Youth and community-led climate action through the Climate Change Citizenship for a Just Transition in South Africa project

The Climate Change Citizenship for a Just Transition in South Africa project, co-funded by the European Union and delivered by GreenCape, focused on empowering urban and rural communities in the Eastern, Northern, and Western Cape. The initiative established nine active climate clubs reaching 422 high school learners and facilitated community engagement in national policy processes, including the National Climate Change Bill and the Just Energy Transition Investment Plan. With over 500 participants in training workshops and a high rate of female participation, the project was rated as highly effective by an independent evaluation based on OECD-DAC criteria, demonstrating sustained local ownership and impact.

• The project established nine active climate clubs across three provinces, reaching 422 high school learners through 23 workshops and resulting in 85 competition entries and 12 school-led awareness campaigns.
• The initiative successfully integrated communities and youth into formal public policy processes, securing over 50 formal signatories for submissions to the National Climate Change Bill, the Just Energy Transition Investment Plan (JET IP), and the South African Renewable Energy Masterplan (SAREM).
• Capacity building efforts included over 20 training-of-trainers and workshops for more than 500 participants, with women comprising over 60% of ToT participants and over 50% of overall engagement. Pre- and post-tests indicated that 80% of participants increased their knowledge.
• An independent evaluation using Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development-Development Assistance Committee criteria rated the project as highly effective, noting evidence of sustained impact and local ownership beyond the funding period.

APA

tyrese (2025). Youth and community-led climate action through the Climate Change Citizenship for a Just Transition in South Africa project. GreenCape. https://greencape.co.za/community-led-climate-action-for-a-just-transition-in-south-africa/

Chicago

tyrese. Youth and community-led climate action through the Climate Change Citizenship for a Just Transition in South Africa project. GreenCape, 2025. https://greencape.co.za/community-led-climate-action-for-a-just-transition-in-south-africa/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=tyrese |title=Youth and community-led climate action through the Climate Change Citizenship for a Just Transition in South Africa project |publisher=GreenCape |date=22 July 2025 |url=https://greencape.co.za/community-led-climate-action-for-a-just-transition-in-south-africa/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{tyrese2025youth, author = {tyrese}, title = {{Youth and community-led climate action through the Climate Change Citizenship for a Just Transition in South Africa project}}, institution = {GreenCape}, year = {2025}, month = jul, url = {https://greencape.co.za/community-led-climate-action-for-a-just-transition-in-south-africa/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }