Conference Of Youth, UN Climate Change Conference (COP24)

Katowice, Poland: The global Conference Of Youth precedes and is part of the annual UN Climate Change Conference (COP24).
The BK COY14 Team members are: Érica Berto and Francis Coviello from Brazil (Sao Paulo region) and Carolin Fraude and Niranjan Mukherjee from Germany (Berlin).

Niranjan, Érica and Francis (left to right) at University of Silesia, Katowice for COY14

Érica, Niranjan and Francis at the Opening Ceremony with their registration (L)
  Environmentally active youth (R)
Day 1
The entire COY14 team was representing the BK Environment Initiative at COY for the first time. The conference Opening Ceremony was given by several youth and youth organisations like YOUNGO and a team that had travelled all the way from Monaco to Katowice by road spreading the message of climate action.
The team attended workshops offered such as the “Protection of the strong relation of humans with nature”.
The COY14 had a dedicated room for prayer and meditation in a designated Well-being area in which the BK team offered two meditation sessions. The meditation experience was sustained very well with an atmosphere of peace in the room.
Day 2
The main agenda for Day 2 was the workshop on “Consciousness and Climate Action”.
The day started with an early morning meditation at 8.30 am, with brother Francis providing positive vibrations and a collective focused vision for everyone’s individual agendas.
Carolin conducting Meditation for COY14 participants
Carolin introducing the Brahma Kumaris to workshop participants
Carolin introduced the Brahma Kumaris and the Brahma Kumaris Environment Initiative to the group. Niranjan interacted with the audience on patterns of consumption. The audience was quite informed and aware of many consumption patterns which are climate-unfriendly. Francis explained the link of human thoughts and consciousness to the material and the environment. Érica and Carolin highlighted the reasons for consumption being different due to personal needs, and most of the ideas came from audience contributions.
Workshop participants discussing effect of humans on climate change
The participants of the workshop seemed to enjoy the group work a lot and were intensively involved in discussions with one another. They genuinely wanted to bring about a change not just within themselves but also in their local environments.

Workshop Participants collectively answering, “Why we consume?”
The COY14 team after a successful (and freezing) Day 2
Day 3
The day started at 8.30 am with a morning 10-minute meditation session with 5 minutes for sharing experiences.
At noon, a large group of people turned up for the last meditation session after which there was a workshop on “Healthy Mind, Healthy Planet.”
During the discussions the different challenges, difficulties and problems one faces within oneself and in relationships were brought up. One could sense that the girls present had found an environment in which they would be heard without being judged. They were quite open and felt at ease.
Workshop on “Healthy Mind, Healthy Planet”
The second half of the 3rd day saw the end of the COY with a closing ceremony where experiences of the many events were shared and a policy brief from YOUNGO communicated. The ceremony saw many VIPs such as Patricia Espinosa, UNFCCC secretary; Michał Kurtyka, the COP24 President; and Mr. Luke Daunivalu, COP23’s Chief Negotiator from Fiji.

Érica and Francis with COP24 President

Érica and Francis with representative from Fiji


BKEI with students from Indonesia
Blessings were shared with some of the dignitaries, which touched them.

COY14 Team sharing final experiences