Make.Climate.Fair.

Climate change concerns us all and the participation of everyone in climate protection is more important than ever - for concrete action and for a real say. That is why Green City e.V. and Mikado UMdieWELT from the Initiativgruppe Interkulturelle Begegnung und Bildung e.V., funded by the Munich Re Foundation, have launched the participatory project on climate justice. Train-the-trainer courses are used to train young people as ESD multipliers who can then run workshops in their peer groups and motivate them to protect the climate.

The young generation in particular is facing huge challenges and an uncertain future due to climate change. Environmental movements such as Fridays for Future are the first initiatives to motivate large groups of young people to get involved in climate protection. However, over 40 percent of the demonstrators come from the upper middle class, are white and have good access to education. People with a migration background are underrepresented in these movements compared to the population as a whole. This is neither due to a lack of interest nor a lack of willingness. Very often, people with a migration background simply do not have the same educational opportunities.  

At the same time, the debate on climate justice in particular shows that it is mainly people with a migration background, from precarious backgrounds and in the global South who feel the effects of climate change more keenly. This is despite the fact that they have contributed the least to climate change.

For the joint project, Green City - which has been active as a local environmental organization in Munich for over 30 years - has teamed up with Mikado UMdieWELT from the Initiative group Interkulturelle Begegnung und Bildung e.V.. The association has been supporting educational activities for migrants in Munich for many decades. Equal opportunities and educational equality are central themes here. The Mikado UMdieWELT project is aimed at young people, especially Black and People of Color (BPOC) and those affected by intersectional and structural discrimination. It aims to motivate young people to actively shape the future in a globalized world in an independent and responsible manner.

The initiators of the project want to value the skills, strengths and resources that young people with and without a migration background have. At the same time, they want to open up a space in which experiences can be made and participation is encouraged - regardless of the background. This is why even the project title was developed by the young people.

It started in March 2023 and as a genuine participatory project should be: with young people aged 16-27, of course. In the first phase, the core group of four young adults met and designed the project together with the project initiators. They contributed their potential, knowledge and enthusiasm and were seen as experts for their target group. Green City and Mikado UMdieWELT provided support with specialist knowledge. In training sessions - also with external speakers - the young people were trained to hold workshops on climate justice themselves. It was always the young people who determined which subtopics should be the focus. Education for sustainable development (ESD) and (climate) justice were the main themes.

The conception phase was followed by train-the-trainer courses. All young people were invited to attend. The free workshops took place from June to September 2023. In addition to topics such as climate justice, intersectionality, racism and global learning, skills and methods were also explained and discussed. In fall 2023, the young ESD multipliers already had the opportunity to apply the knowledge they had acquired in a peer-to-peer approach and conduct their first workshops. Their goal: to get more young people excited about climate action with an authentic approach.

We at the Munich Re Foundation are delighted to be able to provide financial support for this innovative project. After all, it is also our aim to motivate more people to protect the climate.