Young people come together at the Natural History Museum this March to drive positive change for a global future

Climate advocates join the Museum's scientists for free programme of events at 'Generation Hope: Act for the Planet'

Between 20-25 March, the Natural History Museum will be hosting Generation Hope: Act for the Planet, a programme of free events created in partnership with scientists and young people across the world including Mitzi Jonelle Tan, Elizabeth Wathuti, Disha Ravi, Larissa Pinto Moraes and Daphne Frias.

Generation Hope's line up of talks and participatory panels will tackle key issues impacting young people today including eco-anxiety, getting to grips with the science, understanding the impacts of the planetary emergency, and skills workshops. Taking place both online and at the Museum in London, highlights include:

A panel event to explore the role of the media in engaging people with the climate crisis
A workshop examining some of the most prominent health impacts of climate change from leading experts to understand how this varies across communities, and discuss how we can become more resilient to these impacts
A practical workshop to understand the relationship between mental health, mindset and climate change facilitated by youth-led non-profit Force of Nature
An interactive workshop led by Climate Outreach to help create a practical toolkit on how to best engage with climate science, overcome disinformation and take a solutions-oriented approach to sharing stories of hope on how we are mobilising knowledge to tackle climate change.

Conor O'Keeffe, Creative Producer of Generation Hope at the Natural History Museum said "Only by connecting to one another, bridging divides and forming communities can we ensure a future where people and planet thrive. By the end of the week, our hope is that everyone participating can commit to one action, whether it's following up on a new connection, or speaking up on behalf of nature".

Following a week-long programme of public events, workshops and training sessions co-curated with young changemakers from across the world, an evening event in collaboration with Force of Nature is planned to be the culmination of the week and a manifestation of the Natural History Museum's commitment to creating a new generation of advocates for the planet and supporting science and nature-based solutions to the challenges we face.

Booking tickets is essential, please visit https://www.nhm.ac.uk/events/generation-hope.html

Generation Hope Advisory Board (available for media interviews)

Daphne Frias  is a proud Latina climate justice activist, disability awareness advocate, organizer and storyteller based in New York, USA.  
Kat Hamilton is the partnerships & programmes Director for Force of Nature (FoN). Through virtual programmes, FoN empowers young people and decision-makers in over 50 countries to cultivate mindsets of agency, purpose and resilience.  
Ken Johnson is a Principal Researcher at the Natural History Museum, London, where he studies the history of coral reef systems from decades to millions of years. Documenting how reefs have responded to past environmental changes will help to constrain the potential trajectory of future changes and allow us to plan accordingly. 
Selina N. Leem is a climate warrior from Aelōn̄ Kein Ad, now known as the Marshall Islands. A self-described "small island girl with big dreams", Selina was the youngest delegate at the COP21 conference that adopted the Paris Agreement at the age of 18. 
Erica McAlister is Senior Curator for Flies and Fleas at the Natural History Museum, London. She has been recording, researching, and describing flies for over 15 years in the UK and across the world. Erica is very involved in public engagement both within the NHM and externally, including radio, TV, writing and events. 
Larissa Pinto Moraes is Executive Director of Engajamundo, a Brazilian youth-led organisation with a mission to make young Brazilians aware that by changing themselves, taking part in their community, and engaging politically, they can make a difference.
Disha Ravi is a climate justice activist based in Bangalore, India, and founded the Indian branch of the Fridays for Future network. 
Mitzi Jonelle Tan is a climate justice activist based in Metro Manila, Philippines. She is the convenor and international spokesperson of Youth Advocates for Climate Action Philippines (YACAP), the Fridays For Future (FFF) of the Philippines.

Elizabeth Wathuti is an environmentalist and climate justice activist from Nairobi, Kenya, and founded Green Generation Initiative, connecting young people to nature across Kenya.

Cover photo credit - Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London.