VISION

Bhutanese youth and children form an integral part of Bhutan’s conservation initiative to advance a fair, inclusive, and sustainable planet.

 
 

Background/Introduction



For a country that has a permanent commitment to environmental conservation, it is irrefutable that there is an urgent need for Bhutanese children and youth to be effectively engaged and empowered in order to have their own unique capacity to create a sustainable future for Bhutan. As a developing country that will continue to be disrupted by a continuum of technological, social, and economic transformations, the Bhutanese youth, who represent majority of the country, are a critical stakeholder for the environmental sector as their evolving attitudes, values, and actions will have an impact on the resilience of Bhutan’s conservation legacy.

 

The Education and Youth program at WWF Bhutan contributes to conservation programs by developing diverse projects that aim to effectively engage and empower Bhutanese children and youth to develop the knowledge, motivation, and abilities to support conservation, promote sustainable development, apply the principles of sustainability in their everyday activities and decisions, and drive active citizenship.

© Tenzin Rabgye

Our Work with Youth and Education 

 

WWF Bhutan’s Youth and Education Program functions through two distinct thematic areas - Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and Youth Empowerment and Leadership (YEL).

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) projects aims to promote the development of the awareness, knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values required for children and youth to contribute in creating a sustainable future for Bhutan that also ensures environmental conservation. 

Youth Empowerment and Leadership (YEL) projects aim to mobilize youth aged between 15 – 25 (+/-) to support WWF Bhutan’s conservation work by empowering them to become confident, knowledgeable, skilled, and motivated individuals who are committed to making a difference in society and driving active citizenship to conserve the planet.

 

Education for Sustainable Development


Cinque Terre
Bend the Curve Challenge
Advocacy campaign to encourage Bhutanese youth to advocate a total of 10 simple sustainable actions in their schools or communities as a movement to "bend the curve" on the devastating trends highlighted in WWF’s Living Planet Report.
Forest
Living Planet Sessions
Interactive information sessions organized to promote latest WWF’s Living Planet Report (LPR) with various Bhutanese audiences, primarily the youth.
Northern Lights
Our Living Planet Camp
Environmental Education Camp designed to offer a holistic environmental education program that would enable the youth participants to experience and comprehend nature in a stimulating way, both physically and mentally, and motivate them to take sustainable action in their communities. The first OLP Camp was organized in January 2020 and participated by 42 youth.
Mountains
Panda Junior
A variety of educational resources for Bhutanese children to learn about the environment in an enjoyable and interactive way. This project aims to address the deficiency of environmental educational resources for young Bhutanese children to acquire a basic understanding about environmental concepts and issues.
Mountains
Wild Wisdom Quiz
Platform to promote the understanding of the value of biodiversity with young school children through a fun-filled and interactive learning experience.
Mountains
Young Bhutanese Birders
Bird-watching program in schools to encourage children to explore and connect to nature. Between 2016 - 2019, 27 YBB clubs across 15 districts have been launched.

Youth Empowerment and Leadership 

Russell E. Train Education for Nature (EFN) Scholarship program at Royal Thimphu College: Supporting Bhutanese youth to study BSc Environmental Management at the Royal

Thimphu College through the WWF-US EFN Program with the aim to groom future conservationists. EFN’s goal is to provide access to improved education opportunities and to help conservationists utilize these experiences to advance their conservation work. From 2016 – 2018, 18 young individuals have been awarded this scholarship. 

Our Living Planet Ambassadors:  Awarding extraordinary youth who demonstrate passion for environmental action with the title and role of WWF Bhutan’s Youth Ambassador. The YA not only acts as the “voice for the youth” for WWF Bhutan’s messages but also support WWF Bhutan’s Youth and Education Program to co-design and co-implement different initiatives to effectively engage, mobilize, and empower other Bhutanese youth to take sustainable action. The first OLP Ambassador was appointed in November 2020. 

Publications and Resources