The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG) at the University of Warwick brought together 60 young participants from 16 Indian states for the Innovate4Environment (I4E) National Camp, held on October 27–28 at TERI Gram in Gurugram. Participants presented climate-focused prototypes and social action projects to a panel of jury members, environmental experts and partner organisations.
The camp marked the culmination of the UK–India youth skills programme, delivered by TERI and WMG under the Global Collaboration Grant of the Climate Skills Programme, led by the British Council and HSBC. During the programme, 115 young participants took part in six hybrid workshops across Delhi, Guwahati, Bengaluru, Goa and Bhopal.
The workshops covered renewable energy, biotechnology, microbiology, sustainable agriculture, waste management, data analytics, ecology and climate change, alongside skills in communication, project management and participatory methods.
The camp featured an exhibition of social action projects developed by participants, evaluated by a jury comprising representatives from Delhi Skill and Entrepreneurship University, WMG and TERI. Discussions across the two days covered youth participation in sustainability, internationalisation of higher education, social entrepreneurship, intellectual property and the skills required for green jobs.
Participants also took part in thematic discussions and a tour of TERI Gram, engaging with sustainability experts. Speakers included representatives from TERI School of Advanced Studies, Arc Ed Tech, the Skill Council for Green Jobs, ESRI and other organisations.
Dr Livleen K. Kahlon, Director of Environment Education and Awareness at TERI, spoke on the relationship between youth, sustainability and global citizenship. Anu Thampi, Senior Manager for Education Programmes at the British Council India, said the programme offered young people from different states opportunities to network, exchange perspectives and collaborate on sustainability solutions.
India Palmer, Assistant Professor at WMG, University of Warwick, highlighted the role of international partnerships in bringing together different perspectives and supporting collaboration among young people.
The programme was designed to build young participants’ technical and project-management skills while connecting them with peers and organisations working on environmental challenges. The organisers said the initiative aims to support youth-led climate action through cross-cultural collaboration and skills development.