Young Environmental Ambassadors at the Sciences Po Paris Ecology Festival

The Young Environmental Ambassadors were present as part of the "Youth, Relays of the Living World" project at Sciences Po Paris to participate in the 2026 edition of the Ecology Festival and to train young people on biodiversity issues and the One Health approach.

Mathilde, Alexandra, and Paul-Antoine were tasked with leading a One Health workshop and a biodiversity quiz, with the goal of equipping Sciences Po Paris students to become trainers themselves on the One Health approach and biodiversity-related issues.

The One Health approach rests on a simple observation: human health, animal health, and the state of ecosystems are deeply interconnected. It is essential to preserve biodiversity and to take environmental crises into account in order to better prevent the health risks associated with them. Yet this concept remains largely unknown to the general public. In the face of the ecological backlash, it is important to encourage the mobilization and engagement of young people — no longer leaving them as spectators, but making them actors of change by giving them the opportunity to train others in lesser-known approaches such as One Health.

The festival, organized by Sciences Po Environnement, provided the ideal opportunity to learn more about these topics. Thanks to the educational tools we deployed, students and professors were able to explore the challenges posed by the erosion of biodiversity and its consequences for our societies.

These themes have been very present in our work since our participation in the One Health Summit in Lyon. While our advocacy for better integration of youth in developing solutions to the challenges of the One Health approach was heard by decision-makers, hands-on actions with the public allow us to have a strong and lasting impact on young people.

This is precisely the mission carried by the "Youth, Relays of the Living World" project: to make new generations actors of change, capable of raising awareness among those around them while also championing a shared vision uniting ecology and health.

Feedback from the festival was encouraging, and the lessons shared by the YEAs resonated with participants, who will in turn (after their end-of-year exams) train other young audiences. This is proof that youth, when supported and trained, becomes a powerful driver of transformation.

A big thank you as well to the Endowment Fund for Biodiversity for their trust and continued support.

Project carried out with the support of Génération Biodiversité www.fdbiodiversite.org