of youth in the volunteer movement and achieve even greater results. The Bonn symposium is an ideal venue to constructively address these points."

Camelia is a UNV volunteer serving in Indonesia with a UNDP project called 'Safer Communities Through Disaster Risk Reduction'. She speaks with conviction about her engagement in protecting our ecosystem and highlights the close interconnection of the programme with climate change.

"In fact," she says, "the higher the impact climate change will have on regions like Indonesia and all over the world, the more there will be a need for programmes training people to tackle disasters such as floods. I teach children and other young people like me how to minimize the risks if a disaster happens, and I raise awareness of behaviours and situations that could endanger our environment - hence our communities."

When asked about the comparative advantage of being a youth volunteer, she answers:  "Addressing the climate change fight is not only about technical procedures, it is about education and knowledge to ensure future generations will not commit the same mistakes we have done. Being a youth volunteer is an incredibly powerful tool in approaching other young people."

Aleksandra Povaric, volunteers within the Youth Environment of Uzbekistan and her words reveal a dedication to volunteerism, "a driving force", she says, "able to channel youth energy, ideas and ambitious goals to sensitize civil society".

"Some weeks ago," she continues, "in a Tashkent square, trees dating back to the 18th century were cut down. It was a major loss for our capital; neither was it the best message about the environment and the protection it deserves. We wanted to raise awareness and sensitize the local community in order to prevent those situations happening again."

“Through our participation in the environmental network," she continues, "we supported the mobilization of many youth volunteers along with other partners... We gathered on the square in the same places where the trees used to give us fresh air. We were holding candles to commemorate the loss of one of the most precious assets...  plants. People in the square were captured by our action and you could see we achieved our aim. We also plan to plant new trees in spring in another area to compensate for those that were cut."

Shankar Musafir, presenter of the workshop was also very pleased by the results. "Although a formal recognition of the great value and impact of youth in volunteer projects has not been formally acknowledged yet," he says, "more and more institutional bodies and areas of civil society are beginning to listen to youth volunteers voicing their important contribution to combat climate change".

Camelia looks again out of the window, before leaving the UN building: nature is quiet today in Bonn, but youth volunteers committed to help the planet, are more alive than ever.