Climate Action

1.   Youth Engagement for Water Stewardship

Water scarcity in India is an ongoing crisis that affects nearly hundreds of millions of people each year. Maharashtra’s 28% of population is in the age group of 15-29 years who are the future of this country. 'Youth Engagement and Water Stewardship' program (2023-25) is being implemented to support youth in taking actions to save critical resources like water. This flagship initiative of the Department of Higher and Technical Education, Government of Maharashtra, is being carried out in collaboration with UNICEF India (Maharashtra), ACWADAM, the Centre for Environment Education, and Why Waste.

Key objectives

• Skill and empower 710,000 young volunteers in Maharashtra in 13 districts by giving them the tools and the confidence to take action on water, environment and sustainability issues and save 28 million cubic meter of water in 36 months (by March 2026).
• Support them to share their ideas, advocacy and actions with their communities reaching 1.1 million people in Maharashtra.
• Identify those young people who are emerging as leaders who can become hyper-local water, environment and sustainability champions.

Why Waste YEWS Application

To monitor and evaluate the actions undertaken by youth and communities under the YEWS program, an application titled Why Waste YEWS has been developed. This app tracks water savings in real time and displays the data on a dashboard accessible at the state, district, and college levels. The application includes several key features, outlined below.

Impact as on May 2025

For more information visit the Website. Read more...

Why Waste YEWS State Dashboard. Read more...

2.   Maharashtra Youth for Climate Action (MYCA)

The Maharashtra Youth for Climate Action (MYCA) network is a transformative initiative launched by the Department of Higher and Technical Education, Government of Maharashtra. MYCA is a youth-led network that emerged from a movement focused on awareness and advocacy in Maharashtra, India. The program is implemented in partnership with UNICEF Maharashtra and other development partners, targeting youth advocates aged 15–29. It provides training in climate action planning, builds sectoral networks, and enhances knowledge of climate advocacy and policy.

  Our Mission

MYCA strives to localize climate actions under key frameworks such as Majhi Vasundhara, the State Action Plan for Climate Change, and Mission LiFE. By providing training, resources, and platforms for youth engagement, MYCA empowers young people to actively participate in climate action planning, implementation, and policy advocacy.

  Key Activities

• Workshops, Conferences and Green Skilling : Organized in-person workshops, conferences, webinars focusing on climate action and green skills development.
• Youth Submissions to UNFCCC COPs : Supported MYCA members in preparing youth submissions for the Local Conference of Youth, contributing to global climate negotiations.
• MYCA Fellowship : Launched a fellowship program where the first cohort of five MYCA Fellows initiated local climate projects, demonstrating leadership and innovation.
• Online Courses : Runs the "Youth Leadership for Climate Action" online course, covering topics like climate change, water management, energy, biodiversity, and waste management. This course is accessible to government officials, NGOs, local body representatives, and youth across Maharashtra where 4,04,410 young people have enrolled and 2,68,746 have completed the courses (Climate change and water Conservation, Solid Waste Management, Biodiversity Conservation, and Energy Conservation).
• Digital Networking Platforms : Hosts webinars, conferences, and created online platforms to facilitate networking and discussions among youth and stakeholders.

  Impact

For more information visit the Website. Read more...

For Course. Read more...