Twenty participants graduate from climate programme at Mayo's Mary Robinson Centre
Twenty participants aged between 18 and 30 years old from across Ireland celebrated their graduation from the eight-month TikTok Youth Climate Leadership Alliance Programme on Sunday last (December 1) in the Climate Hub at the Mary Robinson Centre, Ballina.
Local board members attended the ceremony, which featured a special virtual address from Mary Robinson herself, applauding the graduates for their outstanding achievements.
The programme, designed to empower young leaders, focused on leadership, education, action and connection, offering a series of workshops with inspiring guest speakers.
Participants explored topics such as biodiversity (with Vincent Lang), sustainability (with Aisling Kilcullen), light pollution (with Mayo Dark Skies), advocacy and influence in climate change (with Laura Dixon), social inclusion (with Avril Greham and Paddy Maughan), and more.
Highlights of the programme included a visit to Wild Nephin Ballycroy National Park, a locally organised swap shop to promote the circular economy, and support for the 2024 Mary Robinson Climate Conference.
Each participant also completed an individual project, applying the knowledge and skills gained during the programme to address climate-related challenges within their local areas. These projects spanned a variety of themes, including sustainability, biodiversity, social inclusion, and climate advocacy.
Victoria Ivory presented her project on delivering climate cafes as part of her work with concern worldwide. She shared that her highlight of the experience was meeting all the other delegates and getting to learn from the amazing work they are doing.
Luke Gibbons, recently named All-Ireland Young Sustainability Changemaker of the Year, shared his experience: “My time with the Mary Robinson Centre Youth Climate Alliance was both inspiring and deeply rewarding. Collaborating with like-minded individuals to create tangible solutions for the climate crisis was an invaluable experience. It was a privilege to learn alongside such a committed group of changemakers.”
In her virtual address, Mary Robinson encouraged the graduates, quoting Kofi Annan: “You are never too young to lead, and you are never too old to learn.”
She emphasized the importance of humility in leadership and expressed her hope that the graduates would continue to drive positive change.
The ceremony also recognised five outstanding participants with bursaries for their exceptional contributions. Ailbhe Doyle, recipient of the Excellence in Sustainability and Innovation Award, expressed her gratitude: “This programme provided me with an incredible opportunity to explore pathways in environmental advocacy. Connecting with passionate, like-minded people was truly inspiring.”
Speaking at the presentation ceremony, Peter Hynes, a member of the board of the Mary Robinson Centre, stated: “This is an extremely important day for climate change action in this country. When all the talking and policy making has been done, we need leaders who can inspire the kind of relentless, incremental change at community level, which is the only real action which can stem the tide of climate change.
“The TikTok corporation are to be commended on this creative initiative and we at the Mary Robinson Centre are very proud that it is being rolled out here in Ballina. We will follow the progress of this group of empowered leaders with huge interest and we look forward to many more such initiatives being piloted from this place.”
The TikTok Youth Climate Leadership Alliance Programme has empowered these young leaders to champion a more sustainable future, each dedicated to driving meaningful change in their communities and beyond. The Mary Robinson Centre is eager to continue collaborating with these inspiring individuals on future initiatives and campaigns, and is also looking forward to the possibility of partnering with TikTok again to expand the programme next year, welcoming even more aspiring leaders to join the movement.