Young people who already have ideas must be supported and given opportunities, Vera Bukachi, Executive Director of Kenya's Kounkuey Design Initiative, said during an event organized by the National NGO Forum of Azerbaijan within the 13th Session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku, Report informs.
Bukachi stressed that technical skills are important, but lived experience makes them effective: "In one of the projects we were involved in, called the Urban Fabric Initiative, more than 1,500 residents – mostly youth – participated in joint design and construction."
She emphasized that civil society must be provided with resources: "Residents of informal settlements are working on the frontlines of climate resilience – managing flood-prone lands, building drainage systems, and creating green public spaces. They are rarely recognized as climate activists, yet they are doing the work. Youth are already organizing, innovating, and building. None of them waits for permission to lead. Our role is not to lead in their place. We must support youth who already have ideas, open paths for them, and then step back."