APAY 2nd Regional Conference on Climate Change

Last Updated (Friday, 10 November 2017 16:28)

The Asia and Pacific Alliance of YMCAs, Global Alternative Tourism Network and the YMCA of Daegu, hosted the APAY 2nd Regional Conference on Climate Change on 15-20 October 2017 held in Daegu, South Korea. Sixteen (16) youth from different national movements in the Asia and Pacific participated in the said program as a conclusion of the E-learning on Climate Change held from April to October.

During the program, the participants learned more issues on Climate Change particularly on Paris Agreement, Gender and Climate Change, Food and Water Security, and Sustainable Development Goals and Tourism. They were also introduced to a new concept called Water Footprint to help them realize the importance of this scarce resource.

These lectures were delivered by people in the field who have been involved in their respective areas for many years already. This includes Dr. Park Suk Hyun, Dr. Kim Yang Hee, Mr. Chan Beng Seng, GATN Coordinator, Mr. Duncan Chowdhury, Executive Secretary of the APAY, and Ms. Patcharin Aviphan of Saohin YMCA.

Aside from the lectures, a practical lesson on the importance of the environment was prepared through the exposure. The participants visited the Espace Park where they saw how the Art Bike project of the Daegu YMCA is being implemented. They were also introduced to an environmental issue in Daegu due to the construction of the dam. In the end, it made the participants reflect on the importance of taking care of the rivers.

Finally, the participants presented their action plan which aims to implement what they have learned from the e-learning in their YMCA and in the community. This conference, serves as an avenue to discuss Climate Change issues with the hope that the APAY is empowering the youth to be climate sensitive and responsible individuals.