BY JAZZ TAN, APC INTERN
How can youth-led initiatives drive impactful climate action in Southeast Asia, and what can funders learn from their success?
Southeast Asia is on the front lines of the climate crisis. Rising sea levels, extreme weather, and environmental degradation are not just threats but urgent realities. While traditional, top-down solutions often fail to address localised issues, youth-led initiatives are emerging as transformative forces for change.
In June 2024, the Global Fund for Children (GFC) gathered philanthropists and changemakers in Singapore to share the successes of The Spark Fund, a youth-led initiative investing in groups tackling climate justice across Asia. Backed by donors like Porticus, RS Group, and Lien Aid, the Spark Fund exemplifies how empowering young leaders can drive meaningful, community-based climate action.
The gathering offered attendees a closer look at how participatory philanthropy—where decision-making rests with those most affected—could reshape the region’s climate response
Bridging the Gap with Youth Leadership
The Spark Fund focuses on amplifying youth leadership in Thailand, Vietnam, and Singapore. At its core is a panel of diverse youth leaders tasked with managing grant-making decisions for youth-led organizations. These panellists are trained in areas like environmental advocacy, leadership, and grant-making, with support from funders, environmental experts, and their peers.
This structure is more than symbolic. Youth leaders co-create shared values, design proposal processes, and engage in collective decision-making. Along the way, they receive ongoing opportunities for learning and reflection, ensuring their decisions reflect the real needs of their communities.
Redesigning Philanthropy through Youth Leadership
A cornerstone of the Spark Fund is its participatory grant making approach, which shifts decision-making power directly to young leaders. This approach empowers youth to identify and support youth-led projects and organisations that might be overlooked by traditional donors, ensuring that funding reaches innovative and impactful initiatives. But how exactly does this approach transform philanthropy?
- Empowerment and Responsibility
By giving young leaders control over funding decisions, the model fosters a sense of ownership and accountability. Youths identify and support initiatives that address their communities’ unique challenges, such as sustainable resource management or improving the quality of life in underserved areas.
- Flexibility and Adaptability
The model allows for dynamic responses to changing needs. For example, in Northern Thailand, the Thai partner Free Indigenous People (FIP) collaborates with Indigenous communities to develop advocacy toolkits that evolve alongside environmental and social conditions.
- Inclusivity and Collaboration
By involving diverse youth voices, the Spark Fund promotes inclusivity and cross-cultural understanding. Initiatives like ASEAN Youth Hug the Mekong bring together young people from Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand to lead conservation efforts and share their stories through mass media, bridging linguistic and cultural divides.
Lessons for Funders
The Spark Fund’s success provides a blueprint for rethinking philanthropy. Participatory grant-making challenges entrenched power dynamics, shifting the role of funders from leaders to facilitators. This requires funders to create spaces for youth to apply their lived experiences, passions, and expertise.
Key takeaways for funders include prioritizing diverse perspectives, addressing language barriers, and allocating resources to ensure equitable engagement. For Southeast Asia, where the climate crisis demands localized and community-driven solutions, this model could redefine how impact is achieved.
By empowering young leaders, the Spark Fund isn’t just fostering immediate climate action—it’s cultivating a generation of changemakers who will shape the region’s future.
“This is the first time I feel that I am accepted for who I am without being judged by my social status,” said one of the youth panellists about their experience with the Spark Fund initiative.“
Jazz Tan,
9 July 2024