Sustainable Americas
Youth Action in Sustainability
Youth Congress Pilot Project Winners
We are delighted to announce the 2021 Youth Congress Pilot Project winners! From Canada to Argentina, delegates of our Youth Congress for Sustainable Americas submitted impactful project proposals to be considered for funding to kickstart sustainable impact initiatives at the local level. We hope you will stay tuned as we follow these projects and the launch of our 2021 Sustainable Americas Summit.
First Place: Daniela Bueso, Colombia
Empowering Youth through Education and Leadership Training
Daniela Bueso's mission is to provide education and leadership training to La Bendición Youth Group in partnership with Utz Che’, an Indigenous community forestry network in Guatemala. Her goal is to reduce migration from younger generations from their communities by investing in rural economies, improving people's well-being and the environment.
Second Place: Bitia Chavez, Peru
Regenerate: Family Farming and Urban Gardens
Bitia Chavez's project addresses food insecurity in Cusco, Peru by implementing family gardens to promote sustainable food sovereignty and address climate change by reducing food waste. She wants to recover ancestral techniques that are being lost today to help promote a collaborative and sustainable food economy in Cusco.
Third Place: Jimena Montane, Mexico
Empowering Young Women to Boost Sustainable Tourism
Jimena Montane and her project partner Edna Martinez aim to boost sustainable management of tourism and outdoor recreation in El Chico National Park in Mexico. Through workshops and trainings they will create a community of young women to promote sustainable economic growth and create job opportunities for rural women in the sustainable tourism sector.
About the Youth Congress
In recognition of the urgency of climate change and the entrepreneurial spirit of young leaders across the Americas, the Biennial of the Americas and the Nature Conservancy launched the Youth Congress for Sustainable Americas during the 2017 Biennial of the Americas Festival. We recognize the need to empower emerging leaders with the resources and networks to make real and lasting progress to address climate change and sustainability in our hemisphere.
Our mission is to unite and empower an international delegation of citizen leaders throughout the Americas who will, through this cumulative network, amplify exponentially the advocacy and behavioral shifts needed to address the causes of climate change.
Delegates from across the United States, Canada and Latin America have been selected for their commitment to environmental sustainability and motivation to create lasting change in their home communities. Through social media, digital platforms, film and multiple annual conferences, delegates will build more robust networks, collaborate and share resources and amplify the message for urgent climate change action.
Past Youth Congress Summits
Sustainable Americas Summit
In October 2020 we hosted our Sustainable Americas Summit. Check out the sessions on Facebook and YouTube! During three days of programming we hosted 27 speakers from 14 different countries with participants from 25 different countries! We would like to extend a huge thank you to our speakers, participants and especially our sponsors AT&T, Liberty Latin America and Continuum LLC for making this event possible! Check out this short highlight video:
