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Frankie the Dino connects with African youth

On the road to the UN Climate Conference, UNDP’s Utahraptor climate champion attends the YouthConnekt Africa Summit

October 27^th, 2022

On the way to the UN Climate Conference (COP27) in Egypt, UNDP’s Utahraptor climate champion connected with youth leaders from around the continent. Frankie the Dino was invited to join the YouthConnekt Africa Summit, held from 13 to 15 October in Kigali, Rwanda. It was an opportunity to spread Frankie's message for urgent climate action and engage with young people who are leading the charge.

The Summit was hosted by President Paul Kagame in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). It was the 5th edition of the YouthConnekt Africa Summit and one of the biggest gatherings of young people ahead of COP27 in Egypt, which insiders have dubbed the “Africa COP”.

At the opening ceremony, Frankie was welcomed to the main stage to talk about the role youth can play in confronting climate change.

“We need an army of young people who will solve the problem of how Africa will transition to new energy.”

The annual YouthConnekt Africa Summit hosted by Rwanda, in partnership with UNDP connects African youth with policy influencers, political leaders, and public, private, and development sector institutions. Photo: UNDP/Sonia Tan

“We need an army of young people who will solve the problem of how Africa will transition to new energy,” Frankie told the audience of more than 10,000 youth.

But Frankie was mostly interested in listening. Peppering the audience with probing questions, Frankie took part in a wide-ranging discussion on how to accelerate the sustainable energy transition and build a more inclusive, just and climate-resilient future for Africa.

Over the last six years, YouthConnekt has grown into Africa’s largest annual gathering that connects youth from across the continent with their peers, investors, policy influencers, political leaders, and public, private and development sector institutions. The goal is to engage, discuss, design and accelerate youth empowerment at a continental level.

This year marks the fifth edition of the YouthConnekt Africa Summit, which focussed on building the resilience of the continent's youth to accelerate human capital and socio-economic development. Photo: UNDP/Sonia Tan

UNDP supported discussions to formulate a youth position and contribution to addressing climate change and other pressing challenges the continent faces. At the end of the Summit, delegates approved a youth manifesto, which Frankie will help them present at COP27.

The discussions in Kigali – and Frankie’s message – couldn’t be more serious. But the Summit also featured some serious fun. Following his appearance, Frankie left the stage urging #DontChooseExtinction and joined the country delegations for a rollicking dance session, showing off moves not seen since the Cretaceous period.

Frankie the Dino connects with African youth

During the Summit and throughout the visit to Rwanda, Frankie was inspired by young people he encountered who are stepping up on climate action, like climate entrepreneur and 2019 YouthConnekt Award recipient Juveline Ngum Ngwa from Cameroon. She is the CEO and co-founder of BleagLee, a company that uses technology to source waste and convert it into biofuels. Juveline was a panellist in the “En Route to COP27” session at the Summit.

Another highlight was speaking with Elizabeth Gulugulu, environmental scientist and climate change activist from Zimbabwe as well as Global South Focal Point of YOUNGO, the children and youth stakeholder group for UN climate processes. Elizabeth was recently listed among the top 100 Young African Conservation Leaders.

“It’s so exciting to see Africa’s youth showing the world what powerful leadership looks like,” Frankie posted on Instagram.

“So good to be around humans who get it – who know that this is humanity’s big chance to join together and take bold action to fight climate change and save your species.”

While in Rwanda, Frankie couldn’t pass up the opportunity to take in the sights of this beautiful country known as the “Land of a Thousand Hills”, especially those showcasing the country’s leadership on climate action. They checked out the Kigali Car-Free Zone, a popular area in the centre of town that was transformed to reduce traffic congestion and make the city more inclusive for pedestrians and cyclists. People were very welcoming, and all wanted to take selfies with Frankie.

At the recently opened Nyandungu Eco-Park in Kigali, Frankie hung out with Joshua Gabriel Oluwaseyi, a Nigerian climate activist known for his social media advocacy. Joshua is the founder and executive director of LEARNBLUE, a Gen Z-led nonprofit that is inspiring individual action to solve global challenges.

Nyandungu Eco-Park was formed from a previously degraded wetland transformed into a lush landscape with 17,000 planted trees from 55 indigenous species. The 121-hectare park features 10 kilometres of walkways and bike lanes for people to enjoy nature.

The Rwanda Environment Management Authority established the park to reduce pollution, manage flooding and restore urban biodiversity. The park has also created approximately 4,000 green jobs. Frankie was thrilled to experience this fantastic example of how nature-based solutions can help us address the climate emergency and tickled to be featured the local newspaper!

Frankie also visited the Club Rafiki youth centre in the Nyamirambo sector of Kigali. The club was established in 1974 and serves as a place for youth between the ages of 10 and early 20s to participate in in sports, dancing and other activities. It has a library equipped with computers and offers educational programmes, including language classes.

Frankie was greeted by the excited kids of the Club Rafiki youth centre in the Nyamirambo sector of Kigali, and they got a chance to learn more about the “Don’t Choose Extinction” film and the message behind it. Photo: UNDP/Sonia Tan

When Frankie visited, the kids had already been learning about the “Don’t Choose Extinction” film and the message behind it. For the visit they prepared a special performance for Frankie. Of course, Frankie could not resist and had to join in. The kids also drew pictures of dinosaurs to mark the occasion.

Rafiki is Swahili for ‘friend’, and Frankie left Club Rafiki with many new besties.

Frankie is a firm believer that it’s never too soon to start learning about how to care for our planet. So the Dino stopped by the Happy Hearts Preschool to visit with some very astute 3- to 6-year-olds.

Happy Hearts does a great job at including environmental learning in its curriculum. Though initially a little nervous about a big dinosaur stomping around, the kids soon realized Frankie is a really nice dinosaur with an important message. They were excited to demonstrate how they recycle at school and look after their vegetable garden.

Africa is the world’s youngest continent, with 70 percent of sub-Saharan Africans under the age of 30. With the right investment and support, youth can contribute significantly to sustainable and equitable development.

Whatever our age or our species, climate change affects all of us. The trip to Rwanda left Frankie even more committed and energized to speak out for a strong result at COP27, to secure the future for youth and for all the Dino's human friends.

Follow Frankie the Dino on Twitter and Instagram for updates on the #DontChooseExtinction campaign.

Footnotes

Frankie the Dino, is a Utahraptor who was miraculously saved from extinction – thanks to a long cave nap – and has been on a mission to save the world on the brink of a climate catastrophe. Frankie starred in a film by the United Nations Development Programme called “Don’t Choose Extinction”, in which the Dino bursts into the United Nations General Assembly Hall and tells the slightly terrified world leaders to stop making excuses and start making changes. Since the movie came out one year ago, it has been viewed over 1.8 billion times, and now Frankie the Dino travels the world to important places to talk about urgent climate action. Frankie was just in New York for the UN General Assembly and will be traveling next to COP27. For more information visit: dontchooseextinction.com

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Frankie the Dino connects with African youth

On the road to the UN Climate Conference, UNDP’s Utahraptor climate champion attends the YouthConnekt Africa Summit

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