The British Council’s International Climate Champion (ICC) programme is a global project which aims to support young people who are committed to action on climate change. These young people, known as International Climate Champions, educate and engage their peers and the general public on the urgency of climate change. They develop and implement climate change awareness projects within their communities and also work with youth around the globe to share their ideas and collaborate on large scale projects.
    In 2008, there were over 800 ICCs in 29 countries. Since then, the ICC programme has grown to include 1,000 champions in 30 countries who continue to lead in their communities and participate in international peer networks, both in person and online, sharing ideas, projects and experiences.

    ICCommit is an eco-pledge programme developed by the Canadian ICCs in August 2008 during the North American Climate Camp in San Diego, California. The programme involves Climate Champions giving school presentations about the science behind climate change. Students are encouraged to make green commitments during ICCommit week. These commitments are then registered on the ICCommit website, www.iccommit.org, and students are given ICCommit wristbands to serve as a reminder.
    The goal of this programme is to educate youth about climate change and help them find feasible ways to reduce their own environmental impacts, one pledge at a time. It also serves as inspiration for today’s politicians and policy-makers to take further action against climate change.
    In its first year, the programme involved 20 Canadian schools and 15,000 students, and culminated on December 6 2008, the “International Day of Action”. Since then, the programme has expanded and spread to many other schools in Canada as well as in Japan, India, Brazil, Germany and the U.S.