Climate Action in Motion: Young Leaders Unite at Nuestra Cabaña for Regional Summit
Cuernavaca, Mexico | May 1–4, 2025
By: Global Youth Mobilisation (GYM) x WAGGGS
In early May, the sun-soaked grounds of Nuestra Cabaña, one of WAGGGS’ beloved World Centres, buzzed with purpose. From 10 countries across Latin America and the Caribbean, 24 passionate young leaders gathered for the first-ever Climate Action Summit, a powerful collaboration between Global Youth Mobilisation (GYM) and the Girl-Led Action on Climate Change (GLACC) programme.
Their mission? To build climate resilience, design community-driven solutions, and put Sustainable Development Goal 13: Climate Action into real, tangible action—youth-led, girl-powered, and community-focused.
A Summit Rooted in Purpose
Held from May 1 to 4, the summit provided a space for reflection, skill-building, and innovation. Participants from Argentina, Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, and Trinidad & Tobago joined together with the goal of crafting projects that address urgent environmental issues in their home communities.
Two participants also joined from the YMCA, adding a valuable voice from the broader Big Six Youth Organizations network.
Each participant committed to developing and implementing a Community Action Project upon returning home—and they'll be reporting on their results by October 31, 2025.
Learning, Leading, and Launching Projects
The summit agenda was rooted in WAGGGS' GLACC methodology and offered a rich mix of sessions designed to develop practical tools for project planning and climate leadership:
🌍 Global Citizenship Training
🔧 Solutions Lab – A collaborative space where participants brainstormed, designed, and began developing their own climate action mini-projects
🌱 WAGGGS Global Programmes Session
🧭 Project Management Principles – From goal setting to impact tracking
For many, it was the first time turning their climate concerns into concrete plans. And the transformation was undeniable.
“Before the summit, I felt the urgency of climate change but didn’t know where to start. Now, I have a clear plan—and the support to make it happen.”
— Participant, Costa Rica
📈 The Numbers Tell the Story
The impact of the event was clear even before participants left Mexico:
✨ 85% of participants left with a clear project goal and set of indicators
💬 80% felt confident presenting their plans to their Girl Guide or Scout units
✅ 90% had already mapped out the steps and activities to launch their projects
To support the next phase, GYM launched a Community Actions Call—offering micro-grants to participants in each of the 10 countries. These funds will help them bring their community projects to life in the coming months.
From Local Ideas to National Change
One standout story came from Brazil, where a participant is scaling a food crisis project from a small local pilot to a national-level initiative—thanks in part to the leadership training and networking opportunities gained at the summit.
This is what makes the summit so powerful: it’s not just about launching small projects—it’s about building momentum for sustained, scalable impact.
Powered by Collaboration
The summit also served as a model for what global cooperation can look like. It combined the reach of a World Centre (Nuestra Cabaña), the strength of two global programmes (GYM + GLACC), and the shared energy of young leaders from across Latin America and the Caribbean.
It also marked a step forward in inclusive youth leadership, welcoming representatives from WAGGGS, YMCA, and WOSM, creating stronger connections across the global youth movement.
“The energy of this summit was electric. You could feel the fire in the room. These young people are ready—not just to talk about change, but to make it happen.”
— YMCA Participant.
What Comes Next?
As we move forward, these 24 young leaders will return to their communities with new tools, confidence, and funding to turn their ideas into action. The Climate Action Summit is just the beginning of a ripple effect that will be felt across the region.
📅 Save the date: We’ll be sharing a follow-up report in October 2025, spotlighting project implementations and the stories of young leaders reshaping their communities—one climate solution at a time.
