North Carolina, USA
Third Youth Interfaith Leaders Fellowship
Faith For Our Planet (FFOP) and Duke Divinity School (DDS) convened the third cycle of their flagship Youth Interfaith Leaders Fellowship on Climate Change, hosting a week-long residential program at Duke University, North Carolina, USA, from 18 to 23 May 2025. Now in its third year, the fellowship remains the world’s leading global initiative empowering faith-inspired youth to lead on climate justice. Over six days, fellows engaged with a world-class faculty of theologians, climate scientists, diplomats, UN officials, behavioral experts, and faith-based advocates receiving advanced training in faith-rooted environmental leadership.
Third Youth Interfaith Leaders Fellowship
This year’s program centered on building moral clarity, spiritual resilience, and practical tools for action. Fellows explored topics such as eco-theology, climate diplomacy, interfaith trust-building, systems change, and storytelling. From sacred rituals to strategy sessions, the program combined intellectual rigor with deeply personal reflection, reaffirming the power of faith to drive solutions to one of humanity’s greatest challenges.
The fellowship brought together 16 outstanding young leaders from across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and the Americas, representing a diverse array of religious traditions, professional sectors, and local contexts. The cohort included Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Sikh, Hindu, Jain, Baháʼí, and Indigenous Guarani participants, each bringing their lived experience and community insights to bear on global challenges.
Participants ranged from imams, pastors, and monks to climate organizers, academics, storytellers, and public servants united by a shared belief that spiritual leadership is essential to achieving a just and sustainable future. Through interfaith worship, shared meals, collaborative learning, and peer dialogue, the fellowship cultivated a community grounded in empathy, trust, and collective purpose. As reflected in their end-of-week group presentations, each fellow left not only with a sharpened vision but with the support of a global interfaith network committed to climate action.
