
YCP 2.0: Activity III
On 18 January 2025, we held our third and last online activity of the Young Climate Professionals programme.
Building on efforts to strengthen the sustainability skills of young climate enthusiasts through the #OurFutureEurope programme, we put the focus on “Biodiversity: Preserving and restoring ecosystems“. The aim was to discuss the importance of building resilience to climate change impacts at the local level, including strategies for leading and inspiring community engagement and awareness for planning mitigation and adaptation measures, and finding nature-based solutions to preserve and restore ecosystems for resilient communities.
We kicked off the session by learning about the mission of Znanje na djelu Association, a key YCP partner, which connects education and business to provide young people with career guidance and hands-on experience in companies. We then delved into the main topic through two inspiring talks by Croatian professionals working in nature conservation:
Marina Petrić from WWF Adria shared what her organisation does to mitigate climate change consequences and how important biodiversity is in a global and regional context. She included her experience in restoring the ‘Amazon of Europe’ and working in the first five-country UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Mura-Drava-Danube.
Vanja Novosel offered youth perspectives on nature conservation and the importance of youth involvement in climate initiatives and activities. She co-founded the youth section within Association Biom, called Primar and started organising citizen science activities like monitoring bird collision with glass surfaces with her youth group.
The following discussions covered topics such as the technicalities of project writing, the challenges of working in nature conservation, and the broader impacts of restoration measures. The session concluded with a hands-on exercise, where participants brainstormed customer and stakeholder personas for various nature conservation projects.
We are excited to continue the journey and culminate this incredible learning experience at the YCP Campus in Zagreb in mid-February. For more information about our YCP programme, please visit our website here: https://thecivics.eu/projects/ycp/