Background
The #Youth4Soil Solutions Showcase is a dynamic platform celebrating the power of youth to drive transformative change in soil health and sustainable land use. This activity emerged from the growing recognition that restoring our planet starts from the ground up; literally and metaphorically, and that young people are not just participants but frontline innovators in this mission.
This platform was created by the Coalition of Action for Soil Health (CA4SH) to spotlight youth-led initiatives that promote soil health. The #Youth4Soil working group has hosted two virtual soil solutions showcases this year: From winning with worms in Nepal to restoring a childhood forest in Kenya, these showcases have provided a platform for #Youth4Soil members to exhibit the soil health solutions they are implementing and fostered interaction among key stakeholders to grow those solutions. Read more about the events here .
The showcase gathers youth-led solutions, grassroots initiatives, and storytelling that embody the energy, creativity and commitment of young changemakers. These efforts reflect an understanding that healthy soils are central to food security, climate resilience and sustainable livelihoods and that youth have the passion and perspective to lead this change.
At its core, this event Themes : The importance of youth energy from the ground up:
Their rootedness in communities
Their fresh thinking and local innovation
Their drive to turn awareness into action
From the Ground Up: This speaks to both the literal and metaphorical foundations of change. It highlights how young people, rooted in their communities and connected to the land, are cultivating fresh, innovative solutions to restore soil health. Just like plants need healthy soil to grow, a sustainable future needs youth-led ideas to flourish. This slogan reflects how youth and soil together form the bedrock of regeneration, resilience and renewal.
Key Objectives
Promote Collaboration and Knowledge Sharing: Foster meaningful connections between various youth-led interventions in soil health, combating desertification and enhancing resilience against drought, encouraging the exchange of best practices, lessons learned, and innovative approaches.
Highlight the challenges youth face in their Soil health Advocacy: To enable youth and other participating stakeholders come up with joint solutions to these challenges so as youthful soil advocates can meaningfully perform their duties/roles.
Exhibit Youth Impact in Soil Health Advocacy: Showcase inspiring stories and initiatives led by young advocates, demonstrating their pivotal role in advancing soil health, combating desertification, and enhancing resilience against Drought.
Grow the Network of Soil Health Advocates: Expand the community of passionate soil health advocates by providing a platform for networking, learning, and collaboration.
Promote Entrepreneurship: Encourage youth to explore entrepreneurial opportunities within the green skills portfolio, supporting sustainable agricultural practices and economic growth
Attract investments in youth-led projects for soil health: Introduce donors to opportunities for micro-financing youth-led projects. Youth often work with highly limited resources; this event will facilitate connections.