The course stems from concerns about young people’s wellbeing and aims to strengthen their faith in the future and their agency as builders of a sustainable world.
This autumn, the course began at Lahti´s high schools, marking a first-of-its-kind initiative to combine personal mentoring, youth agency, and advocacy with environmental education.
Working alongside teachers, climate mentors guide students in exploring their personal role in climate action and equip them with concrete tools to make an impact. The course aims to strengthen young people’s belief that their actions matter. Students put their learning into practice by writing opinion pieces and creating social media content, allowing them to experiment with different ways of advocating.
The climate crisis evokes a range of emotions and questions
– Climate change is one of the defining challenges of our time, and we are concerned about young people’s well-being and their faith in the future. The climate crisis evokes a range of emotions and questions, so it is essential to talk about it, especially with young people, and about how they can act.
– Finland is known for its world-class education system, and we are proud to lead with a new example of how climate education can empower young people to become builders of a sustainable future, says Johanna Särkijärvi, Environmental Director of the City of Lahti.
The mentors, Anni Pokela and Sara Yrjönmäki, represent a new generation of young Finnish climate experts. Pokela is a founding member and strategic expert at Operaatio Arktis, a State Award-recognised climate strategy agency. She is an experienced speaker at international summits and advocates updating climate strategies to address the extreme risks of climate change faced by younger generations.
Yrjönmäki works at One Planet, a consultancy specialising in ecological sustainability, where she supports companies, cities, ministries, and organisations in protecting biodiversity and tackling climate change. From 2024 to 2025, Yrjönmäki served as a youth delegate, representing young Finns in both national nature-related working groups and international conferences, including the UN biodiversity negotiations.
Environment as part of education in Lahti
In Lahti, the local natural environment has long been used for learning. The city has three daycare centres that meet the criteria of the Salpausselkä Geopark early childhood education programme, which also supports the goals of the Agenda 2030 programme. In addition, there are five Green Flag daycare centres and two Green Flag schools in Lahti.
A new environmental education programme will be included in Lahti’s basic education curriculum starting in August 2025. The aim is for every pupil to become familiar with their local environment and to adopt the values of an environmental city during their school years. Read more: A Living Way to Learn (greenlahti.fi)
Lahti’s environmental educators provide support, guidance and training for educators, teachers and instructors.