Interconnected Climate Leadership Program: 48 students, 4 countries

Building on the success of our first collaborative online international learning lecture, known as the COIL lecture, we continued our partnership with SAUT and HSA in the summer semester of 2025. This time, we also welcomed Cape Town University (CPUT) from South Africa and Ghana Communication Technology University (GCUT) on board.

A total of 48 Master students from four countries participated, united by a single task assigned after intercultural team-building sessions: to create climate initiatives that could be implemented in all countries, jointly developed, and address youth climate issues in their respective nations.

The winning initiative, “Postcards for the Planet,” was inspired by the South African Apartheid movement, which used postcards as a peaceful means of protest. This initiative transformed postcards into a powerful tool for climate awareness, making climate change and its solutions visible and impactful.

The aim of the Interconnected Climate Leadership Program was to make youth voices visible and help them be heard among policymakers so they can influence climate policy-making.

Four workshops for capacity building

To achieve this, the program featured four workshops for capacity building: intercultural program management, online tools for collaboration, national climate policy making, and a guest lecture with Klimabildung e.V. — a climate education NGO recognized by German politics, as an example for successful initiatives, inspiring participants with practical insights and achievements.

By providing a platform for intercultural collaboration, these programs enable youth to make a meaningful impact in the fight against climate change. Together, they represent a step towards a more sustainable and equitable future, where the voices of young people are central to shaping climate policies and actions.