BUILDING AN INCLUSIVE AND CROSS-REGIONAL YOUTH MOVEMENT FOR ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

This zine documents a series of cross-regional exchanges between youth members of the Friends of the Earth (FoE) federation in Africa and Europe conducted between 2016 and 2018. It shares reflections on environmental justice, the impacts of colonialism, and the challenges of building an inclusive movement, while providing popular education tools for dismantling systemic oppression and mapping historical interrelations.

• The Africa-Europe youth exchange (2016-2018) aimed to strengthen the youth environmental justice movement by sharing knowledge and skills, focusing on inclusivity and cross-regional solidarity. The project included fourteen exchange trips, two regional youth meetings, and three cross-regional gatherings involving 15 FoE groups.
• In Liberia, young people in rural areas face marginalization and are often labeled as rebellious by authorities, particularly regarding decisions on land and natural resources. The government is noted to use a strategy of offering lucrative positions to strong youth activists to slow the progress of the environmental justice movement.
• Young Friends of the Earth Africa (YFOEA) was formally established during the Africa Erasmus+ project launch in Monrovia, Liberia, in January 2017. The group's vision is to raise "the next generation young informed leaders living in solidarity and equity in an African society of independent people."
• The document highlights severe environmental injustice in South Africa, specifically in "Cancer Valley," where two oil refineries and other factories contribute to over 100 chemicals in the air, linked to asthma, respiratory problems, and cancer among residents.
• The report identifies a significant disparity in freedom of movement, citing a July 2017 meeting in Brussels where only 3 out of 7 African participants were issued Schengen visas. This is described as part of a "Fortress Europe" system that excludes Global South voices from climate decision-making.
• The text argues that environmental injustice is not limited to developing countries, citing the Førdefjorden case in Norway where a foreign company's interest in natural resources threatens fishing, agriculture, and tourism, mirroring patterns of exploitation seen in the Global South.
• The document provides three specific popular education tools: a "Cross-Regional Timeline" to explore colonial history, "Pillars of Support" to analyze and dismantle systemic oppressions like patriarchy and racism, and "Problem Trees" to identify the root causes and symptoms of social problems.

APA

Friends of the Earth International (n.d.). BUILDING AN INCLUSIVE AND CROSS-REGIONAL YOUTH MOVEMENT FOR ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Building-an-inclusive-and-cross-regional-youth-movement-for-Environmental-Justice.pdf

Chicago

Friends of the Earth International. BUILDING AN INCLUSIVE AND CROSS-REGIONAL YOUTH MOVEMENT FOR ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE. n.d. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Building-an-inclusive-and-cross-regional-youth-movement-for-Environmental-Justice.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Friends of the Earth International |title=BUILDING AN INCLUSIVE AND CROSS-REGIONAL YOUTH MOVEMENT FOR ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE |url=https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Building-an-inclusive-and-cross-regional-youth-movement-for-Environmental-Justice.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{friendsoftheearthinternationalndbuilding, author = {{Friends of the Earth International}}, title = {{BUILDING AN INCLUSIVE AND CROSS-REGIONAL YOUTH MOVEMENT FOR ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth International}, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Building-an-inclusive-and-cross-regional-youth-movement-for-Environmental-Justice.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }