There are a total of 10 Pillars of Principle, on which an LCOY is based. These ten principles guide the work of every LCOY. Anyone who follows them can organise an LCOY.

1. Capacity Building & Empowerment:

Local Conferences of Youth are events by and embedded in YOUNGO. They build capacities of young people and train and educate them to take action on climate change and sustainable development.

​

2. Transparency:

LCOY organizing teams communicate actively with the LCOY Working Group and other actors. This will help us as an international movement and constituency of young people to learn from the experiences and mistakes made on the local level.

​

3. Inclusivity:

YOUNGO welcomes and values the contributions that individuals who identify as members of marginalized communities bring to the climate movement, and encourages Indigenous people, people of colour, women, people identifying as LGBTQI+, members of ethnic minorities, immigrants and people with disabilities to be involved and represented throughout the LCOY processes. People with all levels of education and experience are welcome. We recognize that this list is neither exhaustive nor representative of the intersectionality present within each individual.

​

4. Sustainability:

LCOY teams strive to make their conferences as sustainable as possible, noting the regional and national circumstances, and capacities.

​

5. By Youth For Youth:

The organising process must be led by young people and youth-led Entities. Youth are the primary participants of LCOYs.

​

6. Community building:

LCOY organizers engage in and strengthen already-existing networks of young people and youth entities in the country and region the LCOY takes place in. In the absence of such avenues,  LCOYs are encouraged to lay foundations for new networks.

​

7. Preparation for UN processes:

LCOYs provide space for young people to learn about, educate, train for, and contribute to UN climate processes, including the UN climate change negotiations and related sustainable development processes.

​

8. Global Action:

LCOY teams are encouraged to undertake activities or projects with other LCOYs promoting regional and global collaboration.

​

9. Spirit of Cooperation:

LCOYs are part of and nurture a community of young people who want to work together to fight climate change and promote mutual empowerment. To do so, LCOYs actively cooperate with​ young people and youth organisations within the same country or region, other LCOYs (especially those in the same region), the YOUNGO LCOY Working Group, the Global COY and other relevant processes and avenues within YOUNGO.

​

10. Creativity:

LCOY teams are encouraged to experiment with creative ideas that would form the basis of their learning. The best practices and lessons learned are shared with the broader YOUNGO community to help other youth for future projects.

​