How RE:GENERACE Is Empowering Young Climate Leaders in Czechia

How do ideas emerge that have the power to change the world? Some appear like a flash of lightning, while others need time, care, and the right conditions to grow. RE:GENERACE: The Climate Leaders Academy is a climate leadership programme designed to create exactly those conditions. Supported by the Gear-Up FoRS grant and the European Union, the programme brought together 74 secondary school students from across Czechia with experienced mentors and leading voices from the Czech and international climate community. From 24–25 January 2026, they gathered at GreenTable by Veolia in Prague for a kickoff Academy that marked the start of the year-long programme.

The programme was initiated by Šimon Michalčík, founder and leader of Plant-for-the-Planet Czech Republic, and Jakub Nekvasil, founder of Telperion and creator of Climate Days. Their aim was to bring together a young generation with some of the most prominent voices of the Czech climate movement, and to create space for open dialogue on climate issues, current and future climate policies, and, above all, for contributing to change instead of simply waiting and hoping for it. Together, they built the kind of gathering they themselves had once been missing: a space where young people can connect, learn, and grow into confident advocates for science-based climate action and climate justice. Participants and organisers worked toward driving climate education in Czechia to the next level.

Responding to a gap in climate leadership

RE:GENERACE responds to the growing need for active climate leadership. In a context where scepticism and a sense of helplessness often prevail, the programme encourages young people to take initiative. They are the ones who will help lead society toward greater climate responsibility in the future.

Among the speakers were greenfluencer Rozárie Haškovcová, scientist Daniel Kortus, and Oxford-based ecologist Anna Gee. Workshops such as Climate Fresk and The World Game played a key role in helping participants understand the climate crisis in its global context, including its causes and impacts. But the programme goes far beyond building understanding. Its real added value becomes visible only after the first phase comes to an end. The Academy laid the foundations for a community that now drives RE:GENERACE forward through its own projects and initiatives.

Turning ideas into projects through mentorship and support

Building on this foundation, RE:GENERACE focuses on long-term development and tangible outcomes. The weekend academy was the spark, and the most challenging and important part begins afterwards, as 20 selected participants develop their ideas into concrete projects with mentor support from Czechia and abroad.

They learn how to plan, communicate, find resources, and work through uncertainty. This approach fundamentally shifts their role, and instead of remaining passive recipients of information, they become active creators of solutions. Nevertheless, turning an idea into a viable plan is a process that is almost impossible without support for young people. Through RE:GENERACE, participants can access professional, organisational, and financial support, including opportunities to apply for funding to bring their projects to life. In this way, young people are given both the tools and the trust needed to turn their ideas into reality.

The projects emerging from RE:GENERACE take many forms, from educational initiatives and technological solutions to artistic work where nature becomes an inspiration. What they share is a focus on meaningful impact and a strong connection to local contexts: supporting communities, collaborating with people who understand local realities, and finding ways to better use resources already within reach. Some projects focus on connecting local creators and strengthening collaboration within communities. Others turn to everyday change, from shifting habits and organising creative workshops to building zero-waste networks and new ways of accessing sustainable products. Another supports local farmers by helping them share surplus produce directly with people in their communities.

“This is not a generation waiting for change. It is a generation of climate leaders actively creating it, fearlessly engaging with complex challenges around restoring and protecting nature and inspiring others through their projects and by the example they set. In doing so, they are helping shape a more just and sustainable world,” says one of the organisers, Šimon Michalčík.

From local action to global impact

Through RE:GENERACE, young people are turning local action into impact that reaches far beyond Czechia. The most active participants also gain a unique opportunity to take their work further at the Youth Summit in Frankfurt am Main, where they present their projects. Beyond this, the programme opens access to international inspiration, networking experience, and practical solutions, while connecting young leaders with a global community working for the same goal.

Building momentum beyond the programme

What began as a pilot programme is clearly not coming to an end. After its initial success, RE:GENERACE is evolving into a long-term initiative, with plans to expand into new formats, including city-based editions such as a planned programme in Prague and a new national edition in 2026 with even greater ambition.

At the same time, something important is already taking shape. RE:GENERACE is creating space where frustration turns into action, and where young people move from discussion to real projects. As one participant shared, the programme has given them “an incredible spark of hope for a better world,” and the success of their projects is already beginning to speak for itself. This community of informed, active, and collaborative young people is not waiting for the future, but actively shaping it.