{"id":13767,"date":"2026-02-19T10:06:47","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T10:06:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/faithbeliefforum.org\/?p=13767"},"modified":"2026-02-19T10:32:43","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T10:32:43","slug":"200-youth-leaders-convene-at-interfaith-and-climate-action-summit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/faithbeliefforum.org\/200-youth-leaders-convene-at-interfaith-and-climate-action-summit\/","title":{"rendered":"200+\u00a0Youth Leaders\u00a0Convene at Interfaith\u00a0and Climate Action Summit"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

ROOTS & ROUTES: GLOBAL ISSUES, LOCAL RESPONSES\u00a0<\/strong>
View all Photos: Youth Interfaith Summit 2026 Photo Album<\/a>

LONDON, 19\u00a0February\u00a0\u2014 The Faith & Belief Forum (F&BF), in partnership with the LSE Faith Centre<\/a>, brought together\u00a0200+\u00a0<\/strong>young people\u00a018-35\u00a0on Monday 9 February\u00a0for the\u00a0Youth Interfaith Summit\u00a02026.\u00a0<\/strong>The summit is an\u00a0annual convention\u00a0exploring\u00a0social issues through the lens of faith and belief. The last 3 years have focused on\u00a0the intersection of\u00a0interfaith and climate\u00a0action<\/strong>\u00a0with Monday evening featuring\u00a0powerful storytelling,\u00a0expert masterclasses, and youth-led dialogue.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The theme of this year’s summit was Roots and Routes of Climate Change:<\/strong> how does global climate change manifest locally, and what were creative actions young people can take to affect change. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Attendes
An Icebreaker Game (feat. pizza)! <\/em>\u00a9<\/strong> Jeff Gilbert Photography<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

STORYTELLING, PERFORMANCES, EXPERT MASTERCLASSESS <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

On Monday 9 February, Young people gathered at LSE for an evening of storytelling, honest conversation, and practical workshops with experts. The evening explored how faith and belief can shape climate action in London, and how to move from concern to achievable local steps. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The evening brought together young people, students and guests for a programme designed to hold two truths at once: that climate change is already here, and that young people are already acting, not as \u201cfuture leaders\u201d, but as present actors.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Eilidh Taylor of the F&BF Youth Advisory Board put it in the opening of the youth panel conversation: \u201c75% of the world population is part of a faith group, 60% of London is, and 100% of the world is affected by climate change.\u201d<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The night combined the power of the creative arts to spark action whilst remaining grounded in the science behind climate change and <\/em>the policy and social action channels to do something about it.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A creative opening performance from Khayaal Theatre<\/a> set the tone for the night. Eleanor\u00a0Martin\u00a0performed\u00a0an old East African tale,\u00a0the\u00a0Rainmaker,\u00a0to explore collective responsibility and what happens when communities struggle to come together in the face of crisis.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Khayaal
Khayaal Theatre Performance<\/em> \u00a9<\/strong> Jeff Gilbert Photography<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

From there, the summit moved into a shared question that ran through every session: what do we owe each other and how do we translate values into action without leaving young people to carry the burden alone?<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

PANEL: \u201cFAITH, CLIMATE & YOUTH \u2014 WHERE IS IT GETTING STUCK?\u201d <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The\u00a0opening panel was hosted\u00a0by\u00a0Arjan Singh Rai\u00a0and Eilidh Taylor,\u00a0<\/s>both graduates of the F&BF ParliaMentors programme <\/a>and now on\u00a0the\u00a0Youth Advisory Board.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They led a thought-provoking discussion\u00a0together Blue Weiss, Grace Hardingham and Dr Hanane\u00a0Benadi\u00a0<\/a>to explore where faith communities support climate action, where they hold it back, and how young people navigate the tensions.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blue Weiss, a Community Organiser who works with many organisations including Citizens UK<\/a>,\u00a0argued that progress\u00a0can\u2019t\u00a0be left to institutions and decision-makers alone:\u00a0\u201cThings could be better, but if it were left only to those in power, it won\u2019t be.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Workshop
Youth Panel Discussion <\/em>\u00a9<\/strong> Jeff Gilbert Photography<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

He also named the scale of the challenge with urgency: \u201cAt the moment, when it comes to the climate, we\u2019re losing and we\u2019re losing badly.\u201d Blue pointed to the need for local grounding, suggesting that climate organising becomes more real when it begins with smaller, visible issues and builds momentum from there. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grace Hardingham<\/a>, who works closely with the UK\u2019s Christian organisations,\u00a0reflected on the complexity of faith landscapes, including generational shifts. She highlighted both the growth of Christian environmental movements and the challenge of engaging those who are less connected to climate justice conversations. She underlined\u00a0the importance of meeting people where they are. She also spoke about practical\u00a0small\u00a0\u201cwins\u201d that can bring people\u00a0in:\u00a0for example, changes like double glazing in church buildings can cut energy use while making spaces warmer and reducing bills\u00a0to link\u00a0climate action to everyday needs.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr Hanane Benadi drew on her own lived experience of climate impacts to bring the conversation closer to home. <\/s>. \u201cThe city I\u2019m from in Morocco has been almost totally evacuated because of flooding\u2026 and this could happen here,\u201d she said.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She also challenged participants not to underestimate the value of faith perspectives: \u201cDon\u2019t feel ashamed of religious perspectives, you have knowledge too, so don\u2019t leave it to only scientists and engineers.\u201d In a wide-ranging reflection on values, she added that \u201cthe entire question of climate change is centred around \u2018what is the good life\u2019\u201d,  and that shifting consumption and expectations is part of the work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Across the discussion, a clear message emerged: faith communities can be powerful engines for climate action, but only when values become practice, and when young people are supported to organise locally, build alliances, and create change that feels real and reachable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

THREE WORKSHOPS: TOOLS, REFLECTION, AND PRACTICAL ACTION <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Following the panel, participants chose one of three workshops, each offering a different pathway into climate action \u2014 faith and ethics, creative dialogue, or an embodied exploration of the city. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Workshop 1: Faith in Action \u2014 \u201cThere is no such thing as a natural disaster\u201d (Dr Hanane Benadi) <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Participants began by sharing thoughts and feelings about natural disasters \u2013 including earthquakes, heatwaves, floods and droughts \u2013 and then explored how different belief systems shape the way we interpret these events. The session created space to reflect on how religion and belief can influence our responses to crisis, including how values and faith traditions might encourage action for the good of the climate and for those most affected. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Faith and Climate<\/em> \u00a9<\/strong> Jeff Gilbert Photography<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Workshop 2: Making sense of this moment \u2014 Creative Climate Resistance (Dr Ute Kelly) <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dr Ute Kelly\u2019s<\/a> traveled down from the University of Bradford to deliver a workshop that invited participants to process both climate change and the panel conversation through the medium of postcard photography.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Participants selected images that resonated with them, reflected on the questions the images raised, and shared hopes to create a thoughtful space to speak honestly about climate feelings, including anxiety, while also imagining creative ways how they might respond with care, courage and community. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Dr
Creative Climate Resistance<\/em> \u00a9<\/strong> Jeff Gilbert Photography<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Workshop 3: Urban Climate Walk \u2014 Lincoln\u2019s Inn Fields (Dr Julie Futcher) <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an after-dark campus walking tour, participants explored climate at street level. Dr Futcher\u00a0<\/a>pointed out features that are connected to the climate. She spotlighted\u00a0how buildings materials, windows, overhangs and open\/closed\u00a0spaces\u00a0shape wind, warmth, exposure,\u00a0comfort\u00a0and atmosphere.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The walk moved between older London architecture and newer glass buildings, sparking discussion about how design choices can trap heat or support cooling, as well as wider themes such as light pollution and how climate is felt in everyday life. The session connected global issues to local, observable realities  and showed how conscious design can support more liveable cities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Dr
Climate Campus Tour <\/em>\u00a9<\/strong> Jeff Gilbert Photography<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

YOUTH LEADERSHIP, PARTNERSHIP, AND WHAT COMES NEXT <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The summit was shaped and stewarded by young people throughout \u2014 from the panel conversation to facilitation and hosting,  reinforcing a core theme of the night: responsibility is real, but it needs to be shared, supported, and made practical. And young people are already at the front. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
Youth Advisory Board + F&BF and LSE Team<\/em> \u00a9<\/strong> F&BF Communications<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Hussein Salahaldin, F&BF Youth & Universities Co-ordinator, said: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was most proud of the Youth Advisory Board who led this summit. It was designed by young people for young people. It\u2019s by them, for them. If we don\u2019t empower young people to take leadership positions \u2013 even in relatively simple things like summits \u2013 then we\u2019re not empowering them. This just goes to show if you give young people opportunity and trust them, they will do incredible things.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jess Hazrati, LSE Faith Centre Manager, said: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Youth Interfaith Summit is a wonderful coalescence of the LSE Faith Centre\u2019s work: the championing of religion-related study at LSE, harnessing the passion of our young people, and the power of faith in addressing the climate emergency. Bringing together all these areas in partnership with the Faith & Belief Forum has demonstrated how powerful change can happen from the grassroots upwards.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The evening closed with performances by interfaith artists Tali Shear and Nafis Joy as the attendees reflected on turning big questions into grounded next steps. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Faith and Belief Forum and LSE Faith Centre look forward to continued work together at the intersection of faith, youth empowerment and climate action in coming years. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ROOTS & ROUTES: GLOBAL ISSUES, LOCAL RESPONSES\u00a0View all Photos: Youth Interfaith Summit 2026 Photo Album LONDON, 19\u00a0February\u00a0\u2014 The Faith &<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":13796,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[79,626,302,627,308,628,316,629,372,630,620,631,621,632,622,633,623,624,57,625],"class_list":["post-13767","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-social-action","tag-youth-climate-action","tag-sustainability","tag-london-events","tag-interfaith-dialogue","tag-community-organising","tag-youth-leadership","tag-grassroots-action","tag-faith-belief-forum","tag-religion-and-climate-change","tag-climate-action","tag-faith-based-climate-action","tag-youth-interfaith-summit-2026","tag-climate-justice","tag-roots-routes","tag-storytelling-for-change","tag-lse-faith-centre","tag-faith-and-climate","tag-interfaith","tag-youth-interfaith-summit"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/faithbeliefforum.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13767","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/faithbeliefforum.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/faithbeliefforum.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/faithbeliefforum.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/faithbeliefforum.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13767"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/faithbeliefforum.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13767\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13797,"href":"https:\/\/faithbeliefforum.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13767\/revisions\/13797"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/faithbeliefforum.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13796"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/faithbeliefforum.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13767"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/faithbeliefforum.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13767"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/faithbeliefforum.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13767"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}