Young voices from the mountains turning local knowledge into global action

Peru: Training the next gen of glacier ambassadors through citizen science and digital storytelling

What if the people best placed to protect the world’s glaciers were those who grew up near them?

In the Cordillera Blanca (home to the largest concentration of tropical glaciers on the planet), Junior Adrian Figueroa Miranda is training young people from mountain communities to monitor, document and protect the glaciers that sustain their families, farms and futures. Through a combination of citizen science, digital storytelling and intergenerational dialogue, the Glacier Ambassadors programme is turning local knowledge into global action.

“Glaciers are like giant water tanks in the mountains. The water you are drinking right now comes from glaciers.”

Junior Adrian Figueroa Miranda, Ancash Regional Director, Young Peruvian Leaders Ancash 

The European Training Foundation (ETF) is delighted to count this initiative as one of the finalists for the Green Skills Award 2026. Read on to find out why.

Junior Adrian leads the Young Glacier Ambassadors programme through Young Peruvian Leaders (YPL). He has trained 15 young people aged 18–29 from the Huaylas Valley in glaciology, citizen science, digital tools and environmental communication. Selected from 50 applicants, these ambassadors learn to monitor glacier retreat using photographic evidence, engage their communities in dialogue about water security, and design micro-projects addressing local environmental challenges. 

The programme bridges scientific research, indigenous knowledge and youth activism, proving that climate action starts with education and ends with empowered communities.