What is ClimDM?

ClimDM, Climate and Democracy Mainstreaming, is an annual Work Plan by JEF Europe, funded by the European Youth Foundation of the Council of Europe. The project is built on a core idea: young people are not just the future decision-makers, but are already present in politics today, and have the right to demand a healthy and safe future. ClimDM brings together young people from across Europe to explore the role of democracy in tackling climate change, with a special focus on marginalised communities and rural youth, whose voices are too often left out of climate policy discussions.

The project will be implemented throughout 2026 across four activities: a capacity-building training in March (Rotterdam), a Green Deal simulation by young people in June (Chișinău, Moldova), local actions across Europe between July and November, and a final conference and campaign in December. In total, the project directly impacts around 80 young people and indirectly reaches over 250 through local actions and campaigns.

Aims and goals

The main objectives of ClimDM are the following:

• Enabling young people to gain the skills to promote climate action and climate justice through active participation in dialogue and politics.
• Disseminating knowledge on climate action, justice and democracy in Europe, and understanding how democracy and climate change are interconnected.
• Fostering transnational dialogue among youth from diverse backgrounds and empowering them to work together towards climate action.
• Creating a Climate Action & Democracy Manifesto outlining the concrete steps needed to achieve climate justice.

Implementation and Activities

 1. Democracy, Young People and Climate Action Training – March 2026

In March 2026, we began the workplan with our first capacity-building training. In Rotterdam, 25 participants from 19 countries across Europe came together for a five-day training that included a policy simulation, debates on climate governance, and a visit to the Council for the Environment and Infrastructure in The Hague. Participants connected with climate and youth organisations, and developed local action plans to bring their learnings back to their communities

2. Green Deal by Young People Simulation – June 2026 (Moldova) – TBA

3. Local Actions – 7-12/2026 – TBA

4. Campaign & Final Conference -12/2026 – TBA

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