Event Recording

Organizers

Background

Peace Boat organizes global educational voyages onboard a large passenger ship focused on the UN SDGs including SDG13, Climate Action. We organize specific programmes focused on capacity building for climate action. In 2017, Peace Boat launched the Ocean and Climate Youth Ambassador Programme in collaboration with the Alliance of Small Island Developing States (AOSIS) as an endorsed event of the COP23 Fiji Presidency. As a programme for youth leaders from states on the front line of climate change and marine degradation, youth have since regularly traveled onboard Peace Boat’s ship to engage in capacity building and awareness raising through public engagement, meeting with government and civil society representatives.  

We partnered with The Youth Negotiator’s Academy and OneOcean Hub Africa.  The Youth Negotiator’s Academy delivers training for youth to participate in negotiations to create a diverse pipeline of effective young negotiators who will co - lead the world’s most important multilateral discussions and successfully deliver positive global outcomes. OceanHub Africa is engaged in training and education for young people on ocean issues across the African continent.  

Objectives

To address the importance of networks to strengthen capacity building networks for youth or that are youth led. It explored both the advantages and challenges 

Secondly, climate Action needs to also be climate justice including making sure that Loss and Damage is addressed and communities most affected are given access to finance. To achieve climate justice, the voices of Most Affected People and Areas (MAPA) must be heard. Sharing stories and experiences from communities and persons on the front line of the climate crisis is vital. This side event looked at different aspects of storytelling from film to spoken word and blogs/podcasts.  

Structure and Speakers

The first part of the session heard from youth who are working in their own communities on the front line of the climate crisis and leveraging networks to strengthen their own work. We heard from them about the challenges and the advantages of connecting through networks, and the value of peer to peer exchange as well as storytelling for awareness raising. Each also shared a different way in which they have been sharing the stories of their work and their communities These include, film, online blogs and podcasts and spoken word.

The session was then conducted in an informal World Cafe style in small groups led by each of the youth to discuss together with participants the points raised in the first part including and to look at the advantages and disadvantages of different aspects of storytelling. During Peace Boat’s experiences with youth from Small Island Developing States through the Ocean and Climate Youth Ambassador Programme, the session emphasised the importance of listening to others and placing value on individual experience. The groups came together at the end to share the main points of their discussions. 

The session concluded with an announcement of scholarships for youth capacity building programmes onboard Peace Boat’s ship in collaboration with Blue Planet Alliance. Based in Hawai’i, Blue Planet Alliance is working with large ocean states across the Pacific to promote renewable energy and offers the Global Ambassador Programme for youth.  

Moderators

• Emilie McGlone, Director, Peace Boat US 
• Marie-Claire Graf, Co-Founder, Youth Negotiators Academy 

Speakers

• Ivory Vogt , Youth Negotiator from Palau, Youth Negotiators Academy 
• Herland Cerveaux, Operations Officer, Ocean Hub Africa 
• John Ruben, Vanuatu
• Liam Koka’ua, Deep Sea Mining Video Aotearoa (NZ)
• Michael – Fiji YNA 

Key Outcomes

This session took place through storytelling by various speakers. Peace Boat was presented as a Global Voyage for Peace, engaging with youth from SIDS or Large Ocean States to share their experiences. Likewise, the session introduced Captain Fanplastic: a children’s book character engaging children in environmental practices and storytelling to change people’s behavior.

• Storytelling is key in many cultural practices.
• Different ways how we can bring storytelling into policymaking through advocacy and peaceful protest.
• Speakers also presented traditional resource management and the role of empowering indigenous and local communities by enhancing indigenous practices.
• Storytelling and documentation is effective and necessary for empowering indigenous communities and sharing knowledge. 
• Storytelling activities can be expanded into educational tools to reach a broader audience and teaching climate action from a young age.