Youth representative from the Asia Young People for Action (AYA) initiative in collaboration with YPKI held a public audience with the Mayor of Yogyakarta on July 2, 2025. (Photo courtesy of Jangkar LPM Arena)
On July 2, youth activists from the Asia Young People for Action (AYA) initiative held a direct dialogue with Yogyakarta Mayor Hasto Wardoyo, titled “Caring for the Earth Through Words and Action.” This meeting provided a critical platform for young people to bring urgent climate concerns to the city’s leadership and demand inclusive, effective environmental policies.
The dialogue built upon AYA’s earlier “Climate Reading” campaign in commemoration of World Environment Day, where young people across the region sent postcards to policymakers expressing their environmental fears and hopes for the future. What began as a symbolic gesture evolved into a meaningful political moment, as youth moved from raising awareness to shaping influence.
By presenting evidence-based concerns and constructive proposals, AYA demonstrated how youth-led civic engagement can hold public officials accountable while contributing grounded, community-based solutions.
Youth Bring Real Climate Challenges to the Mayor’s Table
During the meeting, youth delegates spotlighted the urgent environmental challenges threatening Yogyakarta, including extreme weather events, declining groundwater quality, loss of green spaces due to industrial and property development, and the increasing threat of unpredictable droughts and floods fueled by climate change.
Youth representatives emphasized how these problems disproportionately impact vulnerable groups—women, Indigenous peoples, small farmers, fishermen, and the urban poor—who are often excluded from decision-making. Women, in particular, face a double burden when clean water becomes scarce and crop failures threaten household food security.
The Call for Coordination and Collective Impact
Rose Merry of the Justice and Peace Foundation of Indonesia (YKPI), which supports AYA, commended the city's existing youth-led initiatives, such as cleanups, anti-pollution campaigns, and recycling movements. However, she noted a lack of coordination.
"These movements remain fragmented," she explained. "To drive real impact, they must unite under a shared climate justice vision and align with local government efforts."
Rose Merry's remarks underscored the need for cross-sector collaboration and a shift from scattered activities to strategic, collective action.
AYA’s representative Wahyu Aji (right) and Rose Marry from YPKI sent the postcards to Major (Middle) expressed their environmental fears and hopes for the future.
AYA’s representative Wahyu Aji urged the city government to move beyond symbolic gestures and embrace structural inclusion of youth in environmental policymaking.
“It’s time young people are involved not just in awareness campaigns, but in actual policy design,” he stated. “That includes the transition to clean energy, inclusive green urban spaces, and sustainable public infrastructure.”
Wahyu also voiced concern over the current governance approach, which he criticized as lacking transparency and meaningful public participation.
Mayor’s Response: Call for Grounded Action
Mayor Hasto responded with a mix of appreciation and criticism. While he acknowledged the passion of the youth, he challenged the movement’s effectiveness, describing many groups as “sky organizations”—active in discourse but disconnected from grassroots realities.
He urged young people to engage more deeply at the community level, particularly within neighborhood associations (Rukun Warga or RW), to lead practical initiatives such as waste management education.
Though encouraging grassroots involvement, the Mayor’s remarks fell short of embracing the youth’s call for structural inclusion in policy-making processes.
The AYA-Indonesia team collaborated with YPKI and other local partners to launch a "Climate Reading" campaign in honor of World Environment Day. The photo shows one of the reading events that took place in Yogyakarta.
Movement Growing Beyond Yogyakarta
AYA’s climate dialogue with the Mayor is part of a broader initiative also planned in Aceh and Kupang. This cross-regional expansion reflects growing recognition that climate action requires cooperation among youth, governments, and communities at all levels.
Local media partnerships and media coverage through platforms like Presma Arena , JPNN.com further amplifies these voices, ensure the messages reach wider audiences, strengthening the connection between community voices, knowledge, and policymaking.
- “AYA Urges Real Government Action on the Climate Crisis "
- Water & Green Land Crisis in Yogyakarta: AYA Youth Call for Climate Justice to the Mayor
- AYA Yogyakarta Holds Audience with Mayor on Climate Crisis, Gets Response to Real Action Challenge
- Jogja Government Not Serious? Young people demand climate justice, Mayor Hasto Wardoyo's response questioned
From Awareness to Action
This meeting signaled more than just another youth dialogue; it showed a critical shift: young people are no longer waiting for permission to lead. They are organizing, educating, and stepping into governance spaces with credible demands, data, and dedication. Whether city leaders choose to work alongside them remains to be seen.
One thing is clear: the climate crisis will not be solved through blame or bureaucracy. It requires partnerships rooted in ecological justice and led by those with the most at stake, the youth and the communities already on the frontlines.
Let follow the progress of AYA’s actions in Aceh, Kupang and beyond, and show your support so that local governments take climate action seriously with inclusive and just dialogue and collaboration. The earth needs all of us — not just talk, but action!
