Youth

Summit 2022

Break Free From Plastic Youth Summit

April 8-10, 2022 | Virtual

The Break Free From Plastic Youth Summit brings youth organizations together for a global virtual gathering this April 8-10, 2022. This summit will serve as a platform for youth to discuss revolutionary ideas, to learn about intersectional issues on plastic, and to band together to represent their generation’s stance in the fight against climate change and plastic pollution.

Objectives

Provide a platform for young people to discuss transformative initiatives and share ideas on scaling existing campaigns.

Organize skill shares to improve their knowledge of intersectional issues of plastic and the impact of global youth-led movements, and to support their local campaigns.

Adopt a Youth Manifesto, that will contain a synthesis of their demands, overarching actions, and commitment to break free from plastic.

Create solidarity among youth leaders and organizations that are joining the movement.

This summit is open to the following participants

1. Youth-led Organizations

2. Youth-focused Organizations

3. Youth Leaders and Individuals

Agenda

The Break Free From Plastic Youth summit includes skillshares, discussion sessions, and a film screening. View the program below.

Day 1 | Friday, April 8, 2022

Starts at 7pm Manila / 4:30pm New Delhi / 1pm CEST / 11am Accra / 8am Rio de Janeiro. More time zones

Plenary Session: Welcome to the BFFP Youth Summit!

In this session, you will learn more about the Break Free From Plastic Movement, the members that are behind its successes, and the work streams that function within it. We will also talk about why youth voices are crucial in tackling the climate and plastic pollution problem.

• Skye Male (Speaker) Community Engagement Manager, BFFP
• Betty Osei Bonsu (Speaker) Project Coordinator, Green Africa Youth Organization, BFFP Youth Ambassador
• Rafael Eudes (Speaker) Coordinator, ReUni and CirculaCT, BFFP Youth Ambassador

45min | Main Hall: Presentation

Networking

Meet fellow youth leaders from all around the world who are with you in the fight against plastic pollution! In this session, participants will have the chance to get to know each other and their work through break-out rooms with facilitated ice breakers.

15min | Breakout Rooms

Skillshare and Workshop: Links of Plastic to Climate

How is plastic pollution contributing to climate change? The plastic problem is a cross-cutting issue that can be viewed through many lenses that are a part of our everyday life. In this session, you will learn about the intersectional issues of plastic relating to culture, society, and fast-changing systems of the 21st century.

• Caryl Pillora (Facilitator) Plastics Campaigner, GAIA
• Delphine Alvares (Speaker) European Coordinator, BFFP
• Sarah Packer (Speaker) Director of Petrochemicals, Plastics, & Climate, Center for Environmental Health
• Sherma Benosa (Speaker) Knowledge Management Officer, GAIA

1hr 15min | Main Hall: Panel and Breakout Rooms

Break

10min

Skillshare and Workshop: Links of Plastic to Environmental Justice

In this session, we will take a deep dive into the history of plastic and human rights, and learn from the groups that are pushing for a rights-based approach on influencing policies.

• Kelsey McNaul (Facilitator) US Member Engagement Officer, BFFP
• Nina Azzahra (Speaker) Co-captain, River Warrior Indonesia, BFFP Youth Ambassador
• Niven Reddy (Speaker), Africa Regional Coordinator, BFFP
• Last speaker to be updated

1hr 15min | Main Hall: Panel and Breakout Rooms

Day 1 Conclusion: Highlights and Takeaways

• Tim Lo Surdo, Rathana.org

10min | Main Hall

Day 2 | Saturday, April 9, 2022

Starts at 7pm Manila / 4:30pm New Delhi / 1pm CEST / 11am Accra / 8am Rio de Janeiro. More time zones

Intro: Recap of Day 1, Overview of Day 2, and Energizer

• Tim Lo Surdo, Rathana.org

15min | Main Hall

Skillshare and Workshop: School-based Projects

Youth are the leaders of TODAY! Young people are rising up to promote systems change within their own universities, which will serve as examples for the radical shifts needed by society at large. In this session, you will learn more about how youth organizations have been organizing for change in their own schools, and how they are building this movement of informed youth that are moving away from single-use plastic.

• Tiara Samson (Facilitator) Movement Building Associate, BFFP
• Alex Gordon (Speaker) Program Coordinator, Florida PIRG Students
• Nikhilesh Paliath (Speaker) Co-Founder & Senior Mentor, Green Army International, BFFP Youth Ambassador
• Nana Minta (Speaker) Education and Eco-clubs Coordinator, Green Africa Youth Organization

1hr 15min | Main Hall: Panel and Breakout Rooms

Break

10min

Skillshare and Workshop: Community-based Projects

What are the solutions we can take into our communities? How do we campaign for policy change? In this session, youth leaders and teachers will show you how they have engaged their cities and local governments to join the cause and become a part of the solution through education and systems change.

• Skye Male (Speaker) Community Engagement Manager, BFFP
• Maria Eduarda Bezerra (Speaker) Coordinator, UFSC Plastic Free and REUNI, BFFP Youth Ambassador
• Hannah Testa (Speaker) Founder, Hannah4Change
• Thara Bening (Speaker) Co-founder of River Warrior Indonesia

1hr 15min | Main Hall: Panel and Breakout Rooms

Break

10min

Workshop: Navigating through Climate Anxiety

A recent survey published of 10,000 young people, age 16-25, worldwide found that 59-percent are very or extremely worried about climate change. In this session, we will open a space for youth leaders to discuss their experiences and coping with the realities of climate change, and collaborate on ways to create or contribute to the movement of climate-aware spaces for their generation.

1hr | Breakout Rooms

Day 2 Conclusion: Highlights and Takeaways

• Tim Lo Surdo, Rathana.org

10min | Main Hall

Day 3 | Sunday, April 10, 2022

Starts at 7pm Manila / 4:30pm New Delhi / 1pm CEST / 11am Accra / 8am Rio de Janeiro. More time zones

Intro: Recap of Day 2, Overview of Day 3, and Energizer

• Tim Lo Surdo, Rathana.org

15min | Main Hall

Film Screening: Break Free From Plastic Youth Global Documentary

In 2021, the COP26 summit marked the 26th gathering of world leaders discussing climate change agreements ever since its inception in 1995. Two and a half decades later, there is still no solid plan or commitment from 191 countries to truly stay within their 1.5 degree celsius warming limit. As countries fail to create solid goals for their contributions to climate agreements, we revisit the past years where youth leaders are still fighting for world leaders to step up and follow through with climate agreements.

15min | Main Hall

Youth Manifesto Co-Design

A strong and powerful global movement is required for youth leaders and climate activists to achieve their vision of a future free from plastic pollution. Young people have been driving forces for action and change in the climate, human rights, and pro-democracy movements. Youth leaders will get to design, collaborate, and discuss their demands, commitments, and strategic objectives in this session.

1hr | Breakout Rooms

Break

10min

Full Panel: Global Youth Movements

Global Youth Movements have been at the forefront of driving change in the climate sphere. We are talking about the movements that are leading the largest generation of youth in history, who can connect to each other, build the resilience of their communities and drive social progress and political change. It’s also this current generation that’s most affected by both the plastics and climate crises and that will suffer the most from the effects of these in their adulthood—which means they have a large stake in the outcomes of what we do today. In this session, we will hear from the leaders of these movements that are leading the way in empowering young people like them to take action.

• Sybil Bullock (Facilitator) Global Brand Audit Coordinator, BFFP
• Manasiti Omar, Fridays for Future
• Kevin Mtai, African Regional Coordinator, Earth Uprising
• Facilitator and Speakers to be updated!

1hr | Main Hall: Panel

Plenary Session: Presenting the Youth Manifesto

Coming from the previous session, Break Free From Plastic will present the Youth Manifesto, an overarching document that consolidates the goals, commitments, and strategic plans that were discussed earlier. The Youth Manifesto will serve as the document to gather commitments from youth leaders and youth-focused organizations alike, who are joining the movement and organizing for the fulfillment of their demands for change.

15min | Main Hall

Day 3 Conclusion: Next steps and how to stay involved with the movement

15min | Main Hall

Virtual Film Festival Dates

Participants of the Youth Summit will be able to enjoy a line-up of films that will be available before and after attending the Youth Summit.

Girls for Future

Irja von Bernstorff | March 27-April 7

Girls for Future follows four girls, aged between 11 and 14 years, from Senegal, Indonesia, Australia and India who fight for a better future.

All are directly affected by the consequences of environmental destruction: Senegal stands for the global water crisis, Indonesia for plastic waste pollution, India for the agricultural crisis and in Australia we witness the fatal destruction in the oceans and on land through climate change.

The feature-length documentary ‘Kinder der Klimakrise’ (original German title) was coproduced by the German National broadcasters SWR (responsible commissioning editor: Claudia Schwab) and Radio Bremen (responsible editor: Michaela Herold) in cooperation with the European Culture Channel ARTE.

Microplastic Madness

Irja von Bernstorff | March 27-April 7

Microplastic Madness is an optimistic take on the local and global plastic pollution crisis as told through a refreshing urban youth point of view with an inspiring take action message.

Fifth graders from PS 15 in Red Hook, Brooklyn – a community on the frontline of Climate Change – spent 2 years investigating plastic pollution. Taking on the roles of citizen scientists, community leaders, and advocates, these 10-11 year olds collect local data, lead community outreach, and use their impressive data to inform policy, testifying and rallying at City Hall. They take the deep dive into the root causes of plastic pollution, bridging the connection between plastic, climate change, and environmental justice before turning their focus back to school. There they take action to rid their cafeteria of all single-use plastic, driving forward city-wide action and a scalable, youth-led plastic-free movement.

With stop-motion animation, heartfelt kid commentary, and interviews of experts and renowned scientists, this alarming, yet uplifting narrative conveys an urgent message in user-friendly terms with a take action message to spark youth-led plastic free action in schools everywhere. The film has been accepted to 44 film festivals and received 8 awards.

The Story of Plastic

Deia Schlosberg
April 11-18

The Story of Plastic is a searing exposé revealing the ugly truth behind plastic pollution and the false solution of plastic recycling.

Different from every other plastic documentary you’ve seen, The Story of Plastic presents a cohesive timeline of how we got to our current global plastic pollution crisis and how the oil and gas industry has successfully manipulated the narrative around it. From the extraction of fossil fuels and plastic disposal to the global resistance fighting back, The Story of Plastic is a life-changing, Emmy-winning film depicting one of the world’s most pressing environmental issues.

Coca-cola's Plastic Promises

Laura Mulholland
April 11-18

The soft drinks industry has faced growing criticism of the use of single-use plastic. In 2018 Coca-Cola, the world’s largest softdrinks producer, set ambitious targets to reduce the amount of its plastic packaging that ends up in the environment.

It said that by 2030 it would collect one bottle or can for every one it sold and make them from 50% recycled material. Coke’s plan is to eliminate waste by turning old bottles into new ones. In this film, we investigate Coca-Cola’s World Without Waste strategy. Could it be a shining example for the whole beverage industry? Or is Coke’s plan to recycle its way out of the problem fundamentally flawed? And how well, after three years, is Coca-Cola doing around the world in meeting the commitments it has made?

We the Guineapigs

Louise Unmach Kjeldsen
April 11-18

“We the Guinea Pigs” investigates why we are still constantly – and increasingly – exposed to dangerous chemicals through our plastic use, even though researchers have warned us about the potential adverse health effects for decades.

Some of the most cutting edge scientific findings on how plastic harms our health come from Danish researchers. A recent study conducted in Denmark has revealed how endocrine disrupting chemicals affect the female reproductive system. It shows that female rats exposed to endocrine disruptors during early development end up with fewer eggs in their ovaries and are at risk of losing their ability to reproduce at an earlier age. For some time researchers have known that plastic has a negative impact on men’s sperm count. Are we involuntary participants in an enormous experiment, threatening the health of millions of people – maybe even mankind as such?

The Recycling Myth

Tom Costello
April 11-18

In the last few years the plastic pollution crisis has become an international scandal. But the plastic packaging industry has declared it knows how to solve the problem: recycling.

Increasingly, bottles, boxes and sachets are proudly stamped with the words ‘100% recyclable’ as brands compete to reassure consumers that their packaging purchases are guilt-free. But if recycling is really the solution, why is the world pumping out more virgin plastic than ever before? Could recycling really be the ultimate greenwash? We follow the money into an industry that’s designed to hide the problem rather than solve it. We track the black-market brokers who hunt for countries to dump our plastic, waste moguls getting rich by burning trash, and the organised criminals for whom waste smuggling is now as lucrative as human trafficking. As we all pick up the bill for a world drowning in plastic, the film asks: who is getting rich?