Plant-for-the-Planet Children’s Conference: Children Call for a Stronger Voice in Climate Action

Around 60 children and young people made it clear at the Plant-for-the-Planet Children’s Conference in Possenhofen that they no longer want others deciding their future. During a public action in Starnberg, they took to the streets to make their demands for climate justice visible and heard.

Children’s Conference in Possenhofen: Climate Action and Participation

Around the world, children and young people are taking their future into their own hands. We recently saw this at the last COP 2025 in Brazil—and now again at the Plant-for-the-Planet Children’s Conference 2026 in Possenhofen.
Throughout the weekend, it became clear that children and young people want to be taken seriously. They are not “too young” to take part in societal debates. The Children’s Conference provides a space for exactly that—enabling them to develop and share their own perspectives.

Workshops: Developing, Testing, and Expressing Ideas

In three workshops, participants explored different approaches to climate and democracy:

• Communication and dialogue: In a workshop led by Ines Heinbach, participants created a theatre piece about communication between children and adults. The focus was on how young people can express their perspectives clearly and confidently.
• Protest and participation: Together with Victoria Herbig, the children explored forms of non-violent protest. This included planning flash mobs, writing speeches, and designing their own flyers.
• Justice and cohesion: In a workshop with Johannes Volkmann, participants learned about the “traffic signs of justice.” Based on these, they explored questions of social coexistence and translated their ideas into a creative memory game.

All three workshops combined creative processes with in-depth discussions—while leaving space for individual forms of expression.

100 Trees for Climate Action

Another highlight took place on Saturday afternoon: guided by a local forester, the children planted 100 trees. With this, they sent a strong signal for climate justice and highlighted the importance of forest ecosystems.

Young Projects and Perspectives

The young Climate Justice Ambassadors also had the opportunity to present their own projects.
Eleven-year-old Noemi founded her own Plant-for-the-Planet Club. She gives presentations, sells The Change Chocolate, and raises awareness about the climate crisis at her school.
Vedant, 12, from Berlin, approaches the climate crisis from a scientific perspective. He created an Urban Heat Island Map that shows how trees help reduce average temperatures in cities.
These examples highlight how diverse and self-driven engagement can be—even at a young age. Femke and Johannes from the Global Ambassador Council contributed valuable experience and inspiration as long-standing Climate Justice Ambassadors.

Public Action in Starnberg: Children Make Their Voices Heard

After a rainy start on Sunday morning, the skies cleared just in time for the final event at Starnberg’s Kirchplatz. Moderated by the Climate Justice Ambassadors Lotti (13) and Carla (12), the children presented the results of their workshops and addressed clear messages to policymakers and society.

“The rich cause climate change, but in the end, it’s always the poor who suffer,” said 11-year-old Levi. “If we don’t take action now, the world will already be lost tomorrow.” He also directed criticism at German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

UNESCO Recognition for Education for Sustainable Development

The event concluded with the symbolic presentation of the “National Award – Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)” to the children.
Plant-for-the-Planet received this award on April 16, 2026, from the German Federal Ministry for Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, together with the German Commission for UNESCO. It recognizes educational initiatives that empower young people to actively shape sustainable development.

Conclusion: Children and Young People Want to Shape the Future

The Plant-for-the-Planet Children’s Conference in Possenhofen demonstrates how important it is to create dedicated spaces for dialogue and participation. These spaces enable children to confidently contribute their perspectives to the climate debate.
In such environments, they turn curiosity, enthusiasm, and knowledge into concrete demands and actions—becoming active agents for climate justice in our society and democracy.

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View the online photo album here.

A big thank you goes to the workshop leaders Victoria Herbig, Ines Heinbach, and Johannes Volkmann, forester Jan Borsdorf, our empowerment coordinators, Johannes and Femke from the Global Ambassador Council, and the city of Starnberg for their invaluable support.