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North American Tunza Youth Network

The North American Tunza Youth Network was founded in 2008 by UNEP’s Regional Office for North America under the Kick the Carbon Habit campaign and was incorporated into the broader Tunza network in 2009.

The purpose of the North American Tunza youth network is to promote youth engagement with UNEP and to facilitate youth input in local, national and international environmental fora. Through education, collaboration and resource sharing, youth will be equipped with the necessary tools to raise awareness and mobilize their communities around environmental issues. The network serves as a way to augment and highlight the environmental work that North American youth are already doing in the region. It allows North American youth to showcase their environmental work on a regional and international platform.  This network of youth educating youth will produce well-informed leaders of tomorrow who are prepared to tackle global environmental issues. The North American Tunza youth network is composed of two North American Youth Advisors, a Youth Council and Regional Representatives. The two Youth Advisors represent the interests of North American youth at international environmental fora while work with the Youth Council and Regional Representatives to faciliate youth input and promote youth engagement with UNEP. The Network is an entirely youth-run organization and are always looking for new members to join the team!

For more information, please visit www.tunzana.org

Now accepting applications to the North American Youth Network. Application materials here.

TUNZA

Tunza means "to treat with care and affection" in Kiswahili. And that's exactly what UNEP's Tunza initiative is all about. It's about engaging young people in environmental activities throughout the world, so that they too understand the importance of caring for the environment. Adopted in February 2003 by UNEP's Governing Council, Tunza is an initiative that aims to develop activities in the areas of capacity building, environmental awareness, and information exchange, with a vision to foster a generation of environmentally conscious citizens, capable of positive action. Important by-products of this strategy include the annual Tunza International Youth Conference, Tunza Advisory Council and a quarterly Tunza magazine.

For more information about Tunza, visit: http://www.unep.org/tunza

Environmental Education

UNEP Regional Office for North America (UNEP RONA) has created its own environmental education website, which is the go-to point for a collection of relevant and current information regarding various environmental topics. This is a useful resource for obtaining information on the relevant environmental issues of the day. Some of these issues include climate change, energy, environmental governance and urban expansion. The website also provides resources for youth and children, as well as links to UNEP's multimedia, publications, manuals and handbooks.

To access UNEP RONA's Environmental Education page, please click here.