UWCEA Moshi Sustainability Committee Host the First Virtual Tanzanian Youth Climate Summit

On Thursday, February 27th 2025 the Sustainability Committee of UWCEA Moshi hosted the first virtual Tanzanian Youth Climate Summit on behalf of Tanzania’s Student Coalition on Climate [TaSCC]. This was the first of its kind, aimed at as low a footprint as can be managed and delivered a strong message not only locally, but regionally and up to the UN level.  

UWCEA Moshi’s Sustainability Committee hosted vTYCS 2025 on behalf of TaSCC

Opening ceremony for the vTYCS 2025

The day started with an opening ceremony hosted by Alvis Raut, Marta Monsen and Andressa Bezerra Da Silva Souzza (committee leaders) who opened the ceremony to the virtual guests and all of the M4, D1 and D2 students. Handing over to Sofia Krumm Diaz, Leonor Jacinto (former committee leads) and Pijus Vasiliauskas (D2) who recapped the UWCEA journey with TaSCC, highlighting previous summits and events held in collaboration, including the 2023 summit and the 2024 talk they hosted with Jane Goodall.

A special message from Ms. Elizabeth Maruma Mrema

Executive Deputy Head of UNEP Elizabeth Maruma Mrema’s recorded message to the virtual Tanzanian Youth Climate Summit 2025 at UWCEA Moshi

This gave way to a recorded address from Ms. Elizabeth Maruma Mrema (Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Program) who delivered an impactful and inspiring address. She is Chagga and calls Moshi home, the gratitude to her for her input cannot be put into words. 

Andressa then led a carbon footprint tracking workshop, moving into the action phase of the summit. Many participants were eager to share their own footprints, engaging virtually and with some troubleshooting able to engage from across the region. 

Tanzanian Climate Leader Delicia Mwanyika Speech and Discussions

Delicia Mwanyika – Youth Climate Activist and Head of the Commonwealth Sustainable Energy Youth Action Tanzania

Next up was Delicia Mwanyika (left), a Tanzanian climate leader based in Dar es Salaam who has an impressive track record. Her message was also inspiring, calling for actions, for change agents to be informed, to find their niche in terms of taking action in the face of environmental challenges. Delicia is a powerful figure who captured the summit, answering questions around her journey providing valuable insights into what it takes to make meaningful change. The summit was truly graced by her presence and gained so much from her knowledge and advice. 

After a short break, it was time for Sarah Bozic (D2) to take center stage. Sarah introduced many schools and peers to the work she continues to grow through her sustainable fashion endeavours. Much as she did with the catwalk during our school’s sharation event in December, Sara’s designs and efforts for sustainable fashion truly shined. 

Carbon Tanzania

Then it was time for Carbon Tanzania’s CEO David Beroff (right) with his operations manager Azaria Kilimba (left): photo credit Carbon Tanzania) hosted by Charity Akayezu and Lily Teshome. For some, this was their favourite discussion as David offered an economic lens which provides opportunity for ecosystem services. Then Azaria shared valuable insights into the on the ground management of such areas and the agreement’s connections to a community level. Some tough questions were asked, but this added further value to the enrichment of understanding amongst participants. They are action driven and it was very apparent. 

TaSCC Discussions and Debates

UWCEA students engaging live and with online participants, Camille, Andressa and Lily (committee members) pictured with Hynek (D1)

A debate and discussion was then hosted in smaller breakout sessions (rooms), committee members, Charity, Lily, Sharon Bowyer, Rory McCormack, Ivy Mayende, and Camille Wiehe jumped into action taking a lead role in these discussions around next steps for TaSCC. The virtual setting set the scene and eventually fruitful discussions were had, with many participants across Tanzania providing valuable insights and demonstrations of interest to join TaSCC and take action. 

Shilpa Tiwari

For the final keynote speaker the summit participants are forever

Shilpa Tiwari brought an eye opening focus on intersectionality and greatly helped network for the event

grateful. Keynote speaker Shilpa Tiwari provided key insights into intersectionality and climate justice. This session was live and in person with virtual participants in full participation. A video from Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) provided real world insights into the uneven distribution of impacts from climate change. Finding solutions requires equity and inclusion, students were challenged to foster quick action solutions to environmental social justice issues.

Workshops with UWCEA Student Run Projects: 

The final workshops were hosted by UWCEA Moshi’s Women’s Health Empowerment (WHE), DP Environmental Service, Clean-up Service and Sustainability in School’s (M4). Their workshops went to breakout rooms for a final chance to discuss sustainability, climate justice and restoration in the context of schools. A special thanks to WHE for their flexibility, making a valuable contribution connecting access to sanitary pads to climate justice. The participants were engaged and at this point acquainted with the virtual interface.

Closing Ceremony

Andressa, Marta and Avis stand with the head of TaSCC (virtual) Faith Maeda

The event closed with a celebration of the day’s event and an address from the head of TaSCC, Faith Maeda, a young Tanzanian who has been engaging over 100 schools in tree planting and a true advocate for climate action. Although her speech was interrupted by the summit’s first connectivity issue, her presence was appreciated and for all intents and purposes it seems action involving collaboration is imminent. Closing remarks were provided by Alvis, Marta and Andressa. With a thump on the lectern, the virtual Tanzanian Youth Climate Summit 2025 was declared closed to great fanfare in the room and with overwhelming gratitude pouring from the closing live Zoom call. 

A message for the UWCEA Moshi Sustainability Committee

Over the course of one school day, we in the Sustainability Committee hosted the first ever virtual Tanzanian Youth Climate Summit (vTYSC) on behalf of the Tanzanian Student Coalition on Climate (TaSCC). In the weeks leading up to the summit, and throughout the day itself, every single member of the Committee worked their utmost to ensure that the Summit was a resounding success. In the end, our work came to fruition. One of the major successes which this virtual summit brought was a much more efficient way of sharing information. Rather than having attendees travel a long way to reach a venue, we were able to hear opinions from all over Tanzania and some from other parts of Africa with minimal climate impact. We believe that this format of a virtual summit is the way forward for sustainable change and we hope to see it implemented in future events, not only Climate Summits but others too. 

Apart from this switch to a virtual format, we are delighted to see that the goals of Climate Summit are being worked towards. It has been announced that TaSCC is officially open for membership applications and that the next Climate Summit will be held by another Tanzanian school, with Ms. Faith Maeda working diligently as head of TaSCC. Overall, the hard work of the members of the committee, as well as the commitment of every attendee of the summit to climate action, ensured that the meeting was engaging and thought-provoking, with many of the attendees inquiring and asking questions to the keynote speakers, as well as sharing their own opinions in breakout rooms. vTYSC and TaSCC in general are intended to ensure that Tanzanian youth have a platform to voice their opinions and find other methods of implementing sustainability in their schools and communities.

Importantly, we give great thanks to each of the speakers involved and look forward to sharing our gratitude with them. They were nothing short of thought provoking and inspiring to all of those involved.

Aims and outcomes of the summit:  Tanzanian Youth Climate Summit Handbook 2025

The aims set for this climate summit as set by the current Sustainability Committee are simple descriptions on what the committee as a whole planned on changing. The outcomes are the explanatory changes that are set to happen as a result of this initiative. These structured aims and the outcomes of the Summit are linked. 

The holy grail of this Summit was to educate the young people in Tanzania about the uprising titan, CLIMATE CHANGE and push them to take action. The Summit was also structured in a way that pointed out the connection between climate issues and social justice, gender and the economy. There was a focus on giving students a platform to share their ideas and start projects that will not jump start but rather improve the sustainability measures they already have. The participants are to gain exposure and knowledge from experienced climate leaders and activists. The integration of the online open collaboration platform, Zoom uses a virtual format to keep the environmental impact of the meeting of a huge number of people as low as possible. 

An outstanding result of this year’s Climate Summit was the participants learning how climate change affects the different communities but mainly Tanzania in the most unjust ways and why solutions need to be available for both urban and rural settings. After observation, many students that attended the Summit showed genuine interest in joining Tanzania’s Student Coalition on Climate (TaSCC) and getting involved in a variety of environmental initiatives. The carbon tracking workshop helped the young people connect, as well as with climate experts, for any future alliances. The execution of breakout sessions led to the development of creative solutions and plans for both current and future sustainable projects in schools and communities as a whole. 

Big Takeaway: Intersectionality and Equitable Solutions

The Virtual Tanzanian Youth Climate Summit 2025 highlighted the urgent need for intersectional approaches in climate activism. From Shilpa Tiwari’s insights on climate justice to discussions on economic, social, and gender dimensions of environmental issues, the summit reinforced that sustainable solutions must be inclusive and equitable. Participants engaged in critical debates, workshops, and interactive sessions, demonstrating that climate action is not one-size-fits-all—it must consider social justice, economic structures, and local community needs. The summit’s focus on youth-led initiatives, carbon tracking, and grassroots engagement showcased how intersectionality drives real, lasting impact in the fight against climate change.

Nest steps for TaSCC:

As said before, our third TaSCC Climate Summit was a huge success, bringing together local and international schools from across Tanzania and giving students the chance to learn from leading climate activists, including TaSCC’s head Faith. As we pass the torch, we’ve invited participating schools to become official TASCC members and share feedback on our most recent summit. This will empower them to take the lead in organizing future summits and help coordinate even greater national youth engagement in climate action.

Though we are stepping back from hosting, TASCC remains fully committed to supporting climate action across Tanzania. Looking ahead, our focus is on expanding TASCC’s reach, fostering stronger national involvement, and supporting a more locally-led summit later this year.

Author of Sustainability Committee segment: Rory McCormack in collaboration with the committee members