mapping-the-global-ycm-march23-final-3e46e8d666004504.pdf

This report by the Green Economy Coalition and Climate Vanguard maps the global Youth Climate Movement (YCM) to analyze its strategic priorities, theories of change, and needs in a post-pandemic context. Based on a stocktake of 292 groups, surveys of 52 groups, and 19 interviews, the research identifies a tension between a widespread radical analysis of root causes and a lack of coherent strategic implementation, while highlighting an emerging 'Radical Green' wing focused on systemic economic transformation.

• A majority of the Youth Climate Movement (YCM) identifies systemic issues as the primary driver of the climate crisis. Specifically, 54% of surveyed groups cited "a system that puts profit over people and planet" as the root cause, and 89% of those groups explicitly identified this system as "capitalism and (neo)colonialism".
• The YCM suffers from a lack of a coherent, shared theory of change, leading to strategic incoherence. The report notes that many groups have not developed a "strategic culture," resulting in contradictory goals where a group might identify the system as the root cause but seek a vision of new political leadership within that same system.
• There is a significant 'vision breakdown' where groups fail to translate their radical analysis of root causes into a corresponding vision for systemic change. Only 50% of groups that identified the system as the root cause also selected a vision of "green economic transformation".
• The report identifies a 'radical education effect,' particularly in regions like West Africa, where groups use environmental education not as an end in itself, but as a prerequisite to build the intellectual base necessary for "green economic transformation".
• An emerging 'Radical Green' wing exists within the YCM, characterized by 'strategic fluency' and a commitment to a 'concrete plan' for ruptural change rather than just using revolution as an aesthetic or motto.
• Some elements of the YCM are hindered by 'strategic inertia' or dogma, specifically a rigid adherence to the Fridays For Future (FFF) model of school strikes and demanding that leaders "listen to the science," which can lead to diminishing returns.
• The YCM has critical unmet needs to accelerate its impact, most notably funding. This includes operational support for basic maintenance, project-based funding for international coordination, and core funding for activist salaries to reduce dependence on volunteers.
• Beyond funding, the YCM requires support in organizational development, including the creation of clear internal processes to prevent activist burnout, the development of explicit theories of change, and increased networking with other NGOs and movements.
• The report identifies a need for 'vision building' and skills training in communications and stakeholder engagement to help activists channel frustration into a positive, concrete vision of an alternative world.

APA

Green Economy Coalition (n.d.). mapping-the-global-ycm-march23-final-3e46e8d666004504.pdf. https://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/assets/reports/GEC-Reports/YCM-2023/Mapping-the-Global-YCM-March23-FINAL.pdf

Chicago

Green Economy Coalition. mapping-the-global-ycm-march23-final-3e46e8d666004504.pdf. n.d. https://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/assets/reports/GEC-Reports/YCM-2023/Mapping-the-Global-YCM-March23-FINAL.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Green Economy Coalition |title=mapping-the-global-ycm-march23-final-3e46e8d666004504.pdf |url=https://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/assets/reports/GEC-Reports/YCM-2023/Mapping-the-Global-YCM-March23-FINAL.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{greeneconomycoalitionndmappingtheglobalycmmarch23final3e46e8d666004504pdf, author = {{Green Economy Coalition}}, title = {{mapping-the-global-ycm-march23-final-3e46e8d666004504.pdf}}, institution = {Green Economy Coalition}, url = {https://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/assets/reports/GEC-Reports/YCM-2023/Mapping-the-Global-YCM-March23-FINAL.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }