Chief innovation officer Andra Yeghoian recently spoke at the New Taipei 2025 International Youth Climate Forum, which was held in New Taipei City, Taiwan.
This year’s theme was “One World, Young Talk,” and the forum brought together over one hundred youth participants, international climate organizations, and national sustainability leaders. The forum is a key initiative in New Taipei City’s commitment to empower the next generation of climate leaders and advance the city’s 2050 net-zero goals.
The forum was a dynamic platform for dialogue among youth, government, industry, academia, and ground-level practitioners and featured guest speakers from the United States, Canada, Korea, Japan, and Taiwan. Sessions included keynote speeches from international guests and local environmental leaders.
During the keynote sessions, Andra spoke about how young leaders can turn their ideas into real-world impact. The talk explored the dynamics of change, from planning and managing initiatives to driving bold, disruptive action. The talk also highlighted the power of one individual to ignite transformation and the strength of many collaborating toward a common goal.
Andra’s talk was complemented by other North American leaders, including Dr. Deb Morrison, speaking about climate justice initiatives in Canada and the United States, and Haley Crim, sharing about the works she supported in NOAA on the Climate Literacy Principles as well as new initiatives she will be working on through MIT. UCLA student Katinka Lennemann (Seeds to Solutions curriculum project advisor and collaborator, and CA Youth Climate Policy Leadership Program mentor) also joined Andra in Taipei to share her journey of youth leadership while in the Sequoia Union High School District.
Another highlight of the forum was featuring innovative, youth-led climate solutions from the youth-led climate action project competition. Finalists presented their ideas to receive guidance and seed funding.
The day-long forum was followed up by guest speakers, environmental leaders from the Taiwanese government, and industry leaders going on cultural exchanges that highlighted new, innovative green technologies, environmental communications work, and the rich local ecosystems that make Taipei such a dynamic leader in environmental sustainability and climate solutions.
Ten Strands is honored to have been included in this year’s New Taipei 2025 International Youth Climate Forum and excited about how the work in California and Taipei is driving systemic change through strategic partnerships that exemplify the cross-sector collaboration that is essential to addressing the climate crisis. Keep an eye out for our next newsletter to read Katinka’s insights from this event!
