Why young people?

Young people are passionate about change and have the energy and drive to work towards it. We are also among those who suffer most from the consequences of environmental degradation and the negative impacts of climate change. We see opportunities for us in a better world, so we want to create the future we desire, by holding our leaders to account and having a say in decision making that affects our future.

Who are we?

The Ghana Youth Environmental Movement (GYEM) is a leading youth-led environmental policy advocacy and non-violent campaign group in Ghana. We exist to mobilise and organise young people to take action to solve the environmental challenges in our communities, and also address the global climate emergency. We believe that social movements have historically opened the doors to transformational change, and that we can learn from those experiences to do same in our context.

Our Vision

Our vision is to work towards a sustainable environment and just world for ours and future generations. We envision a sustainable and just planet as one with clean air and water, protected land and ocean, and sustainable food and energy to support every person and community to live a happy, safe and healthy life.

Our Mission

To bring together and empower young people from diverse backgrounds with the tools to run disruptive campaigns, and lead solutions to the environmental challenges of our time.

Our Values

Commitment— we are building a movement that is dedicated and courageous to campaign for environmental justice

Innovation— we encourage and use creative ways of developing and making our message heard

Optimism—our movement is very hopeful; we believe that we can make a change no matter how long it takes

Authenticity— our movement emerged originally out of a desire to change the prevailing status quo. We were created through the passion and sweat of Ghanaian youth

Adaptivity— we are willing to learn from a wide range of experiences to stay relevant in our context, while staying true to the belief that African traditional knowledge is a rich source of solutions to the ecological crisis

How we do it

We train activists to design and lead non-violent direct action (NVDA)

We build leaders at the grassroots and empower them to lead change in their context

We aim for systemic change, while welcoming incremental change in the process

We focus on bottom up solutions, and prioritise the participation of those at the frontlines of environmental injustice

Become a volunteer

We are looking for young people with convictions to do something about the problem. We look for commitment and availability before ability, so if you’ve got that get in touch. You will be supported with the skills and network to make a change!

JOIN US

OUR PARTNERS