***DEADLINE EXTENDED: 10 September 2023, 23:00 Pacific Time Zone***

Thanks for your interest in the Youth Organizer Engagement Program of the COP Safety Hub!

What is it?

The Youth Organizer Engagement Program is a training series run by the COP Safety Hub. It is designed to equip young people from the Youth Climate Justice Movement (YCJM) with the skills to support their fellow activists to prepare for COP28 and to navigate the challenges they may face when attending COP or when they return home.

Who is it for?

To participate in this program you should be:

- A member of the Youth Climate Justice Movement (through any organisation or collective)

- Reliable, trusted by your network, receptive and participative

- A coordinator or leader in your delegation (ideally with prior experience attending for climate conferences such as COP)

- Focused on movement building

- Available to participate in the program (commitment of 4 hours per week for 6 weeks in October/November)

- Aligned with the values of the COP Safety Hub

- Nominated and supported by your delegation to participate in the program

- Planning to attend COP28 in Dubai (confirmation of place not required)

What can you expect?

During this first cohort we will select key members from the YCJM who are well placed to support their networks. Through online training sessions, we will provide you with knowledge around the security panorama of climate justice activism. This will include techniques to assess risks and methodologies for establishing  holistic security strategies for preventing and mitigating risks when carrying out climate activism, with a focus on COP28. It will also include key information on how to access resources and connections in case of need, such as the COP Safety Hub.

The Program will consist of six workshops that will take place weekly, commencing early October. Additionally you may be required to do additional reading or activities outside of the workshop sessions. The total time commitment expected is 4 hours per week. 

Stipend

Selected participants will be supported with a 300 USD stipend to facilitate their participation into the program. Payment of the stipend is contingent on participation in the initial orientation session as well as at least 5 out of 6 workshop sessions.

Nominations

To participate in the Youth Organizer Engagement Program of the COP Safety Hub, you should be nominated by a representative of your network or by a third party within a climate organisation that knows you well. Self-nominations will not be accepted. Candidates who do not have a nominator should reach out to the member of our team that sent you this form or to info@climateactivistdefenders.org for further advice. 

This form is divided into two parts, the first part relates to the nominator, and the second to you - the applicant. Both parts should be completed by the applicant with the consent of the nominator. If your application is shortlisted, we may reach out to your nominator to verify your application.

Selection Process

Applications will be reviewed by the Safety Hub organizing team, prioritizing candidates that meet the criteria outlined above. Expected attendance of the person or their organization’s delegation to COP28 is not mandatory but desired, candidates planning to attend COP will be prioritized during selection.

History of the COP Safety Hub

The Safety Hub was first active at COP27 and emerged from a recognition within the movement that safety support at COP was needed. It is rooted in an understanding of holistic security support needs of the YCJM, identified through a risk analysis of YCJM carried out in 2021. The overall objective of the Hub is to provide youth climate justice activists (YCJAs) with access to safety support through building capacity among the YCJM for mitigating risks related to participation in COP27 and providing immediate support to YCJAs on risk management, including in the event of an incident.

Our main objective is to the build capacity of key members of the YCJM in risk management and safety support, so that they can in turn support their peers in the movement. Through this, we can ensure that security support is more accessible for members in the YCJM who need it by reducing their dependency on external organizations to receive assistance around safety and wellbeing. This approach is grounded in learnings from the COP27 Safety Hub, as YCJAs usually reach out first to their friends and delegations if they face challenges. Based on this, we want to equip those individuals with the skills to be first responders in case of need, and to develop their connections to wider networks of support to ease their individual burden.