Empower Amazonian youth at UN's COP30 conference

Those who live in the Amazon experience environmental changes not as abstract data, but as part of their daily lives. Children and young people of the Amazon are both witnesses to these transformations and protagonists in imagining and building more sustainable futures for their communities. 

Listening to Amazonian youth is essential to understanding the present and shaping the future. If we truly want a sustainable planet, we must amplify the voices of those who live in the forest every day. The future of the Amazon begins by actively listening to its children and young people and acting alongside them. 

Thanks to your donation, Vaga Lume was able to bring these voices to the center of the global climate debate during COP30 and to strengthen concrete, community-led actions across the Amazon. Below, we share how the resources raised through this campaign were used and the impact they made possible. 

Actions made possible through your support 

Amazon Week 
After listening to communities with Vaga Lume libraries about how they understand and experience climate change, we developed the Amazon Week Activity Guide. This guide mobilized volunteers, educators, and communities in awareness-raising activities, dialogue circles, and reading mediation focused on climate, territory, and future perspectives — placing local knowledge and youth voices at the center of the conversation. 

Newly transformed community library in Boa Vista, Pará 

The Boa Vista community celebrated the inauguration  of  the  newly  transformed  community library, built with sustainably sourced wood and powered by solar energy. Designed in harmony with the surrounding environment, the space respects local culture and identity while offering a welcoming environment for reading mediation, cultural activities, and community gatherings. The library stands as a symbol of sustainable infrastructure rooted in the territory and was inaugurated on November 15, during COP30. 

Projection in Belém (PA) 
On November 11, Vaga Lume projected phrases and messages from traditional Amazonian communities in public spaces in Belém. These projections expressed the demands, knowledge, and perspectives of the peoples of the forest, creating visibility and space for voices that are often excluded from major global events. 

People’s Summit (Cúpula dos Povos) 
On the morning of November 15, young people from communities with Vaga Lume libraries in Castanhal (PA) joined a march alongside activists, Indigenous peoples, traditional communities, and social movements. Together, they defended and proposed solutions grounded in social and climate justice, reinforcing youth leadership within broader collective struggles. 

Event at the House of NGOs 
On November 12, the Brazilian Association of NGOs (ABONG) hosted dialogue circles and talks featuring voices from the territory. Young people from Vaga Lume communities actively participated, sharing their challenges, questions, and the solutions their communities are already implementing. Vaga Lume supported the logistics, preparation, and accompaniment of these youth so they could safely access these spaces and have their voices heard. 

Thank you for making this possible 

Your donation enabled Vaga Lume to amplify the voices of Amazonian youth on a global stage, build a sustainable community library, support youth participation in key climate spaces, and ensure the ongoing delivery of books to 97 community libraries across the Brazilian Legal Amazon. 

At this crucial moment of COP30, your support helped transform resources into concrete action, visibility, and hope, strengthening communities that are already caring for the forest and shaping more just and sustainable futures. 

Thank you for being part of this journey with us!