What is YELL?

Melting ice caps. Rising sea level. Raging hurricanes. Climate change and environmental degradation are big issues. Maybe too big.

In 2020, the Change for Climate report by UNDP and UNICEF polled 1,393 Malaysian youths and found that they are eager to act on climate and environmental issues. However, some gaps remain, such as the lack of local narratives and local resources to help young people take their first steps in environmental action.

While there is no shortage of news coverage and social media content on the daunting devastation that comes with climate change, these discussions are often framed from the perspectives of developed countries, many of them in the West or Global North, far from our context and daily lives.

Many local young people are at a loss on where, or how, they can make a difference in their own communities. The feeling of knowing that something needs to be done fast but also not knowing where to start—well, it almost makes one want to yell.

And that is where the YELL programme comes in! The idea is two-pronged—to help local youths find their voice in environmental action, and to amplify the existing sustainability efforts among young people. 

One word drives YELL: ‘Connect’.

We strive to connect the past, present and future to provide context and networks for action.

YELL aims to localize climate narratives and strengthen the ecosystem of environmental causes, including but not limited to:

• Creating and expanding resources to inspire action aligned with local realities and lived experience
• Promoting place-based environmental action, documenting sustainability efforts and learnings in the local context
• Developing inclusive insights on local environmental issues from diverse groups, including indigenous and traditional knowledge
• Connecting young people and building networks among diverse environmental pathways