“ It ’ s not that we only need more female leaders , we also need more feminist leaders . We want boys and girls to have the same risk perception and sustainability mindset .”
Julieta Martínez , a 17-year-old in Santiago , Chile , who is on the UN Women Youth Task Force , is one such role model . As a young girl , Martínez became interested in environmental issues after she discovered the existence of
Chile ’ s “ sacrifice zones ,” areas of industrial pollution that damaged the health and environment of local communities . These sites made her question her own role in the waste cycle , she says .
At 14 , Martinez founded a global action platform to bring together girls in Latin America on environmental issues . More recently , she cofounded Climáticas , an academy for climate action for girls . She ’ s now making documentaries on the academy ’ s first graduates . “ I wanted to show the stories of girls who are living in horrible places but still had hope and looked for solutions ,” she says .
TRAINING LEADS TO GREEN SKILLS AND GREEN JOBS
Education is the first step to cultivating skills , especially in science and technology , that can prepare young people for green jobs . Groups like UK-based
Camfed ( Campaign for Female Education ) and Mokoenka ’ s Gender CC train rural women in climate-resilient agricultural practices to improve nutrition and livelihoods . ( Women comprise more than 40 % of the farm labor force overall in developing countries , but only own between 10 % and 20 % of the land .) Others like
ActionAid , an international aid group , focus on disaster-resilience training in Asian schools , teaching children about weather warnings , first aid , and other life-saving skills .
Meanwhile Yiya ’ s Fitzgerald says the AirScience program now has more than 50,000 users in its online program , almost half of whom do not attend any other type of school . The goal is to achieve an enrollment that is 60 % female and to scale up the program in the coming years with the help of governments across Africa . “ Our passion is to really make education practical ,” she says . However , according to UN Women , only 3 % of climate development aid targets women ’ s rights and gender equality . UN climate treaties mention using education around climate change as an important tool , but few countries have made it part of their action plans .
Educators say the most important thing is to improve the reach and quality of formal schooling . But given the shortfalls in public education — and the time it takes for governments to act — Lowery and others see a role for the private sector to bridge the gaps , especially through partnerships around climate awareness , disaster resilience , and life and job skills .
HP-supported initiatives such as HP LIFE , a free online business skills program for entrepreneurs , businesses , and adult learners ; the
Girl Rising Creative Challenge ; and the Girls Save the World program , an HP-sponsored prize that ’ s part of MIT Solv [ ED ]’ s Youth Innovation Challenge ( see “ Meet 10 Girls ,” page 43 ) can bring the disparate pieces of the puzzle together .
“ The innovation that happens in the private sector is just so much more rapid , and [ we need ] to support public institutions to be able to adopt those innovations ,” Lowery says . “ I think it ’ s incumbent upon companies to invest real resources to help make that happen .”
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