LCOY USA 2024 Reflection
By Sania Anand, Holly Harwood, Apsara Mitra, and Isabel Mejía - Policy & Education at Re-earth Initiative
Background
The Local Conference of Youth (LCOY) is the official, UN-endorsed, youth-led and youth-focused conference focused on climate action at a national level. LCOY provides a space and a platform for young people to engage with climate issues, share knowledge, and draft National Youth Statements on Climate (NYS). In contrast, the Regional Conference of Youth (RCOY), also UN-endorsed, brings together youth from multiple countries from a specific region (such as Latin America). This allows for cross-collaboration across borders to address pressing climate issues. Although LCOY has a national focus, while RCOY serves as a bridge between international regions, they both are precursors to the internationally recognized Conference of Youth (COY). Generally speaking, as well, all these conferences act as spaces where youth can engage with leaders and contribute to the climate movement.
Conference of Youth (COY)
The Conference of Youth (COY) is a global gathering of youth activists and leaders held annually before the UN’s Conference of Parties (COP). COY (similar to LCOYs and RCOYs) are organized by YOUNGO, the official youth constituency to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Similar to how the NYSs are drafted at LCOYs, the Global Youth Statement (GYS) is drafted at COY – which is later presented to global leaders at COP. The GYS takes input from all perspectives found in NYSs from around the globe. COY serves as a critical platform for youth to influence international climate negotiations, give recommendations, advocate for climate policies, and ensure their voices are heard.
Global Youth Statement (GYS)
The GYS is a collective document created by youth at COY to represent the perspectives, demands, and policy recommendations of young people around the world regarding climate action. It serves as a formal declaration of youth priorities and is presented at COP. It aims to influence global climate negotiations and ensure that youth voices are integrated into the decision-making process at the highest level.
LCOY USA
LCOY USA is the event that brings together USA based youth climate activists to draft the USA NYS. The NYS is shared with national policy and decision makers to put pressure on the US government to take greater action towards climate justice. This year, there were 3 focus areas for the NYS:
Reducing Emissions - actions to reduce the flow of heat-trapping greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere (climate mitigation) and to properly support a just transition in our workforce/economy away from fossil fuels.
Adaptation - involves adjusting to actual or expected future climate. The goal is to reduce or avoid harm to people and nature from the harmful effects of climate change (like sea-level rise, more intense extreme weather events, or food insecurity).
Funding the Future - Climate finance is a term that refers to financial resources that support actions to address climate change. These resources can come from public, private, or alternative sources, and prioritization of funding to frontline communities or certain initiatives is also very important.
How to Get Involved?
Applying
There is a straightforward application process to get involved. The application usually opens by mid-June and concludes after a month. If interested, you need to submit a Google form expressing your interest in attending the conference, climate priorities and previous experience. The form can be found on LCOY USA’s Instagram page or their website.
To apply there are 3 main criteria. You must be…
35 yrs or younger (if under 18, you must have an adult guardian present with you at the conference)
Have lived experience in the US
Have an interest or experience in climate advocacy
Getting there: Funding
Finding funding to cover travel and accommodation costs can be challenging. Here are a few options to help you!
LCOY organizers - You can reach out to the organizers via email or text to ask what funding they can give you
Your Organization - If you are part of an organization that works in climate advocacy and will be representing them at the conference, you could request them for funding. Delegates are given the space to lead informational sessions, this would be a great opportunity to share your organization's work.
Your Educational institution - If you are attending school or college at the time of applying you can reach out to admin staff to request monetary support.
Re-Earth at LCOY USA
At LCOY we had the unique opportunity to collaborate with other youth from diverse backgrounds and learn about environmental justice issues their communities face. The thematic group sessions helped us gain insight into the policy-making process and the value of open dialogue. Through meaningful discussion, we were able to draft a powerful, unified youth statement that demands urgent climate action from US leaders.
Our trip to LCOY was directly related to Re-Earth Initiative's commitment to fostering a global, youth-led climate movement. By attending LCOY USA, we deepened our engagement with national and international climate policy discussions, bringing back insights that will enhance our work. We shared our approach to climate justice, focusing on inclusivity and intersectionality, and engaged in dialogues that align with our values of equity and grassroots empowerment.
LCOY USA 2023 - Washington, DC (American University)
Apsara Mitra - Deputy Tech Director; TAMU ‘22, UPenn ‘25
LCOY USA 2023 was my first introduction to the global climate policy making space in a negotiating capacity as opposed to a direct action and frontline climate activist capacity. It gave me the opportunity to connect with people who were working within climate spaces in various capacities, whether it was through academia, public art projects, science communication or even through innovation and technology. The experience provided valuable insight into how priorities were discussed and how verbiage was scrupulously considered before adoption in the policy making process. In 2023, the priorities for addressing the climate crisis were resilience, adaptation, and mitigation and in the process we were able to learn about the local and national structures that do exist for climate policies and the ones that don’t and what we could propose within our statement to address these gaps. The goal oriented nature of this conference made it one that was engaging, productive, and also very interactive and participatory. This is an experience that I would encourage for anyone, but especially for those who are interested in getting more involved in the international climate negotiation process.
Holly Harwood- Policy & Education Writer; UCSD ’24 & 26’
I had the privilege of spending three days in Washington, D.C., with incredibly bright and resolute youth at LCOY USA 2023. Together, we shared stories from our local communities, exchanged strategies for building collective action, and redistributed knowledge while drafting the USA National Youth Statement 2023. Although it was my first climate conference, being in a space with other dedicated organizers, policymakers, and climate leaders made me feel seen and united in our mission to represent the needs of U.S. youth on the international climate stage. The highlight of my time at LCOY was hearing Sophia Powless share her story as an Indigenous woman and member of the Onondaga Nation, fighting for clean water in her community and advocating for climate justice internationally. Creating new paradigms to scale equitable climate solutions requires reciprocity, collaboration, and trust. I am thankful for the chance to bring the voices of my communities with me to D.C. and return home with new knowledge, tools, friendships, and hope.
LCOY USA 2024 - Tempe, Arizona (Arizona State University)
Sania Anand - Policy & Education Strand Member, Barnard ‘27
This was my first time attending a climate conference as a delegate and being able to engage in the discussions. I have previously only been involved in the logistical side of organising events. This was a great learning opportunity as I gained insight into the process of policy-making that requires open dialogue, patience and collaboration. Most importantly, I got to work with other youth climate advocates from diverse backgrounds to draft a powerful, unified youth statement that demands urgent climate action. I would strongly recommend this opportunity to all youth climate advocates interested in shaping climate policy.
Isabel - External Comms. Director at REI, Cornell ‘24 & ‘25
LCOY USA 2024 was my first time participating in an event pertaining to climate negotiations. This was a very new field to me, especially because my educational background is in engineering, not policy. Even though this was new to me, and not new to others, I felt supported and heard throughout the entire weekend. I got to meet new like minded people, hear new perspectives, and learn more about the climate movement around the USA. I found that it was run very effectively, and we all got the opportunity to share our thoughts. Even when there were disagreements, they were very cordial and respectful. This was a very valuable experience for me, as I got to dip my toes into a new perspective on climate action that I had not experienced prior. I highly recommend this opportunity to all youth activists around the globe!
