Youth Think Tank
How do young people imagine the island of the future?
The CO2 PACMAN Youth Think Tank engaged secondary school and university students from the pilot islands in exploring and shaping their vision of a climate-neutral future. Through peer-learning sessions and interactive activities, students learned about climate neutrality, discussed the challenges and opportunities facing their territories, and used the CO2 PACMAN Tool to explore alternative transition scenarios.
Working from the perspective of their own islands, students developed proposals and visions for how their territories could evolve towards climate neutrality. Their ideas were brought into the wider participatory process and presented during the “The Island I Would Like” Labs, contributing to the discussion around the Climate Neutrality Transition Roadmaps.
The result: young people became active contributors to the climate-neutrality transition, bringing new perspectives, ideas and future-oriented visions into the co-creation process.
Youth Think Tank Award Ceremony
On 22 May 2026, during the CO2 PACMAN Climate Impact Forum in Athens, students and teachers from the participating Youth Think Tank schools gathered to present the results of their work and receive recognition for their contribution to the project. Students from SŠ Supetar and SŠ Bol (Croatia) explored climate neutrality challenges on Brač Island, focusing on sustainable mobility, renewable energy, waste management, land use and community-based solutions for decarbonisation. The Experimental Junior High School of Rethymno (Greece) engaged in climate neutrality awareness activities, renewable energy simulations and digital tools, acting as Climate Neutrality Ambassadors for their island community. Meanwhile, students from ISIS “Raffaello Foresi” (Italy) investigated renewable energy, sustainable mobility, behavioural change and ecosystem protection on Elba Island, developing proposals for a more sustainable future.
The ceremony highlighted how young people from across the Mediterranean can actively contribute to shaping climate-neutral and resilient island communities through knowledge, creativity and participation.
Youth Think Tank by Pilot Island
Elba – From students’ ideas to transition scenarios
On Elba, students from ISIS “Raffaello Foresi” explored key aspects of the island’s transition towards climate neutrality, including renewable energy, sustainable mobility, behavioural change and ecosystem protection. Using the CO2 PACMAN Tool, they worked on different transition options and developed their own vision of how these solutions could contribute to a more sustainable future for the island. The activity encouraged students to connect climate challenges with concrete territorial solutions, combining their own perspectives with data and scenario exploration.
Brač – Exploring local challenges and solutions
On Brač, students from SŠ Supetar and SŠ Bol explored the island’s climate-neutrality challenges and developed ideas around sustainable mobility, renewable energy, waste management, land use and community-based solutions. Through the Youth Think Tank activities, young participants contributed their perspective on how these areas could evolve as part of the island’s transition towards climate neutrality. Their work became part of the wider CO2 PACMAN co-creation process and was presented as a youth contribution to the island’s transition scenarios.
Crete – Building awareness and imagining a climate-neutral future
On Crete, students from the Experimental Junior High School of Rethymno took part in activities focused on climate-neutrality awareness, renewable energy simulations and the use of digital tools. Through the Youth Think Tank, students explored how climate-neutral solutions could be understood and applied within their island context, developing their role as Climate Neutrality Ambassadors for their local community. Their contribution brought a youth perspective into the wider process of imagining and discussing Crete’s transition towards climate neutrality.
