This November, Captain Planet Foundation’s Planeteer Alliance energized youth climate action across Cameroon, The Gambia, Kenya, Nigeria, and Rwanda by empowering young leaders to host 16 WIND Element Meetups, engaging more than 234 youth committed to building a more sustainable future.
Driving Change Through Youth Leadership
The WIND Meetups focused on topics including fast fashion, plastic pollution, and the circular economy, providing a platform for Planeteers to engage their communities in meaningful climate action.
WIND represents the potential circularity of our natural resources and economy: a shift from a world in which we extract resources to create new things, then dispose of them as waste.
In July 2025, Rajab Abdallah had the opportunity to attend the 2025 WIND Summit hosted by Natalie Bullut. The workshops and climate education from this Summit inspired Abdallah to apply for his own WIND Meetup in Mombasa, Kenya.
His session was impactful: helping 25 youth participants understand climate change terminology and exploring creative recycling using waste.
After collecting littered materials around their event space– including empty plastic bottles, used paper, and old pieces of cloth– small groups began brainstorming ideas on how to transform them into useful or decorative objects.
From decorative flowers to small containers, and even simple ornaments from old paper and cardboard, Abdallah’s Meetup participants are planning to hold another session where they can best create these items, initiating a “Green Creativity Club” in Mombasa.
“Recycling is not only for big companies — even we, as youth, can do it in simple ways,” said Abdallah.
Meanwhile, in Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria, Victoria Benson hosted her meetup as a “Sip and Mend” event, where participants brought old clothes and upcycled them using yarn and cross-stitch.
“Repairing is something the world has lost touch with,” said Victoria. “Imagine if everyone repaired what they owned, what a beautiful world that would be.
Planeteer Alliance offers four opportunities a year for Planeteers to host a Global Element Meetup. These events not only gather community members to educate, inform, and empower young people to take action, but they also help to develop hosts into informed climate leaders. Planeteer Alliance provides tools and resources to Planeteers on how to build a budget, host a successful event, and develop campaigns that tackle local climate issues.
Through these Meetups, each host engaged young people, increased overall understanding and awareness of the circular economy, and inspired their peers to take action through various avenues.