Youth it or lose it
Across tropical forested landscapes, increasing numbers of rural youth are leaving their communities in search of better opportunities. This trend raises concerns not only for the wellbeing of these young people but also for the future of tropical forests. As youth leave, communities are ageing, leaving forest territories vulnerable to deforestation and other threats. Precious traditional knowledge is being lost every day across the tropics, and with each departure youth is being disconnected from their forested landscapes.
Youth need to see a future for themselves in their landscapes. Apart from a lack of livelihood opportunities, youth have indicated that they lack meaningful roles in their own communities, leaving youth engagement, connection/attachment, and leadership limited. That’s why the solutions to keep young people in their territories must come from them. Tropenbos International and its partners in 10 countries have launched Youth It or Lose It, a programme dedicated to empowering motivated young people, to support the youth to manifest their future in their landscapes The goal: help them see a future for themselves in their landscapes and enable them to lead climate and environmental actions on multiple levels.
Youth It or Lose It envisions a future where local youth are in the driver seat
With Youth It or Lose It we envision a future where local youth have the agency —the desire, ability, and opportunity— to make decisions and drive positive change in their lives, their communities, and their territories. They play a key role in preserving traditional knowledge, managing forests sustainably, and contributing to thriving, resilient and biodiverse landscapes.
Our Goals
By 2030, we aim to support youth from the landscapes where we work in the Amazon, Congo Basin, and Southeast Asia. These young leaders will actively participate in decision making at local, national, and international levels, while leading projects that support livelihoods, biodiversity, and the conservation of at least 5 million hectares of tropical forest ecosystems.
Our Approach: Four Key Pillars
1. Intergenerational Learning
We prioritize the preservation and application of traditional knowledge for protecting rights, ancestral territories, and biodiversity. The program promotes intergenerational exchanges, where youth creatively document and use traditional knowledge in their own projects, combining science with local or traditional knowledge and innovative tools. By doing so, they safeguard cultural practices and beliefs essential for sustainable forest management, as well as bridging the gap between youth and elders.
2. Youth Climate Leadership Track
Leadership training equips youth with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to become inspiring, action-oriented leaders, both in their landscapes and beyond. Participants have the skills to become part of international climate policy discussions and relevant national and global networks, ensuring their voices are heard and their impact felt.
3. Youth Learning Hub
The program fosters spaces were young people from various landscapes exchange expertise and strategies. These co-designed learning hubs promote peer-to-peer learning and serve as repositories of audio-visual resources, toolkits, and documents—created by youth, for youth. Knowledge sharing across and beyond the TBI network strengthens the reach and effectiveness of their initiatives.
4. Youth-led Actions
Local youth design and implement their own regional and landscape-level initiatives, with the program providing incubation for the most promising ideas. We offer mentorship, technical assistance, networking opportunities, funding access, and training to ensure these youth-led actions succeed.
Through Youth It or Lose It, we are committed to creating a future where young people are at the forefront of locally owned climate solutions, forest conservation, and sustainable development. Together, we can protect tropical forests by empowering the next generation.