In partnership with ICLEI South America, the YCL Course – Climate Leadership for the 21st Century – was launched in the first half of 2020, held entirely online between April 18 and May 19, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. On that occasion, ICLEI South America had the opportunity to encourage local governments and its own collaborators to get involved with the initiative.

In this edition, the course was offered to young people from cities associated with ICLEI at a special price, with the chance to win a full scholarship. In addition, two ICLEI South America staff members were selected to participate in the entire course. Check out their testimonials below to see what their experience was like in the course, which had 92 participants over eight weeks of classes:

“With a broadly diverse range of content on the climate agenda, from political and institutional aspects to technical and scientific approaches, I was able to envision new avenues for action to become an agent of change and contribute to the sustainable development of my country. I was greatly inspired by professionals with established careers in the field and connected with young people of different profiles, locations, backgrounds, and realities – which I consider to have been the greatest gain from the entire virtual experience. I thank ICLEI South America for providing this learning opportunity and for believing in the potential of young people, including within its staff, reaffirming that we are responsible for creating a more just and equitable world for everyone,” pointed out Giovana Figueiredo, Institutional Relations Advisor at ICLEI South America.

“One point I found very relevant regarding the course is that, after its completion, participants become part of the YCL international network, gaining exclusive access to various climate-related opportunities, such as professional exchanges, mentoring, and courses, with the aim of being close to organizations, specialists, and young leaders to exchange knowledge and opportunities. In short, I believe that the scholarships for the course that ICLEI provides are an important tool to encourage the training of young climate leaders, as well as empowering their teams, since much of the knowledge I had the opportunity to learn and/or deepen can be used in activities I carry out at ICLEI,” noted Larissa Maia, Project Assistant at ICLEI South America.

ICLEI South America thanks its collaborators for their participation and dedication.It encourages mass participation from young people interested in the topic. Registration for the second semester edition is already open and will continue until July 20th at a special price; after that, registration will be valid at the regular price., Check out the methodology and the program.. If you'd like to know more, check out the... webinar which we held with Youth Climate Leaders on March 13, 2020, to answer questions about the course and careers in climate.

The YCL Course – Climate Leadership for the 21st Century is aimed at participants aged 18 to 35 who seek a general understanding of climate careers, serving as an entry point to a global network and more specific/advanced courses.