Open 10:00 - 16:50 Monday 1st November to Friday 12th November (ex. Sat, Sun)
Welcome to the COP26 Youth Hub! Whether you’re here in Glasgow or wanting to get involved from afar, we’d love to have you!Here at Youth Hub, we believe that COP26 has the potential to be about so much more than the official negotiations taking place at the SSE Hydro. We want COP to be an opportunity for young people to get together and learn, socialise and organise, all while using the momentum from COP to spur future action on the climate emergency.That’s why we created the Youth Hub!The Youth Hub will be a space for workshops and skill sharing, but also for rest and relaxation during a time when climate burnout, fatigue and anxiety are likely to be rife. Attendees can expect workshops on campaign skills, climate change and mental health, jargon busting and more. These events will be run partly by the host organisations, Glasgow University Environmental Sustainability Team (GUEST), Young Friends of the Earth Scotland (YFOES), the UK Youth Climate Coalition (UKYCC), The Resilience Project, and partly by guest speakers.We’ll also be running a full roster of online events for activists across the world. Some of these will be workshops, and others will be social events.Please note that the Youth Hub is aimed at the young people of Glasgow and visiting activists with in the 16 to 30 age range. There are a huge amount of exciting events occurring during the COP so we ask that you keep this a place where young people feel able to share their thoughts. We also need attendees under 16 to be accompanied by an adult, and parents should understand that the topics discussed will often be of a serious nature.
About the Space
Where are we?
Set in the heart of the West End and close to the beautiful Gilbert Scott building of Glasgow University, the Queen Margaret Union has a long history of supporting activism. When it was founded in 1883, it was the first and only college in Scotland to provide higher education for women. Queen Margaret was hard won - women had been fighting for their own college in Glasgow for over 30 years. Today the QMU is known as the beating heart of Glasgow University’s activism, and so was the obvious choice for hosting the Youth Hub during this year’s COP.Located behind the impressive new James McCune Smith Building, the QMU is perhaps best reached from Hillhead Subway station. Heading behind the station through famous Ashton Lane, you can walk up the steps across from the historic Grosvenor Cinema.Alternatively, the QMU can also be reached by walking down University Avenue from the main building.Our address is 22 University Gardens, Hillhead, Glasgow, G12 8QN.
About the Space
We want the Youth Hub to be your base camp during the COP. A space to organise or just relax and chat with other activists, the Youth Hub is equipped with sofas and enough tea to sink a ship. We also have bookable spaces for your organising needs and the creative materials to produce banners and signs. The QMU has its own cafe if you need a bite to eat, and all of their facilities are wheelchair accessible. The space will be open 10 am to 5 pm on weekdays during the COP, except on the 1st, when we will be open from 12.30.There are four main spaces in the Youth Hub, plus a quiet reflection room in case it gets a bit much. Your first port of call is likely to be the Social Space in the games room. This is envisioned to be a space to have a cup of tea and meet other activists. There will be drop-in activities in this space as well as information about both our events and those of others.We will also have a meeting space which can be booked for organising during the COP. We want to provide space for discussion and planning so that our plans can develop with the information coming out of the Hydro. There will also be a creative space for the creation of banners and other art projects. Like the games room, this is likely to be open for most of the day if activists need to create new messaging, though at certain points closed workshops will be hosted in there.That leads us to the last space which is a room mainly reserved for workshops. As the name suggests, this room is where the majority of our in-person workshops will be held. Since we know plans are likely to change, all of our workshops will be first-come-first-served. This being said, please do not hesitate to contact us if first-come-first-served would provide a logistical issue for you.In all of our spaces we aim to foster an environment in which everyone feels safe. For this reason we ask everyone planning to attend to familiarlise themselves with our Safer Spaces policy.
Covid Information
Covid levels are still high in the UK and many people are still vulnerable. People using our spaces may be from countries with limited vaccine access, or be mixing with people from other countries. It is important that we do all we can to keep everyone safe.Face coverings will be compulsory in our spaces (unless exempt) and social distancing measures will be in place. Hand sanitiser will be available and we will be carrying out regular sanitising and ventilation procedures. Capacity of our rooms is capped. Everyone will be required to check in using Track and Trace before entering.Volunteers will be taking daily lateral flow tests, and we encourage anyone participating in activities around COP26 to do the same.Do not enter the Hub if you have any symptoms of Covid-19. Instead, please return home and follow NHS guidance.
What's On(line)
Whether it's because of Covid-19, air miles or cost, we understand that not everyone who wants to be in Glasgow can be. Our goal is to run as many online events as possible, to help you feel connected to this event of worldwide significance.As with our in-person events, our online events list is increasing constantly, so please do keep checking in. Online events will be ticketed through Eventbrite to keep access secure, so please be aware an email will be needed to book into any of our online workshops or talks.
| Activity | Date | Time | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Message to our World Leaders | Everyday | Anytime | Youth Hub - A tree in which people can write out a message to world leaders. At the end we'll compile these responses into a digital resource for people to send to their representatives. You can add your message digitally here, if you choose. |
| Two Worlds | Everyday | Anytime | The World + 3 - The World + 3 is a combination of academic journal and student zine. Using simple, accessible language combined with a peer review and strict referencing system, students from across the UK have come together to create an exploration of current climate adaptation trends that everyone can understand. For COP, World + 3 is excited to present an interactive exhibit! Striving for the same collage-art style as W+3, this vision of two worlds will be collectively put together by members of the public. Come and do some cutting, sticking and thinking about what future we want for our planet. For those unable to visit the COP - fear not! You can add your hopes and fears here! No artistic talent needed! |
| Youth Hub Zine | Everyday | Anytime | Youth Hub - In our Creative Space at the Youth Hub, we'll be running an ongoing zine creation project, getting guests to contribute a page, then compiling them all digitally at the end. Your page can be about anything COP or environment-related! We'd also love to have contributions from those not able to join us at the hub itself. Since we'll be compiling them digitally, digital submissions will be no issue at all to include. The digital submission portal can be found here! |
| Podcast Workshop for Beginners | 02/11 | 10:00 11:00 | GUEST - If you've ever wondered how to create a podcast from start to finish, this is the skill-sharing workshop for you. GUEST coordinator Thalia will be explaining how the GUEST podcast Green Fifteen is made. We'll be looking at different ways of recording audio, using Audacity for simple editing, and uploading podcasts to Anchor. After attending this workshop you'll be fully equipped to submit any podcast episodes to GUEST's Green Fifteen podcast, which will be accepting submissions throughout COP26. Sign up here! |
| Climate Justice Conversations | 02/11 | 11:00 12:10 | YFoES - Is climate change a social justice issue? What makes a fair future? Join us to chat all things climate justice and learn more about this crucial concept! Sign up here! |
| Making the Future Accessible: Access and Inclusion in the Climate Movement | 04/11 | 13:30 15:30 | YFoES - The climate justice movement cannot succeed unless it is accessible to all. Yet too often the movement excludes those whose voices need to be centred and proposes climate solutions that discriminate against the marginalised, who are already disproportionately hit by the effects of climate change. How can we build a climate movement that includes everyone? What do access and inclusion mean in the context of climate justice and why is it important? Come along to our interactive and informative workshop to find out. Through a series of interactive discussions and activities, we will collectively create a shared vision of the future of climate justice. This workshop has been developed by the YFoES Access and Inclusion Working Group - a group of young disabled, neurodivergent and chronically ill young people and allies. Sign up here! |
| Fossil Free Universities | 04/11 | 15:30 17:00 | People and Planet "1.5 to stay alive” was the call to climate action from small island states in the Caribbean during COP21. 6 years on, in the year of COP26, and the fossil fuel industry is still driving us into climate chaos. Join us to get skilled up on action YOU can take in solidarity with frontline communities in the fight for climate and social justice: by using your power as students to push universities to sever investment links with fossil fuels. This will be an interactive workshop with the UK's largest student climate campaigning network: People & Planet. Sign up here! |
| Bringing Climate Justice to the Classroom | 05/11 | 10:00 11:00 | UKYCC - The UKYCC Community Team has developed a workshop designed for delivery in schools to introduce the concept of climate justice to young people. Join us to discuss climate justice, eco-anxiety and how to engage with your community for change. Sign up here! |
| Eco-Anxiety Panel Discussion | 05/11 | 13:30 15:00 | GUEST - A panel discussion exploring how the climate crisis impacts our mental health followed by an audience Q&A. The panel will include speakers from the Climate Psychology Alliance, The University of Glasgow, Elephant In the Room and the Resilience Project. We will focus on issues such as eco-anxiety, mental health among young people, and will discuss the tools we can use to feel empowered rather than helpless in the current ecological crisis. Sign up here! |
| COP Update | 08/11 | 11:10 12:10 | Join us to find out what's been going down in Glasgow! Sign up here! |
| Importance of Storytelling | 08/11 | 14:40 15:40 | Shado - Mainstream media in the UK has a misinformation problem. Euro-centric capitalist corporations control the headlines, who gets heard – and who doesn’t. At Shado mag, we champion the stories that aren’t getting told, from the people who are impacted the most. When a “code red for humanity” has been called, now is the time to learn about the climate crisis from the global communities who are impacted the most but aren’t being listened to. You can help us change that. In this workshop, you will learn how to discover your own climate story, how to pitch it and where and how to get started writing! This workshop will be headed by Shado’s three editors. Shado is a multimedia platform rooted in self-narration. We work with over 200 contributors worldwide to ensure that the right stories are being told by the right people – with the hope that we can stop the spread of misinformation and disrupt the traditional media space with stories from the frontlines. Join the session and get started in helping us with our mission – there has never been a more important time to get youth perspectives out into the world, and we want to help to make sure yours does. Sign up here! |
| Fossil Free Careers | 10/11 | 13:30 15:40 | People and Planet - Find out how educational institutes are propping up oil, gas and mining companies by supplying them with the next generation of talented staff. Learn how to sever recruitment pipelines into companies destroying the environment, and build a youth movement for a Just Transition. This will be an interactive workshop with the UK's largest student climate campaigning network: People & Planet'. Sign up here! |
| Writing Workshop | 10/11 | 15:50 16:50 | UKYCC - Want to write but not sure where to start? Come along to a relaxed writing workshop and spend some time getting your creative juices flowing. Beginners welcome! Sign up here! |
| Building Climate Resilience across Glasgow City Region | 12/10 | 13:30 14:30 | Climate Ready Clyde -Glasgow City Region is a diverse and varied area, with a mix of a major city, towns and villages, as well as mixed landscape and rural environments. It is the local context that frames people’s opportunities, capacity, influence and their experiences of and responses to the impacts of climate change. Hear from Climate Ready Clyde, the leading climate adaptation initiative for Glasgow City Region. Climate Ready Clyde developed Glasgow City Region’s first Adaptation Strategy and Action PlanPlan to kick-start and scale up the Region’s adaptation action. The Strategy aims to ensure Glasgow City Region’s economy, society and environment is not only prepared for, but continues to flourish in the face of the impacts arising from the climate crisis. The Strategy outlines the processes and early interventions needed to manage climate risks and realise opportunities, and provides a strategic framework for adaptation in the Region that fits alongside and supports key plans, policies and activities to enable delivery. The session will allow for interactive discussion, to share experiences of climate impacts and ideas for how we can all help to build our climate resilience while delivering wider benefits for everyone. Sign up here! |
