Lahti has launched the world’s first Climate Mentor program to help high school students develop practical skills for climate action.
The Finnish city of Lahti has launched the world’s first Climate Mentor program, a new approach to environmental education that pairs high school students with young climate experts. The Climate Mentor program started this fall at two local high schools and focuses on personal mentoring rather than traditional classroom lessons about climate change.
Unlike standard environmental classes that teach facts and figures, the Climate Mentor program helps students discover their own role in fighting climate change. Students work with mentors to create opinion pieces and social media content, giving them hands-on experience in climate advocacy.
The Climate Mentor program began at Lahden Lyseo and Gaudia high schools in Lahti, a city located about 100 kilometers north of Helsinki. City officials developed the course because they were concerned about young people’s mental health and their ability to stay hopeful about the future despite climate challenges.
“Climate change is one of the defining challenges of our time, and we are concerned about young people’s wellbeing and their faith in the future,” said Johanna Särkijärvi, Environmental Director of the City of Lahti. She explained that the climate crisis creates strong emotions and many questions, making it important to discuss the topic with young people and show them how they can take action.
Two climate mentors leading the Climate Mentor program represent a new generation of Finnish environmental experts. Anni Pokela works as a founding member and strategic expert at Operaatio Arktis, a climate strategy agency that has received state recognition for its work. She regularly speaks at international climate summits and advocates for updating climate strategies to address the extreme risks younger generations face.
Sara Yrjönmäki works at One Planet, a consulting company that specializes in ecological sustainability. She helps companies, cities, government ministries, and organizations protect biodiversity and tackle climate change. From 2024 to 2025, she serves as a youth delegate representing young Finns in national nature-related working groups and international conferences, including United Nations biodiversity negotiations.
The mentors in the Climate Mentor program take a practical approach that avoids telling students what lifestyle changes they must make. “I’m not here to tell young people they must become vegan or stop flying,” Pokela explained. “The course is about how they can channel their skills and ambitions into climate action.”
Pokela emphasized that their generation cannot simply wait for others to solve the climate crisis. “We are the new voters, new workers, and new citizens,” she said. “I want young people to leave here ready to take action.”
Yrjönmäki pointed out gaps in current environmental education. She noted that while schools teach basic facts about climate change and biodiversity loss, there is too little discussion about collective action and concrete steps students can take.
“I hope to see more experimentation and collaborative learning, more dialogue, concrete solution-finding, and hands-on advocacy in environmental education,” Yrjönmäki said. She stressed that climate and nature issues affect everyone’s daily life, not just environmental experts.
The mentor explained that people can make a difference through many different paths, including activism, art, politics, business, or completely different approaches. Her goal is for every student in the Climate Mentor program to find one area they feel ownership of and can use as a starting point for making an impact.
Lahti has built a strong reputation for environmental innovation over many years. The European Union named it European Green Capital in 2021, recognizing its environmental leadership. The city has set ambitious goals to become Finland’s first major city to achieve both carbon neutrality and nature positivity by 2030.
Carbon neutrality means the city would produce no net carbon dioxide emissions, either by reducing emissions to zero or balancing remaining emissions with carbon removal. Nature positivity means having a net positive impact on biodiversity and ecosystems.
The Climate Mentor program continues Lahti’s tradition of developing practical, human-centered environmental solutions. City officials hope other communities will adopt similar programs, potentially scaling the approach globally.
The Climate Mentor program addresses growing concerns about climate anxiety among young people worldwide. Many teenagers and young adults report feeling overwhelmed by environmental challenges and uncertain about their ability to make a meaningful difference.
By providing personal mentoring and concrete tools for action, the Climate Mentor program aims to transform feelings of helplessness into empowerment. Students learn to see themselves as capable agents of change rather than passive observers of environmental problems.
The course structure allows students to experiment with different forms of advocacy and find approaches that match their interests and skills. Some might prefer writing opinion pieces for local newspapers, while others might focus on creating engaging social media content or organizing community events.
See also: Urban Nature Revival: Finland’s Green City Plan
Working alongside regular teachers, the climate mentors bring real-world experience and fresh perspectives to environmental education. This combination of academic learning and practical mentoring creates a more comprehensive educational experience.
Finland’s education system consistently ranks among the world’s best, making Lahti’s Climate Mentor program particularly significant. The country’s educational approaches often influence practices in other nations, suggesting the Climate Mentor program model could spread internationally.
The Climate Mentor program represents a shift toward more personalized and action-oriented environmental education. Rather than simply learning about problems, students develop the skills and confidence to become part of the solution.
