Living Lakes brings together young sustainability leaders in Colombia

Event: Fourth edition of the Sustainability Leadership Journey (SLJ)

Dates: November 16–22, 2025

Location: Villa de Leyva (Colombia)

Colombia will host the fourth edition of the Sustainability Leadership Journey (SLJ), an international initiative under the Living Lakes Biodiversity and Climate Project (LLBCP) that promotes youth leadership in lake management, sustainability, and environmental conservation. Under the theme Sacred Lakes, the event will bring together young leaders from more than countries to exchange experiences, strengthen capacities, and explore the ecological and cultural value of aquatic ecosystems.

Delegations from Latin America, Africa, Asia, and Europe will participate in this gathering, bringing diverse perspectives on global sustainability challenges. Participants, aged between 18 and 35, include students, emerging professionals, activists, and community leaders from NGOs, academic institutions, and youth networks.

Organized by Fundación Humedales (Colombia), the event combines applied learning, field experiences, and South-South intercultural dialogue to strengthen global networks and catalyze transformative solutions from the Colombian Andes.

Over six days, the program will integrate training workshops, field visits, and dialogue spaces in Villa de Leyva, the Muisca Observatory, Iguaque National Park, and Fúquene Lagoon. The activities will blend personal reflection and collective action with the goal of reinforcing cooperation networks and promoting sustainable solutions inspired by the Andean region.

The training component will feature international experts such as Brigitte Baptiste (Colombia), Samuel Secaira and Andrea Paiz (Guatemala), Alejandro Juárez (Mexico), and Ajanta Dey (India), who will share tools on communication, empathy, leadership, and emotional management. These sessions aim to inspire conscious, collaborative, and human-centered leadership committed to the well-being of people and nature.

Previous editions of the SLJ laid the foundation for a global community of young environmental leaders. The first edition took place in Puno in 2022, followed by the Philippines in 2023, and South Africa in 2024, focusing on water justice and agroecology. The 2025 edition in Colombia will integrate these global learnings with local knowledge, consolidating a unique platform to nurture new guardians of water and wetlands.

This international gathering promotes honest, collaborative, and transformative leadership, empowering the next generation of stewards of the planet’s aquatic ecosystems.

The SLJ is part of the Living Lakes Biodiversity and Climate Project (LLBCP), coordinated by the international Living Lakes Network, the Global Nature Fund, and Fundación Humedales. It is supported by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment (BMUV) through the International Climate Initiative (IKI), and backed by Deutsche Postcode Lotterie, Kärcher, GF, and Groundlake.

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