Youth Are Breaking the Heat Cycle: Three Winning Ideas Turning Climate Risk into Everyday Resilience
R
otterdam 3 November 2025 – The Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) today named the three winners of the My Adaptation Solution video competition 2025, a highlight of Youth Climate Adaptation Action Day. Their projects prove that practical, youth-led innovation can cool cities, protect water, and shield livelihoods from climate extremes.
This year’s competition drew 79 entries from 23 countries, generated 22,000+ public votes, and reached 3 million people on social media—evidence of a fast-growing movement putting adaptation into action.
The Winners
Cooling cities with nature in the DRC
Linda Tatiana Balagizi (Democratic Republic of Congo) is scaling green roofs and green belts across Kinshasa to cut urban heat, capture rainfall, and boost biodiversity—turning grey hotspots into living infrastructure. Watch her adaptation solution here.
“The campaign was an incredible opportunity to actively engage with my peers, whose unwavering support truly inspired me and led to my victory! Winning the video competition shines a spotlight on Congolese youth, highlighting our leadership in driving climate adaptation initiatives and strengthening community resilience.”
Youth power for water-smart landscapes in Rwanda
Benjamin Habintwali (Rwanda) is mobilizing students and farmers to plant climate-resilient trees and adopt water-saving practices—linking classrooms to fields and restoring degraded land while protecting incomes. Watch his adaptation solution here.
“Winning second place in this competition is such a huge honor. Before participating, I felt excited and nervous, wondering if youth-led solutions by Rwandans, like planting climate-resilient trees and training farmers in water-saving irrigation, would be recognized. Now, being acknowledged on a global stage inspires me to keep empowering young people in Rwanda and beyond to take action against the climate crisis!”
From classrooms to communities in Cameroon
Sunday Queeniver Ngwangung (Cameroon) is combating drought and heat through environmental education. She has mobilized 7,000 students to plant 300 trees, creating a ripple effect as knowledge and action spread from schools to families and neighborhoods. Watch her adaptation solution here.
“It is not just a win, but a recognition of the meaningful steps we’re taking to tackle the rising heat caused by climate change in Cameroon. The ‘Climate Change and Innovation Club’ was born from the belief that solutions begin when awareness meets action, showing students that their ideas, energy, and determination can create real change in a warming world.”
“Adaptation is about leadership, and these young people are showing what that means,” said Patrick V. Verkooijen, President and CEO of GCA. “From green roofs to resilient trees, their ideas show that the next generation is not waiting for change, they are leading it.”
The My Adaptation Solution competition is part of GCA’s global effort to amplify youth leadership in climate adaptation, ensuring that young people’s voices, creativity, and ingenuity drive tangible solutions for a resilient future.
See all shortlisted video competition submissions here.
Notes to Editors
About My Climate Adaptation Action Day
The Youth Climate Adaptation Action Day, organized by the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) around the 12th of October, is the largest-running annual youth adaptation event taking place in over 100 countries around the world.
In 2025, the Youth Climate Adaptation Action Day invited young people, youth-led organizations, students and grassroots collectives to organize consultations on Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), youth, and adaptation. The theme of “NDCs, NAPs, Youth and Adaptation” emphasized the role young people play in building resilient economies and achieving these national commitments.
