A new documentary retraces the Aosta Youth COP journey, showing how scientific knowledge can be transformed into dialogue, shared responsibility and concrete proposals to address the climate crisis.
There are many ways to talk to young people about climate change. We can present data, describe future scenarios and explain the impacts that are already reshaping our territories. All of this is essential to build a shared knowledge base. But what happens when knowledge becomes the starting point of a process in which young people are encouraged not only to listen, but above all to engage with one another, negotiate and contribute to decisions that are as widely shared as possible?
This question lies at the heart of the Youth COP, an educational framework developed by CIMA Research Foundation and promoted by a joint working group including ARPA Valle d’Aosta, Fondazione Montagna Sicura, Eurac Research and Alt(r)a Quota. The methodology places informed participation, dialogue and collaborative decision-making at its core.
This approach is explored in a new documentary dedicated to the 2025–2026 Aosta Youth COP, which follows every stage of the experience through the voices of students and researchers, highlighting how an intergenerational partnership can lead to informed, shared decision-making.
More than a simulation: learning how decisions are made
The Youth COP draws inspiration from the United Nations Climate Change Conferences of the Parties (COPs), but its purpose goes far beyond simply reproducing their dynamics. Its ambition is broader: to equip young people with the tools to understand the complexity of climate challenges, engage with different perspectives and experience how consensus-based decisions are built.
As Francesco Avanzi, researcher at CIMA Research Foundation and one of the creators of the format, explains: “What we call the Youth COP is a simulation of the decision-making process through which world leaders make decisions on the climate crisis. It is a participatory and democratic approach based on shared decision-making.”
In this context, participation goes beyond expressing an opinion. It means contributing to the development of solutions that are ultimately presented to real decision-makers.
A documentary following the Aosta Youth COP
The documentary follows the Aosta edition, developed within the PNRR Agile Arvier – The Culture of Change project through a programme that began in November 2025 and culminated in February 2026 with the final Youth COP simulation and the presentation of the 2026 Aosta Youth Charter to local authorities.
Through workshops, seminars, collaborative activities and group work focusing on water resources and climate change adaptation, around 120 students from the Aosta Classical High School, the Institut Agricole Régional, and the Water Management and Environmental Restoration programme of the Manzetti Technical Institute developed proposals at both regional and national levels. These proposals were then brought together in the Youth Charter, which collects the ten proposals receiving the broadest consensus among participants.
As Avanzi continues: “We begin by providing students with the knowledge they need to understand what we are talking about: the climate crisis, conflicts and water. They then develop proposals, which are discussed, voted on and refined until they become what we call the Youth Charter.”
The documentary also presents some of the proposals developed during the Aosta Youth COP: measures to reduce water waste and promote water reuse, ideas to improve the resilience of water infrastructure, solutions for forest conservation, and initiatives to encourage more sustainable use of natural resources. Although diverse in scope, all proposals emerge from the same process of research, dialogue and collaborative design.
A model that continues to grow
While centred on the Aosta edition, the documentary also offers a broader perspective on the Youth COP as an evolving initiative. Its development has been made possible through an increasingly structured network of research organisations, schools and institutions working together to create youth participation pathways grounded in scientific knowledge.
As Francesca Munerol, researcher at CIMA Research Foundation, explains: “More and more minds, more and more scientists are putting their expertise at the service of young people. And young people respond with enthusiasm because they feel involved and part of the decisions that adults make — decisions that will shape their future.”
This collaborative dimension is what makes the Youth COP a model that can be replicated in different contexts, extending beyond schools to youth associations and community organisations.
The documentary is released on the occasion of World Youth Skills Day, the United Nations observance dedicated this year to the theme “Skills for a Shared Future.” The message closely reflects the core philosophy of the Youth COP: developing skills is not simply about transferring knowledge, but about enabling younger generations to understand complex challenges, engage with different perspectives and contribute meaningfully to the decisions that will shape their future.
The Aosta Youth COP tells exactly this story: participation is not an abstract principle, but a practical methodology built around people.