The Introduction to Global Studies course, an English-taught course offered by Assistant Professor Shun-Nan Chiang of the International College of Innovation (ICI), held its second Round-Table Project on October 29 under the theme “Youth voices across the world for climate justice – what are their agendas for COP30.” Through a comparative, cross-regional perspective, students analyzed how youth around the world engage in climate politics and influence policy advocacy. The session placed particular emphasis on COP30, currently underway in Belém, Brazil, examining what issues youth from different regions are prioritizing and what demands they are putting forward.
In addition to student presentations, the class welcomed two representatives from the Taiwan Youth Climate Coalition who are departing for Brazil as COP30 youth delegates. One of them, Jasmine Wu (吳思儀), is an ICI alumna who graduated earlier this year. Together with fellow NCCU alumna Yun-Fang Wu (吳昀芳), the two speakers shared first-hand insights from their participation in COP28 as well as their team’s preparation for COP30. Their reflections provided students with a rare opportunity to understand how young climate activists navigate international negotiation processes and contribute to global climate governance.
From the Global South to Small Island States: Students Map Youth Climate Engagement Across Regions
As a foundational first-year course at ICI, the Introduction to Global Studies aims to guide students beyond nation-centered thinking by adopting a “global society” perspective to examine inequality, transnational issues, and shared contemporary challenges. In this Round-Table Project, student groups analyzed youth climate action across Latin America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, North America, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Their presentations highlighted the diverse ways young people participate in local, regional, and global climate governance.
Examples included Latin American youth-led organization Engajamundo, which is centering adaptation, climate finance, and just energy transition in its COP30 agenda; the UNCCD Youth Caucus in Africa, which connects youth to global desertification and drought negotiations; and Southeast Asian youth groups working on clean energy transition, diplomatic training, and civil society mobilization. Students also examined cases from SIDS, illustrating how island youth are pushing for resilience strategies and international recognition of Loss and Damage.
Youth Delegate Dialogue: From COP28 Insights to COP30 Priorities
Following the student presentations, Jasmine Wu and Yun-Fang Wu engaged the class with an interactive dialogue on their experiences at COP28 in Dubai. Through photos, videos, and a Q&A format, they walked students through the dynamics of the COP venue, the roles of youth delegations, and the layers of power relations present in global climate negotiations. They also reflected on Taiwan’s unique challenges in participating in the COP process, potential cross-border collaborations, and the mental and emotional labor involved in youth advocacy work.
Looking ahead to COP30, the two delegates outlined the key themes their team intends to follow, including just transition and the cultural and non-material dimensions of climate change—issues that are gaining prominence among youth advocates globally. Their discussion opened up deeper conversations within the class, as students raised questions about the effectiveness of Taiwan’s participation, disparities in youth access to climate summits, resource mobilization for youth delegates, and the complexities of negotiating identity when representing Taiwan or broader youth networks.
These exchanges laid the groundwork for the third component of the Round-Table session, in which students were reorganized into seven cross-regional tables focusing on specific thematic questions. Topics ranged from Indigenous rights and traditional knowledge, government responsibility, fossil fuel phase-out, and Global North accountability, to transregional youth coalition-building, the future of green jobs, and strategies for supporting climate-vulnerable countries. Each table synthesized its discussion into a shared online document, forming the collective learning output of the session.
The course will next move into its third Round-Table Project, “Transitioning to renewable energy vs. The rise of AI boom – exploring the diverse positionings,” and will culminate in the end-of-semester exhibition “Me/Us ___ the World.” By integrating cross-regional analysis, practitioner engagement, and interactive group synthesis, the Introduction to Global Studies equips first-year students with the conceptual tools and global awareness needed to understand their roles as emerging global citizens.
With COP30 serving as a real-time learning context—and with an ICI alumna returning as a youth delegate—the session underscored the growing possibilities for youth participation in global governance and reaffirmed ICI’s commitment to cultivating students capable of engaging with international public issues.
Students from Group 2 present their project titled “Youth’s Voice in EU Climate Action.” (Photo credit: ICI)
Students from Group 3 present their project titled “The Role of Youth in Climate Change Mitigation.” (Photo credit: International College of Innovation)
ICI alumna Jasmine Wu shares first-hand insights from her participation in COP28 and her preparation for COP30, offering students an on-the-ground perspective on youth engagement in international climate governance. (Photo credit: ICI)
ICI alumna Jasmine Wu shares first-hand insights from her participation in COP28 and her preparation for COP30, offering students an on-the-ground perspective on youth engagement in international climate governance. (Photo credit: ICI)
NCCU alumna and youth delegate Yun-Fang Wu (right) shares first-hand insights from her participation in COP28 and her preparations for COP30, offering students an on-the-ground perspective on the possibilities for youth engagement in international climate governance. (Photo credit: ICI)
