Meet Šimon: His Journey of Hope, Trees & Storytelling

From the Series on Inspiring Climate Justice Ambassadors’ Stories Worldwide

“Whenever one movement fades from the spotlight, another rises. The energy of climate justice is resilient, and it won’t die out. Even if the banners change, the commitment remains.” – Šimon Michalčík,  in interview 2025.

At 14, Šimon Michalčík’s fear of the future transformed into a mission of hope. While volunteering as a youth moderator at an international environmental film festival in his hometown, Ostrava, he watched a documentary that would change everything. The film, provocatively titled “You’re not gonna be here anymore, but we will!”, told the story of three young changemakers, including Felix Finkbeiner, who founded Plant-for-the-Planet at age nine and inspired children around the world to take climate action.

After introducing the film to the audience, Šimon stayed to watch the beginning. Minutes later, he was glued to the screen until the credits rolled. Inspired, he immediately emailed the movement expressing his desire to join. Someone replied that he could—and just like that, a volunteer high school student began a lifelong journey for climate justice, and his life changed forever. Today, as the Founder and Director of Plant-for-the-Planet Czechia, Šimon is empowering a new generation of youth to take climate action, one story and one tree at a time.

From High School Project to Movement

What started as a small volunteer initiative in 2014 eventually grew into Plant-for-the-Planet Czechia, founded in 2020. Šimon’s vision was to empower Czech youth to think globally and act locally, while also balancing the practicalities of funding his university studies in the UK.

“I realized that to make a real impact, I needed to transform my volunteer work into something sustainable,” he recalls. “I reached out to people far beyond my immediate network, and eventually we connected with generous donors who made it possible to build a professional charity from scratch.”

Under Šimon’s leadership, Plant-for-the-Planet Czechia has mobilized over 2,000 young people, inspiring them to become climate justice ambassadors themselves. His approach is simple but powerful: identify young people already interested in improving their communities or tackling climate issues, help them develop the skills they need, and give them opportunities to connect with peers and Ambassadors worldwide.

“Young people resonate with climate justice because it affects them directly,” Šimon explains. “Our mission is to give them tools, knowledge, and inspiration to take meaningful action.”

The Power of Positive Climate Storytelling

For Šimon, storytelling has always been central to climate action. It was a story that first drew him to the movement, and now he uses narrative as a tool to inspire others.

“I got into climate action through stories: the fictional stories I grew up on made me passionate, and then the story of Felix gave me a concrete avenue for action. So many people get passionate about something through storytelling, and they may not even realize it,” he explains.

Šimon observes that much of today’s climate storytelling, while effective at raising awareness, often fails to inspire action: “People often get caught up in tragic stories about the climate crisis. They’re powerful in showing the problem, but they don’t motivate people to do something. Sadly, we’ve gotten used to telling really disempowering tales about a miserable future under the climate crisis. That’s why I am so passionate about positive climate storytelling. We need optimistic, though not naïve, depictions of the future if we are to work toward it with lasting energy and hope. The scientific evidence across disciplines supports this approach, yet very few storytellers are doing it.”

Through his writing, speaking, and advocacy, Šimon seeks to shift attitudes from despair to determination, proving that narrative can transform concern into tangible action.

Watch Šimon’s TEDx Talk, The Untold Climate Story, to experience the power of storytelling for yourself and get inspired.

Planting Seeds of Change in Ghana

Šimon’s vision extends far beyond Czechia. Since 2020, he has worked closely with Plant-for-Ghana, founded by Ambassador Mohammed Rabiu Dannakabu. This partnership has already resulted in 61,000 trees planted by the end of 2025. His three visits to Ghana between 2023 and 2024 reinforced a vital lesson: “Action for climate justice is people-driven. Even with plans, strategies, and funds, it’s the people who make it happen. That’s both the challenge and the joy of this work.”

“People are the main thing in any project. 90% of what we do on a daily basis is people-related: who to work with, how to work with them, and the ideas that different people bring to the table. Ecosystem restoration and climate action belong to the people—they are driven by the people. Even with a solid plan, a detailed budget, and long-term strategy, you’re only 1% done. It’s the dynamics that people bring that make the work exciting and challenging,” Šimon explains.

A particularly moving moment came when Šimon saw trees from their first planting year bear cashews for the first time. A  sign that restoration work is not just numbers on a sheet, but life returning to the land. “We’re not restoring KPIs or biodiversity indexes; we’re restoring the relationship between humans and non-humans,” he reflects.

“For a long while, I thought of them as “still just seedlings” and then bam– a beautiful cashew is hanging from one of the branches. That and also when my colleague Anna, our scientific advisor at that time, found monkey poop on one of the field visits – because I hadn’t realized until then that we have animals on the site, and this felt like an indication that they may be returning, or rather, that they’re not fully gone yet. I think they’ll love the forest we’ve got prepared for them,” Šimon looks back at his time in Ghana smiling. 

Walking, Writing, and Finding Inspiration

To recharge and stay connected to the cause, Šimon turns to long-distance walking. His most ambitious trek took him across the length of New Zealand over nearly six months, providing time for reflection and inspiration. If activism becomes mechanical or runs on autopilot, it won’t be effective. Getting out into nature helps me reconnect with why we do this work,” Šimon points out.

Looking ahead, Šimon and Plant-for-the-Planet Czechia are focused on creating a new wave of climate activism among Czech youth, rooted in ecosystem restoration, climate justice, and the principle of “think globally, act locally”.

“The stories we tell today shape the world of tomorrow,” he explains. “Through restoration, words, and action, we can cultivate hope and mobilize real change.” He keeps on working hard on this collaboration, building a grassroots movement that connects Czechia and Ghana.

Read more about Šimon and Mohammed’s inspiring partnership, and how two dedicated individuals are restoring forests and supporting communities across continents here.