Youth Pará Fórum

The Fórum Paraense de Juventudes (FPJ), or the Pará Youth Forum, is a broad and dynamic network of young people, grassroots collectives, and youth movements from across the Amazonian state of Pará, Brazil. It was born from the need to make youth visible in public policy and to establish their role as central protagonists in shaping a more just, sustainable, and inclusive future for the region. The Forum unites approximately 200 young people from over 30 municipalities, forming a powerful collective voice for the diverse youth of the Amazon. At the heart of the FPJ's work is its robust Theory of Change, which functions as its guiding philosophy. The Forum believes that lasting social transformation is not a top-down process but emerges from the bottom up, through the strengthening of individuals and their collectives. This is not seen as a technical or administrative task, but as a deeply political act. The FPJ’s thesis is that by fortifying the capacity, autonomy, and political consciousness of grassroots organizations, a resilient and powerful ecosystem of youth leadership is created. This ecosystem becomes capable of not just reacting to challenges but proactively authoring its own history and transforming the reality of its territories. This theory is put into practice through four interconnected strategic pillars. First, the Forum focuses on leadership formation and the institutional strengthening of base organizations, creating safe and fertile ground for political development. Second, it prioritizes network articulation, understanding that the strength needed for effective political advocacy is born from collective action and the construction of common agendas. Third, the FPJ champions the co-production of knowledge, a process that values and systematizes the lived experiences and territorial wisdom of young people, transforming their realities into hard evidence for dialogue with public authorities. Finally, the Forum works to shift public narratives, actively challenging stereotypes and positioning youth as a vanguard of creative and effective solutions. Currently, this entire strategy is being intensely implemented through the "ECOA - Engagement, Knowledge, and Organization for Climate Action" project. ECOA is a high-impact, 14-month intervention designed to accelerate the Forum's long-term goals, leveraging the unique opportunity of the COP30 being held in Belém. The project is conducting a deep institutional strengthening process with 30 diverse youth organizations, with a special priority for those led by Indigenous Peoples, Quilombolas, and Traditional Communities. Through this focused effort, the Fórum Paraense de Juventudes works to build a future where the diverse youth of the Amazon are at the center of climate governance and social development.