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A global call for youth-led advocacy on climate change and health

“The climate emergency is rapidly undermining the future of survival of all species, and the likelihood of a world in which children enjoy their right to health appears increasingly out of reach”

— Lancet-WHO-UNICEF report, February 2020

The Healthy and Environment-friendly Youth (HEY) Campaign is all about creating a generation of young people committed to adopting lifestyles that are both healthy and environmentally friendly, and leading global advocacy efforts to build inclusive societies where priority is given to life and dignity, not just economic growth.

Our agenda is to create a movement bringing all of our youth and children together, in their diversity, to promote and advocate for these shared values.

In April 2020, together with a group of Caribbean-based youth, we have launched the HEY (Healthy and Environment-friendly Youth) Campaign, calling for a new global movement to place children and youth at the core of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and change the way we work on child health, in the context of climate change.

This is a Caribbean-initiated project with global intents, which we hope will contribute to build bridges between young people from around the world about the important issue of the impacts of climate change on our health – as well of course as the health of our planet. 

We are particularly proud to partner with UNICEF, Clara Lionel Foundation, and the Children’s Environmental Rights Initiative (CERI), which we see as a unique opportunity to empower children and young people of today and tomorrow to live healthy lifestyles in harmony with nature.

Find Out More & Take Action

Share messages online to raise awareness of how climate action can protect your health

SHARE YOUR MESSAGE ONLINE:

  1. WRITE A MESSAGE ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE AND HEALTH
  2. TAKE A PHOTO OF YOURSELF WITH YOUR MESSAGE + WRITE THE HASHTAG #WEAREHEY
  3. UPLOAD IT TO INSTAGRAM, TWITTER OR FACEBOOK
  4. USE #WEAREHEY AND TAG @WEAREHEY
  5. FOLLOW THE HEY CAMPAIGN ON INSTAGRAM, TWITTER AND FACEBOOK

INVITE OTHERS TO PARTICIPATE:

  1. POST A MESSAGE INVITING PEOPLE TO JOIN THE HEY CAMPAIGN ON INSTAGRAM, TWITTER OR FACEBOOK
  2. USE #WEAREHEY AND TAG @WEAREHEY
  3. FOLLOW THE HEY CAMPAIGN ON INSTAGRAM, TWITTER AND FACEBOOK

The Story

My name is Ashley Lashley, UNICEF Youth Advocate, Social Sciences student and Miss World Barbados 2018. In December 2019, I founded the Ashley Lashley Foundation, building on four years of activism, including the creation of The Schools Against Non-Communicable Diseases in 2016, while I was still at school.

In April 2020, together with a group of Caribbean-based youth, we have launched the HEY (Healthy and Environment-friendly Youth) Campaign, calling for a new global movement to place children and youth at the core of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and change the way we work on child health, in the context of climate change.

This is a Caribbean-initiated project with global intents, which we hope will contribute to build bridges between young people from around the world about the important issue of the impacts of climate change on our health – as well of course as the health of our planet. 

We are particularly proud to partner with UNICEF and the Children’s Environmental Rights Initiative (CERI), which we see as a unique opportunity to empower children and young people of today and tomorrow to live healthy lifestyles in harmony with Nature. 

Messages from Our Partners

Ashley Lashley, Founder of HEY campaign

You can watch this video in FRENCH and SPANISH.

Dr. Aloys Kamuragiye, Representative, UNICEF Office for the Eastern Caribbean

You can watch this video in FRENCH and SPANISH.

Dr. David Boyd, U.N. Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment spearheading the Children’s Environmental Rights Initiative (CERI)

You can watch this video in FRENCH and SPANISH