Young people need courage to thrive in these times.
We are a youth collective co-creating brave spaces, grounded tools and experiences that nurture connection and collective resilience in our changing climate.
Collaborators
At the heart of our work is the belief that young people cannot sustain climate action if they cannot sustain themselves.
SustyVibes US builds on SustyVibes’ decade of impact in Africa, bringing our work at the intersection of climate change, mental health and resilience-building into the United States in ways that are responsive to the realities and needs of local communities.
Our work seeks to nurture and strengthen the leadership, creativity, knowledge and agency already present within young changemakers.
Through programmes, research and youth-led spaces, we are building community and creating opportunities for BIPOC young people in the US to connect and navigate the complex emotions that emerge when trying to create change in the face of a polycrisis.
As our learning from Africa enters into conversation with the US context, we are creating space for new ideas, approaches and forms of youth climate leadership to emerge.
In doing so, we hope to contribute to a more connected, resilient and imaginative climate movement, one that can shape change locally, nationally and globally, at a time when it is needed most.
Our Approach
Our work will operate across three interconnected pillars to support young people in America to navigate climate emotions, build resilience, and imagine more hopeful futures.
Community Power
We create spaces where young people can come together to make sense of the world around them, share their experiences, and find connection in the midst of uncertainty. We believe community is a source of resilience and that care is not separate from climate action, it is what makes sustained action possible.
Knowledge in Action
We explore how young people experience and navigate climate emotions within the wider realities of a changing and increasingly complex world. Our Youth Participatory Action Research seeks to inform future approaches to supporting youth wellbeing, while deepening understanding of the social, cultural and systemic factors that shape young people’s environmental emotions.
Artvocacy
We use creativity and storytelling to give young people opportunities to communicate complex ideas, amplify lived experiences and imagine new possibilities. Through these approaches, we support young people to express their perspectives and explore different ways of understanding and responding to the world around them.
Events
Upcoming
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SustyVibes US Launch and Film Screening of The Eco-anxiety Africa Project
Date: 16 November 2026
Location: John Hopkins University Bloomberg Center
Past
Our Planet, Our Health Convention with The Medical Society Consortium on Climate & Health
NextGen Speaker Series featuring The Eco-anxiety Africa Project with Planetary Health Alliance
Built to Last: Creating Climate Resilient Communities with The Chicago Council on Global Affairs
The U.S. launch of the Second Lancet Commission on Adolescent Health and Wellbeing
SustyVibes gets endorsed at the Sidelines of the 2017 UNGA
Updates
Latest features
Could rest re-shape how we meet the climate crisis?
OR Awards
When Jennifer Uchendu first began climate organizing in Lagos more than a decade ago, her energy was directed outward on action. She founded SustyVibes, a community for young sustainability champions.
Activist Jennifer Uchendu is highlighting the emotional impact of climate change
National Geographic
In Nigeria, she discovered the rarely discussed burdens of environmental catastrophe. Fostering difficult conversations, she realized, was a necessary first step to finding solutions.
Environmental shifts and mental health
World Economic Forum
Exploring the connection between environmental changes and mental well-being, and how communities can build resilience in the face of climate anxiety.