Global Youth Climate Training 2025
Global Youth Climate Training (GYCT) is a free, fully online capacity development programme that equips people aged 16-35 with the knowledge and confidence necessary to engage in international climate policy. Young people are increasingly being given a seat at the table in domestic and international climate policy, and therefore require appropriate capacity development to ensure their interventions are cogent and relevant.
This project is a collaboration between the Global Youth Coalition (GYC), a coalition of climate youth changemakers, and researchers at the University of Oxford (Oxford Net Zero, Oxford Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment). The joint team delivering this project represents a strong international and intergenerational collaboration, spanning multiple continents, professional background and ages. We received 20,000 applications across our 2023 and 2024 cohorts, demonstrating greater need for effective youth capacity development programmes.
Global Youth Climate Training Overview
With the generous support of the ClimateWorks Foundation, we are running our third iteration of the programme from 21st May to 16th July. This includes preparation for the June UNFCCC conference in Bonn, where participants can apply their newly-learned skills and work collaboratively with other participants to prepare position papers. There is one session prior to COP30 on 4th November, preparing the cohort for anticipated opportunities and outcomes of the conference.
Last year, our programme centred on the integrity and ambition of non-state climate action. This year, the programme focuses on understanding how international climate policy evolves, is challenged by, and has new opportunities emerge within a changing global geopolitical landscape. Alongside lecture style sessions with expert speakers, participants will be able to access interactive peer-learning sessions and practice advocacy skills through assignments.
The programme brochure for this year includes details such as the schedule, focus of this year’s course, and applicant criteria. It can be found here as a PDF and here as a Word version (if using a text-to-voice reader).
Applications for the 2025 programme are now OPEN (link here) and close on March 21st. We will assess all applications after this date, so take your time with your application – no extra points for submitting early!
You will hear back about your application after April 21st. You should not expect communications from our team until this date. Communications to individual team members regarding the outcome of your application will not be answered.
You can expect an update on your application status after April 21st from youthclimatetraining@gmail.com. We use a software to help us with our mailing list, which sometimes ends up in spam folders, so please check your spam after and around April 21st.
Global Youth Climate Training Applicant Profile
- Age: 16-35
- Demonstrated experience in climate activism (e.g., campaigns, projects, community engagement).
- Some knowledge of the UNFCCC process and recent COP outcomes
- Demonstrated ability and experience in advocating effectively for change (e.g., communication, persuasion, collaboration).
- Strong passion for climate action and a desire to make a difference.
- Preference for applicants representing diverse regions and groups most impacted by climate change.
