Climate Action by EU Citizens Delivers for Development, brand name SPARK, is a project funded by the EC running from mid 2020 to mid 2024. The project raises awareness, increases capacity, and supports EU citizens, particularly young people, to build public support for ambitious climate change and development policies which have gender equality at the core. A diverse consortium of 20 organisations under the umbrellas of Oxfam and the Climate Action Network Europe (CAN Europe) are part of this initiative, and its activities will take place in 13 EU Member States. Partners bring together experience of climate change campaigning and communication in Europe, gender equality, European youth mobilisation, and climate change development programmes in the Global South.

Inspiring youth to spark a change

The SPARK consortium aims at raising awareness, reinforcing capacities and serving the climate justice youth movement in its collective climate action with a gender transformative approach. The consortium has developed a gender and climate justice narrative in order to contribute to strengthen the existing feminist climate activism and inspiring the youth climate movement with innovative feminist approaches from different regions under a global scope and intersectional lenses. The consortium narrative goes beyond the fact that women and girls suffer more the consequences of climate change and embraces an intentional gender transformative approach by looking at what causes gender inequalities. Furthermore, we work towards solutions that fight gender inequalities at the same time as finding climate solutions, from an ecofeminist lenses in its content and its approach.  On top of that, we want to provide, through ClimAct, spaces for the stories of inspiring champions in the field of gender equality and the fight against climate change and environmental pollution: HerstoryofChange

The project has 3 key objectives:

1. Awareness Raising: EU citizens are aware of the connections between climate change and development. To increase EU citizens’ awareness and understanding of the interconnectedness of climate change, gender equality and development issues.
2. Training: Young EU citizens and CSOs have the capacity to take action on climate change and development. To use communication activities as one tool with which to empower EU citizens to become change makers in their local communities and influence decision makers.
3. Mobilization: EU citizens take action in national and pan-European efforts to tackle climate change and development. To make EU citizens understand and subscribe to the importance of a Pan European approach, the reason why this programme is implemented with EU funding: the Pan European community can (and must) be a climate leader on the global stage

The ClimAct SPARK project aims to be gender transformative, which means transforming unbalanced and discriminatory practices in relation to the project’s objectives and activities. Therefore the visual identity and communication and visibility activities must not reinforce existing gender-based inequalities and discrimination. This includes ensuring that gender equality is explicitly profiled in messaging and images and that they tell a strong story which includes women and girls.

The SPARK consortium is  formed by 20 organizations engaged on supporting the youth climate movement in Europe, beyond its borders and from an intentional gender transformative approach, by looking at what causes gender inequalities. And when we say climate justice we mean what we say, climate, justice, for all, not for some.