You Won't Believe How 10,000 Kids in Sierra Leone Are Battling for Their Futures Right Now!

If today’s young people are tomorrow’s leaders, they will inherit not only the world’s problems but also the tools and ideas to solve them. One of the biggest challenges they will face is climate change, which brings hotter days, more intense storms and floods, longer droughts, and significant changes in precipitation patterns. Therefore, it's essential that young people actively participate in shaping how their communities prepare for these changes.

In an innovative approach, climate adaptation researchers and university professors have explored the potential of a youth-centered, community-based Climate Science Hub in Bo City, Sierra Leone. In collaboration with Bashiru Koroma, president of Keep Africa Beautiful Sierra Leone—a youth-led civil society climate organization—the researchers aimed to determine if such a hub could equip young people with the knowledge, skills, leadership, networks, and adaptive capacity needed to cope with climate change.

Bo City was chosen due to its unique challenges. As a secondary city, it is smaller in population and economic resources compared to Sierra Leone's primary city, Freetown. Over the years, many rural farming families have migrated to Freetown due to repeated droughts, crop failures, and the impacts of war and poverty. However, as sea levels rise and heavy rains have led to devastating flooding and landslides, Freetown residents may need to move inland to Bo City, intensifying the need for effective coping strategies for climate migrants.

The 2017 mudslide in Freetown tragically claimed the lives of 312 people, with over 600 individuals still missing. The looming challenge of accommodating climate migrants will fall squarely on the shoulders of today’s youth, who will need to manage housing, food security, public policies, and protection for those displaced by climate change.

Our research indicates that when young people blend scientific knowledge with local wisdom and skills, they can swiftly develop effective solutions. Many students began leading projects, influencing policy, and acquiring climate competencies through initiatives like tree planting, club organization, and engaging with local leaders on sustainable farming practices.

Empowering Young Leaders Through the Climate Hub

The Youth Climate Science Hub was set up to engage secondary school students aged 10 to 19, primarily those between 12 and 17 years old. The project unfolded in two phases, beginning with basic climate science education in five public schools in Bo City, strategically chosen for accessibility and representation of the local community.

In the second phase, a tailored curriculum was developed collaboratively, led by one of the authors, Rebecca Morgenstern Brenner, along with local leaders from Keep Africa Beautiful Sierra Leone. This curriculum was then delivered to students, public-school teachers, decision-makers, and administrators across the selected schools.

Approximately 100 secondary school students—at least 50% of whom were girls—were identified as potential climate leaders. Meeting regularly at the climate hub, these students engaged in viewing climate science videos specifically designed for them, followed by discussions on local solutions. The curriculum emphasized critical areas for leadership in climate adaptation, including:

• Food security and sustainable agricultural practices, such as cultivating crops resilient to unpredictable rainfall and utilizing small plots for community gardens.

• Sustainability and circular economy principles, focusing on reusing and repairing materials, reducing waste, and prolonging resource utility.

• Sustainable waste management and recycling, including strategies for repurposing materials and managing wastewater effectively.

• Promoting energy-saving small businesses and creating green jobs within Bo City.

• Landscape architecture, conservation, and natural resource management, exploring optimal usage of spaces and places.

• Climate change education to inform youth about necessary actions to reduce carbon emissions.

• Addressing gender issues, particularly how climate impacts differentially affect girls and boys, and emphasizing the importance of girls’ leadership in solution planning.

• Microfinance and savings groups that facilitate the establishment of climate-friendly businesses or recovery efforts after climate-induced disasters.

In the hub, students also learned about the concept of social-ecological resilience, which stresses the interconnectedness of people, communities, and ecosystems, highlighting how robust social networks and healthy environments help everyone recover from shocks.

Our findings indicate that for Bo City and other secondary cities in West Africa to effectively adapt to climate change, solutions must be rooted in local practices and ideas while integrating scientific knowledge. Furthermore, these solutions should be developed collaboratively with community members, teachers, decision-makers, families, and the youth themselves. Given the limited access to reliable internet in Bo City, establishing the climate hub became crucial for gathering young future climate leaders and providing them with essential knowledge and resources. The hub’s library continues to expand based on the requests and needs of these young leaders.

The hub proved successful in translating ideas into actions. The students planted around 1,500 shade and fruit trees in both the hub and surrounding public spaces. They initiated climate clubs in each school, organized debates, led clean-up campaigns, and celebrated events like World Environment Day together. Even after the initial training concluded, the students maintained their engagement, using the hub for regular club meetings and student-led presentations while establishing a school garden.

For the future, it is vital that secondary cities in West Africa and other climate-vulnerable regions be recognized as priority areas for youth climate engagement in national adaptation and education strategies. Setting up climate hubs that coordinate youth climate activities with schools and providing focal points in municipalities will empower young leaders to address climate challenges.

Support from national governments, education ministries, local councils, and international funders is essential to sustain low-cost, school-based climate hubs that link student initiatives with city-level resilience planning. The path forward requires a collaborative, community-driven approach to ensure that today’s youth are well-equipped to lead in navigating the complexities of climate change.