WCC NEWS: Youth address eco-anxiety through prayer, music—and clarion calls to action

During this years Ecumenical International Youth Day, observed over 2 days, 12 and 13 August, young people from across the world explored the theme "Rooted in Hope: Nurturing Faith and Mental Well-being in the Face of Climate Crisis (Eco-Anxiety).” Photo: Marcelo Schneider/WCC 19 August 2025 Abigayle Bolado, WCC programme executive for Youth Engagement, gave an overview of the two-day event. Day one was focused on eco-anxiety and how the climate crisis and climate disasters have affected and disrupted the lives of people; as well as the mental health of the young people.  Day two was focused on sharing climate initiatives and climate advocacies of different young people from local, regional, and global platforms. The event did not only focus on listening but sharing the participants’ stories and hopes for climate action and practices.  Henriette Greulich, from the World Student Christian Federation, serving as the Chairperson of the Europe region, provided an overview of eco-anxiety. She touched on some definitions of eco-anxiety.  “Have you noticed how these feelings affect you, your friends, or your community?” Greulich asked. “Mental wellbeing is more than just the absence of mental illness.” Participants agreed that, when we talk about mental wellbeing in the context of the climate crisis, we are recognizing that our inner world is deeply connected with the state of the world around us. Photo: Marcelo Schneider/WCC Andrej Lacko, a member of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Young People in the Ecumenical Movement, offered a biblical reflection connected with a short devotion based on the second account of the creation (Gen 2). He described how last year the youth commission met in Manila, Philippines: “One of the points of our programme was to visit the fisher folk—people who had been fishing for generations in Manila Bay,” he described. But, due to development of the land around the bay, the fisher folk are being cut out of their livelihoods and forced to leave their homes. Lacko also reflected on the rise of natural disasters due to climate change. “In the recent days and recent weeks there have been floods in Japan where more than 300,000 people had to move homes, had to be evacuated because of the water,” he said. Nevertheless, he stressed, the hope, feeling of responsibility for our brothers and sisters all over the world, and call to common action as rooted in the biblical message are stronger than any fear, anxiety or despair. Katelyn King, a licensed social worker whose Mennonite faith inspires her to work for justice, was the keynote speaker, offering a presentation that described her own formation of caring for the earth.  “My path to this work was not straightforward or expected,” she said, recalling how, as a child, she became very upset about climate change-related issues. “I remember feeling helpless and scared and sad—and I just started crying,” she said. “I was able to pack up those feelings, shove them in a box, and close the door.” But not forever. King went on to describe how she now dedicates her life’s work to helping people deal with trauma—including eco-anxiety.  Young people also shared moving stories from their own contexts. Ngoni Muchenje, from Zimbabwe, recalled standing with a farmer who had just sold his last goods.  “He told me: ‘I cry at night,’ and his testimony haunted me,” said Muchenje. “Presently there are nights that I can’t sleep—I carry their souls in my heart.” Maro Maua, a climate activist from Kenya, shared about a biodiversity restoration initiative in which cycling sport and conservation meet. It has resulted in the rehabilitation of degraded mangrove vegetation and the beautification of scenic highlands and beach shores, with the feeling that “every pedal forward, is a step toward a greener tomorrow.” The newly launched WCC Ecumenical Decade of Climate Justice Action was the anchor of the theme, presented by Kevin Maina, a Kenyan Anglican church youth leader who advocates for youth, climate justice, and social change. Maina is a member of the World Council of Churches Commission on Climate Justice and Sustainable Development. Young people then participated in a panel discussion on what climate justice means to them. Rev. Jackline Makena Mutuma, from the Methodist Church in Kenya, is vice moderator of the WCC Commission on Faith and Order. She said feelings of injustice and eco-anxiety are compounded by perceptions of inadequate government action and a sense of betrayal. “Now, the question that I ask—is what’s the solution to all this? Take legal action against the financiers of fossil fuel extraction for intergenerational climate justice,” she said. “Since the 1970s, the WCC has been a key player in climate justice movements.” She explained how the WCC has also co-organized discussions with legal experts regarding the protection of children’s rights though climate litigation. “The WCC is now taking action to support intergenerational climate justice based on its commitment to protecting the most vulnerable and addressing the root causes of climate change,” she said. The Ecumenical International Youth Day 2025 closed with calls to action from participants.  Photo: Paul Jeffrey/WCC These included promoting community resilience and awareness; seeing climate stewardship as a biblical mandate; and integrating theology and creation.  Young people called for continuous engagement, more support for rural communities, and the recognition that women, children, youth, and people with disabilities often bear the greatest burden of climate change. Group discussions were full of stories about landslides, heavy rain—and also the disaster of political backsliding from governments failing to honor their promises. Finally, the Ecumenical International Youth Day 2025 ended on a note of hope: participants agreed that they will be carriers of hope—because hope is what will lead others to take action.  Rev. Dr Kuzipa Nalwamba, WCC programme director for Unity, Mission, and Ecumenical Formation, closed the event with a blessing in a “world groaning for renewal yet still shimmering with the promise of new creation.” She wished the participants calm hearts in their endeavors. “May the Creator who called the Earth ‘very good’ bless your hands to plant, your voice to speak, and your life to shine with hope.”  Nalwamba encouraged the young people to walk in faith and work for justice. “Go in peace, to love and to serve, and to join God’s renewal of all creation,” she concluded. Ecumenical International Youth Day 2025 See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 356 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland