Internationalization and Global Youth Engagement
The year 2025 will mark a milestone in the international journey of the Jovens Líderes (Young Leaders) project through three interconnected programs: the Online Pre-COP Symposium, official Youth Participation in COP30 in Belém (PA), and the Cultural Routes initiative. Together, these programs expand the role of Brazilian youth in global climate debates, strengthen traditional knowledge, and connect grassroots territories to the world.
Pre-COP Online Symposium – Youth Inspiring the Future of Climate
The Pre-COP Online Symposium – Youth Inspiring the Future of Climate is an international virtual gathering that will bring together over 2,500 young people from across Brazil and other countries between August and October 2025. The event serves as a preparatory space for COP30, promoting education, dialogue, and collective action around climate issues, social justice, and public policy. The program includes multilingual workshops, thematic panels, dialogue circles, a youth cultural showcase, co-creation labs, and the presentation of community-based solutions.
As part of the symposium, a competition will be held to select the best projects, videos, essays, or podcasts submitted by participants. The top entries will be awarded a fully funded international trip to China in 2025, through the global program View on China. This immersive experience will offer selected youth the opportunity to explore sustainability initiatives, innovation centers, and universities in China, while engaging in cultural exchange with young leaders from around the world.
COP30 – Youth Leadership at the Heart of Global Climate Action
During COP30, taking place in November 2025 in Belém, Pará (Brazil), the Young Leaders Delegation will participate with its own agenda, developed in collaboration with youth from across Brazil and around the world. Activities will include participation in UN-recognized side events, panels on social technologies, ecological sanitation, and grassroots leadership, as well as dialogue circles among Indigenous, Quilombola, and international youth activists.
The delegation will also present climate justice practices developed by young people in their communities, acting as a direct representation of Brazil’s traditional and marginalized youth, bringing historically silenced voices to the center of global climate discussions.
Cultural Routes – Knowledge, Territories, and Youth in Movement
The Cultural Routes are annual in-person and traveling experiences held in traditional, quilombola, Indigenous, peripheral, and riverside communities. Their aim is to foster cultural exchange, support youth-led microprojects, and strengthen local identities. Each route lasts between 4 to 7 days and includes workshops, immersive experiences, collective efforts (mutirões), knowledge-sharing circles, and cultural performances.
Participants also receive technical support and microfunding to develop local initiatives. The journeys are documented through audiovisual materials and the creation of educational resources that highlight the wisdom and richness of the visited territories.
Cultural Routes Calendar:
2025 – Pará (during COP30)
2026 – Ceará, Brazil
2027 – Maranhão
2028 – São Paulo
2029 – Rio de Janeiro
