From Belgium to Colombia: One youth's journey for climate justice

Oskar, a young person from Belgium, shared with Eurochild a blog on his experience as a climate change activist.  

When I was 17, fate nudged me to take a leap into the unknown. Through friends, I learned about Rotary's exchange program and decided to seize the chance to spend a year in Colombia—a country that had always captured my imagination with its rich history, vibrant culture, and untouched natural beauty. That year changed my life forever.

Before I left, I was already engaged in climate issues in secondary school and volunteering with Greenpeace Youth. But it wasn’t until I arrived in Colombia that the raw reality of the climate crisis and its deep-rooted injustices hit home. The crisis is a tale of two worlds: a world where the Global North drives pollution, and a world where the Global South bears the cost. The line between those responsible and those who suffer the consequences became undeniable.

During my time there, I discovered Colombia’s breathtaking biodiversity. It’s the world’s second most biodiverse country after Brazil, with the Amazon rainforest as its jewel—the lung of the earth. But I also witnessed the stark inequalities plaguing the country. In Villavicencio, the city where I lived, I met some of the wealthiest families, as well as communities struggling to survive, often without even having basic necessities. I saw neighborhoods where children couldn’t study because of poverty and suffered from hunger, where the government fell desperately short, and where extreme rains made schools unreachable.

In life, you can accept the world as it is or work toward the world as it should be. Thanks to our commitment to the community, my friends and I chose the latter. We founded Pachamama, a youth-led organization determined to take action for climate justice. Little did we know, it was the start of something much bigger.

A highlight was our “Climate Justice Camp,” a project bringing young people from across Colombia together to build leadership skills and expand their climate knowledge. With financial support from my hometown of Sint-Katelijne-Waver, we managed to gather around forty young people from the mountains, cities, countryside, and even the Amazon. Under a “train the trainer” model, they learned skills they could carry back to their own communities, empowering others to take action. Pachamama has since gained a voice on international platforms like COP28 in Dubai and COP29 in Baku, where young Colombians advocate for climate justice on the world stage.

Besides the camp, we organized panels with climate experts, gave talks, and shared our stories on radio programs. Colombia is a stunningly beautiful country with incredibly warm-hearted people, but it’s also a country wrestling with forces much larger than itself. 

As they say ,an exchange is not one year in a life, but a life in one year. My time in Colombia opened my eyes and my heart. I saw that real change is possible and that young people can be a powerful force for good. Through every encounter and experience, I learned that hope is more than just a word; it’s a verb that we have to practice. Let’s hold onto that hope and keep building—for a fairer, more sustainable world where everyone has the chance to thrive.

Pachamama is today a dynamic organization empowering young activists from MAPA (Most Affected Peoples and Areas) to raise their voices on the global stage. In a world where fossil fuel lobbyists often overshadow youth at international climate summits, Pachamama is committed to shifting this imbalance by ensuring that those from communities hardest hit by the climate crisis have a platform. With over 15,000 trees planted, they lead impactful reforestation projects and drive initiatives in climate finance, equipping young leaders with tools to advocate for a just climate future. They’re also planning a new Climate Justice Camp to unite and empower youth with the skills and vision needed to champion climate justice at every level.

For further information you can contact Oskar Bonte at oskar.bonte@gmail.com.