On her first day at COP26 Little Amal did what no 10-year-old Syrian girl has ever been given the chance to: she stood centre-stage at the world’s most important climate conference alongside young people who embody and express the urgent need to take action to shape a better future. 

Little Amal was invited to open the Gender Day high-level event ‘Advancing Gender Equality in Climate Action’. Here she stood alongside young Samoan climate activist Brianna Freuan to represent young women and girls from the global south on this world stage.

Brianna Freuan is the youth representative of the Pacific Climate Warriors Council of Elders, was chosen by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environmental Programme (SPREP) as their first ever youth ambassador. At the age of 11, she became a founding member of 350 Samoa, becoming the youngest 350.org country coordinator in the world.

Brianna and Amal met 800 delegates and appeared with ministers from across the world before exploring the Blue Zone and meeting other delegates and friends including Caroline Lucas MP and other members of the Green New Deal Alliance.

This is a past event that took place in November 2021

“I really see the value of friendship. Apart from the climate, almost nothing else matters.” – Greta Thunberg

Little Amal walked across a bridge over the river Clyde, the symbolic midpoint between the COP26 negotiating Blue Zone and the public Green Zone, alongside young climate changemakers from around the world including Luisa Neubauer and Farzana Faruk and members of the MAPA (Most Affected Areas and People) Youth.

She was surrounded by the voices of young leaders from the Youth4Climate: Driving Ambition summit, playing out from the riverbank. They shared their climate stories and fragments of the Youth4Climate Manifesto that were just been presented to the COP26 conference, interwoven with a poem by young Iraqi-American poet Ahmed Badr with sound design by Xana, in a reminder to delegates and the public of the Manifesto’s demands for systematic meaningful youth engagement and urgent equitable climate action as decision makers forge climate policy that will affect the future of generations to come.

This is a past event that took place in November 2021

Good Chance Theatre chaired a discussion exploring the joint issues of migrant justice and climate justice with:

• Onjali Rauf, author of Sunday Times bestselling children’s book, The Boy at the Back of the Class, and founder and CEO of Making Herstory and O’s Refugee Aid Team
• Kim Bryan, Director of Communications at international climate organisation 350.org
• Josie Naughton, CEO of global refugee support organisation Choose Love
• A Connect4Climate young leader discussing the outcomes of the recent Pre-COP26 Youth4Climate summit
• Kehkashan Basu, a contributor to The Global Youth Climate Inquiry, an initiative of One Young World, Mishcon de Reya LLP and the Democracy and Culture Foundation

Together they discussed the points of climate change and migration and the urgent need to shape new narratives to create a viable future.

This is a past event that took place in November 2021

Little Amal walked with over a hundred school children bearing banners of their climate demands and hopes on the banks of the Clyde.

An event with National Theatre of Scotland, Citizens Theatre and Perth Theatre that marks the culmination of artist residencies in schools in Glasgow and Perthshire. 

The children’s work transformed into a collective banner filled the walls at Anderston Quay. Together they planted seed pods in a moment of collective and connected action, with each seed representing a young person who is affected by climate chaos.

This is a past event that took place in November 2021

Little Amal and the sea goddess Storm met to share a story of people and planet. 

Near the old Govan Graving Docks, Amal met ‘Storm’ – a 10 metre puppet made entirely out of recycled and natural materials. Together they read the words ‘No New Worlds’ floating on the river, then set out on a journey of discovery, inspiration and hope.

Storm and Amal walks together through Govan to the former site of ‘Moot Hill’ on Water Row where debate, democracy and kings of the ancient kingdom of Strathclyde gave birth to a long history and activism, and historic giants like Mary Barbour and Isabella Elder were champions of social justice. They were greeted by rhymes, rhythm and music from local rap artists.

The community response in Govan was made possible by two present day women activists and key cultural players: Helen Kyle, Stage Scotland  and Liz Gardiner, Fablevision.

The No New Worlds installation comes to Govan courtesy of Clyde Docks Preservation Initiative and artists collaborative, Still Moving. Little Amal has been hosted by National Theatre of Scotland, Citizens Theatre and Perth Theatre. Storm is a Vision Mechanics production.

This is a past event that took place in November 2021

Little Amal finds herself alone in an iconic space of protest in Glasgow. She lies down to sleep. Gradually she is joined by people like her in search of safety and community in the face of global change.

The community Pollokshields and Sarra Wassu – “Scotland’s Greta Thunberg” – learn the dabke, met schoolchildren and explored the place where the famous site of protest against deportation took place on Kenmure Street.

At this event, a seed of courage from the last remaining Suffragette Tree was gifted to Amal by artist Ruth Ben-Tovim from Walking Forest and Farhana Yamin climate lawyer, activist and COP delegate. Amal also encountered community leader (and organiser of this event of welcome) Tabassum Niamat, dressed in the travelling, community created, work of performance craft ‘the Coat of Hopes’.

“Amal’s journey of hope has bought her to a neighbourhood that is rich in diversity and culture, the place where people stood shoulder to shoulder in defiance of the Home Office. Pollokshields has become the story of migrants and refugees, people united in their common humanity and not the polarised world we live in.” – Tabassum Niamat, Event Producer

In partnership with The Bowling Green Pollokshields, The Pollokshields Trust, and Govanhill Baths

This is a past event that took place in November 2021.

For the finale event of The New York Times Climate Hub, Amal brings with her a powerful reminder of our world’s potential future. 

Amal entered an unexpected forest in the middle of the city – the ‘Conference of the Trees’, designed by Es Devlin.

Standing in the centre of the forest, Amal evoked a question we must all ask ourselves: what do we want the world to look like, and what can we do to make this future a reality?  Amal stands alongside young changemakers who demand that the world listen to the voices of change.

This is a past event that took place in November 2021