In 2025, GYC piloted a Youth Sustainability Science & Policy Internship Programme! Over the summer and into the fall, a diverse cohort of exceptional youth (ages 16–18) from across the UK and internationally explored sustainability, conservation, science and policy — learning new skills and gaining experience in science and policy research, drafting, editing and publishing, online engagement and awareness raising, and SDG implementation.
Our partners
The pilot ran in partnership with the Cambridge Centre for Environment, Energy and Natural Resource Governance (CEENRG) at the University of Cambridge, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and the UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC).
At the David Attenborough Building
Interns were hosted at the David Attenborough Building in Cambridge, which is home to CEENRG and to the Cambridge Conservation Initiative. Over the course of the pilot they worked alongside researchers and practitioners, attended seminars, and took on live conservation questions — among them how Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs) can help close the gap to the global 30×30 target.
The eight pilot interns came from across the UK and internationally, working in teams led by two coordinators. Over the internship they learned how to research youth engagement in major international treaties on sustainable development, and drafted articles for review and submission to the GYC online journal Harmony. They also prepared treaty summaries for a forthcoming online companion to the Oxford University Press textbook Sustainable Development Law: Principles, Practices and Prospects, by Professors Marie-Claire Cordonier Segger and Damilola S. Olawuyi. Alongside all of this, they launched their OECM Opportunities Instagram campaign.
Get involved
How the programme was developed
This new initiative was developed by a coalition of experts from the Cambridge Centre for Environment, Energy, and Natural Resource Governance (CEENRG) at the University of Cambridge, the Centre for International Sustainable Development Law (CISDL) at McGill, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Commissions, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the Global Youth Council on Science, Law and Sustainability (GYC).
To learn more about OECMs, read this amazing article by youth leader, Annabel Koven, who interviewed Harry Jonas, Senior Director of the World Wildlife Fund.
With thanks
The youth would especially like to thank the IUCN, UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre, the David Attenborough building, and the Cambridge Centre for Conservation Research for their collaboration and mentorship.
Harmony Online Journal - Youth Voices on Science, Law and Sustainability 