Upcoming Events
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Upcoming Events 〰️
For Rosa
For Rosa is a poignant one-person theatre show written by Nic Balthazar and Benjamin Van Bunderen Robberechts, directed by Nic Balthazar, and performed by Felix Maesschalck. It is a compelling narrative of friendship, coming of age, and tragic loss that propelled a teenager into a fight against the climate crisis. It is a story about and for the future.
Part of the proceeds from For Rosa will go to Climate Justice for Rosa vzw, which aims to honour Rosa's memory by continuing her fight for a more just and sustainable world.
After an exclusive preview in Brussels on 15 July 2024, For Rosa premièred at the Theater Aan Zee festival in Ostend on 3, 4, and 5 August 2024. The show will tour around Flanders and Brussels during the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 seasons.
Tour dates (new dates will be added soon).
From apathy to agency: Gen Z reimagines democracy
A participatory workshop where young changemakers, activists and policymakers imagine the future of democracy together.
Democracy is sustained not by systems, but by citizens. Yet, across Europe, a growing number of young people feel that traditional politics no longer represents them.
This lunchtime workshop turns that frustration into fuel for change. Together with changemakers, activists, and policymakers, we’ll explore how the next generation is reshaping what participation means — from street movements to institutional innovation.
Wecco Wacko Farm Club - Première
The Wecco Wacko Farm Club is a project where young people from Flanders and Senegal meet. In July 2025, an exchange took place in Senegal. Their experiences have been documented in a PHOTO EXHIBITION, a YOUTH FILM, and a DOCUMENTARY, which you can see for free at the Paterskerk in Sint-Niklaas.
You will discover the stories of young people fleeing climate change and young people doing everything they can to reverse the local consequences of climate change. Young people will share their stories with their images.
Session
7:00 PM: Introductions and photo exhibition
7:30 PM: Welcome
7:40 PM: Youth film "Wecco Wacko Farmers"
7:50 PM: Young people speak
8:00 PM: Documentary "Wecco Wacko Farm Club"
9:00 PM: Panel discussion led by Roel Nollet with Toure Fousseyni, Manon Cools, and Benjamin Van Bunderen Robberechts (Climate Justice for Rosa)
They represent a perspective from Senegal, a perspective on gender, and a response from a perspective on climate change (COP30).
9:30 PM: Conclusion of the evening
De Natuur Bestaat Niet + Nabespreking met Dirk De Wachter, Nathalie Faber en Benjamin Van Bunderen Robberechts
Hoe breng je een relatie terug in balans? Door therapie. Vier personen nemen plaats op de bank bij relatietherapeut Dirk De Wachter. Verschillende oorzaken (zoals vanzelfsprekendheid, trauma, werk…) zorgden bij het viertal voor een storing in de relatie. Maar scheiden van de natuur, dat is voor de mens geen optie. Lukt het dankzij de sessies om de natuur weer te kunnen zien voor wat ze is?
Deze film wordt tijdens de Groene Loper voor het eerst vertoond in België. Een primeur dus, en voor de nabespreking zakt Dirk De Wachter himself af naar onze mooie stad. Ook Nathalie Faber, de regisseur; en Benjamin Van Bunderen Robberechts zullen de film achteraf mee analyseren en bespreken.
https://sphinx-cinema.be/programma/film/de-natuur-bestaat-niet
Lowland Kids - Première hosted by Climate Justice for Rosa
DocFest Brugge
Premiere hosted by Climate Justice for Rosa, screening followed by an after-talk with Vera Dua and Benjamin Van Bunderen Robberechts.
COP30 - Press Conference
COP30 joint children and youth led press conference on children’s rights and climate justice
Plant-for-the-Planet, Child Rights International Network, Climate Justice for Rosa, ChildFund Alliance, Centre for Global Education and the Alana Institute invites you to a press conference on children’s rights and climate justice at COP 30 in Belém, Brazil.
Moderator: Benjamin Van Bunderen Robberechts
Speakers: Children from around the world
COP30: Youth-led Climate Forum - Mainstreaming Children, Youth, Gender And Indigenous Rights In The Climate Policies
Climate Justice For All is a crucial Youth-led Climate Forum session at COP30 , aimed at integrating the voices of children, youth, women, and Indigenous Peoples into climate policy to ensure equitable and effective climate action. As a speaker, Ben will deliver a key opening statement to set the scene and underline the importance of mainstreaming these essential rights in UNFCCC decisions
COP30 - IOM Event: Youth and Indigenous Inclusion in Climate Finance and Human Mobility
At COP30 in Belém, Climate Justice for Rosa founder Benjamin Van Bunderen Robberechts has been invited to speakat an IOM roundtable on youth and Indigenous inclusion in climate finance and climate-induced displacement.
COP30 - Climate Justice for Rosa Event - Growing up in the Climate Crisis
Generation Emergency: Youth Growing Up in the Climate Crisis (13 Nov, COP30 – Belém)
A youth-led session by Climate Justice for Rosa at the Children and Youth Pavilion, moderated by Benjamin Van Bunderen Robberechts and featuring young climate leaders from Bangladesh, Colombia and Nigeria, with closing remarks by the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Climate Change, Elisa Morgera.
COP30 - Launch of the Sumaúma Pledging Tree for Human Rights-Based Climate Action
At COP30 in Belém, Benjamin will speak at the launch of the Sumaúma Pledging Tree, a UN-led initiative connecting human rights and climate action.
Representing Climate Justice for Rosa, he will share a youth message calling for accountability, dignity, and courage in addressing the climate crisis.
COP30 - United Nations Climate Change Conference
Climate Justice for Rosa will attend COP30 in Belém, Brazil, where Benjamin Van Bunderen Robberechts will represent the organisation. He has been invited to speak at top-level events and CJfR is organising multiple side events to give a platform to young people from around the world already living with the impacts of the climate crisis. It is vital that youth and civil society are present in these negotiations, to ensure that human stories and accountability are not lost in political bargaining. More details on our COP30 programme will follow soon.
Exhibition EU Parliament
Exhibition at the European Parliament: marking four years since the Western European floods. Climate Justice for Rosa will be part of the exhibit. The opening on 14 October will bring together Commissioner Hadja Lahbib, several Members of the European Parliament, and civil society from the affected regions. Benjamin Van Bunderen Robberechts will call on politicians to take firm climate action so that countless more lives are not lost.
Climate March
March with Climate Justice for Rosa on october 5th in Brussels during the big national climate march!
sign up here: events@climatejusticeforrosa.org
Let's Talk Climate
Youth Climate Event in the Senate! 🇧🇪
Meet the Belgian COP30 delegation, ask your questions, and share what you think they should fight for. With youth voices, climate experts, and policymakers all in one room, this is your chance to make yourself heard.
Benjamin Van Bunderen Robberechts has been invited as an expert to share his experiences from past climate conferences and his preparations for COP30.
For young people aged 16–30.
EU Day for the Victims of the Global Climate Crisis
July 15, 2025 — EU Day for the Victims of the Global Climate Crisis
On July 15, we mark the third annual EU Day for the Victims of the Global Climate Crisis — a day born from the demand that those lost to floods, wildfires, droughts, heatwaves, and storms are not forgotten.
This day was established through an initiative of Climate Justice for Rosa, led by young people who turned grief into action, insisting that behind every climate disaster are real lives, names, and futures that were stolen.
But this day is more than a moment of silence.
It is a call to confront the systems that cause harm.
It is a demand for justice.
And it is a rallying point for action.
🕯️ Across Europe, people will come together — to remember, and to act.
To act against inaction.
To act for those we've lost.
To act by taking real steps — in the halls of power, in the streets, in courtrooms, in communities.
Details about this year’s program will be announced soon.
Want to help us or organize an action? Get in touch with us!
EU’s role in ensuring global climate justice
Together with MEP Sirpa Pietikäinen (EPP) and MEP Lara Wolters (S&D), the Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP) is co-organising this event on 1 July 2025 at the European Parliament, featuring a documentary on global human impacts of climate change. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion on climate justice and the EU’s responsibility in the climate crisis.
When: Tuesday, 1 July 2025
Time: 18:00–20:00 CEST (networking time from 19:30)
Where: European Parliament (room: A5F385)
This event will spotlight the intensity of global human suffering due to climate change and provide a perspective on how the EU can be greater than its size on the world stage in combating this crisis. It will begin with opening remarks by Hanna Höijer (EU Climate Pact Ambassador), and a screening of her documentary “Down to Earth – Global Stories on Climate Change,” which features of interviews with people from across the world on the real-life impacts of climate change their communities face.
The screening will be followed by a keynote presentation from Antoine Oger, Executive Director at IEEP and a keynote presentation from Benjamin Van Bunderen Robberechts, young climate activist and founder of Climate Justice for Rosa.
Draft agenda:
18:00 – 18:05 | Opening Remarks – Introduction by film producer and EU Climate Pact Ambassador Hanna Höijer
18:05 – 18:30 | “Down to Earth – Global Stories on Climate Change” – Film screening of the youth-produced documentary Down to Earth, featuring stories on the effects of climate change from countries across the world
18:30 – 18:35 | The What? EU’s Carbon Footprint and Handprint Beyond its Borders – Keynote by Antoine Oger, Executive Director of IEEP
18:35 – 19:40 | The Why? Responsibilities and Obligations of the EU – Keynote by Benjamin Van Bunderen Robberechts, young climate activist and founder of Climate Justice for Rosa
19:40 – 19:25 | The How? Concrete Steps for Toward Global Climate Justice – Panel discussion with MEP Sirpa Pietikäinen and MEP Lara Wolters (S&D), moderated by Ms Höijer
19:25 – 19:30 | Conclusion – Closing remarks by MEP Sirpa Pietikäinen
19:30 – 20:00 | Networking time
Please note that seats are limited, so we encourage you to register your interest here.
15th European Form on the Rights of the Child
Benjamin speaks at the 15th EU Forum on the Rights of the Child
Benjamin Van Bunderen Robberechts has been invited to speak at the 15th EU Forum on the Rights of the Child, the European Commission’s flagship event on children’s rights.
This year’s theme:
“Championing Children’s Rights: Building Fair and Resilient Societies for the EU’s Present and Future.”
He will take part in a high-level plenary panel on climate change and intergenerational fairness, alongside:
– Tanya Ward, President of Eurochild
– Anne Mahrer, President of Klimaseniorinnen
– Children from the EU Children’s Participation Platform
– Elisa Morgera, UN Special Rapporteur on Climate Change and Human Rights
– Moderator: Jana Hainsworth
The panel will explore how the climate crisis is already affecting children’s lives, what needs to change, and how to ensure that younger and future generations are protected—not just in theory, but in practice.
Benjamin will share his perspective as both a climate and children’s rights activist, grounded in real experiences of loss, resistance, and cross-generational alliance.
📍 Brussels, 23–24 June 2025
🧵 More info:
https://www.b2match.com/e/15th-eu-forum-on-the-rights-of-the-child/components/55851/info
European Youth Event 2025
Workshop on Intergenerational Justice (UN Youth Core Group, UNEP)
Ben, representing the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) within the UN Youth Core Group, is co-leading a workshop on intergenerational justice at the European Youth Event (EYE2025) in the European Parliament in Strasbourg. More info about EYE2025 here.
The workshop will focus on how today’s choices, especially on climate, impact future generations. Participants will discuss what intergenerational fairness means in practice and what needs to change to make it real.
The main goal is to draft a set of recommendations for the EU Strategy on Intergenerational Fairness — making sure that young people's voices are included in shaping policies that affect their future.
At Climate Justice for Rosa, we believe that justice between generations needs to be part of every conversation about the future!
Spring School on Climate Citizens’ Assemblies
Ben, founder of Climate Justice for Rosa and Climate Advisor to CRIN (Child Rights International Network), will be speaking at the Spring School on Climate Citizens’ Assemblies in Warsaw.
The Spring School, organized by FIDE (Federation for Innovation in Democracy Europe) together with different partners, brings together practitioners and experts working on democratic innovations for climate action. Throughout an intensive program, participants will exchange experiences, build new skills, and explore how to design citizens’ assemblies that are inclusive, effective, and truly representative.
Benjamin will contribute to the one day Deep Dive session on Involving Children and Young People in Climate Assemblies, alongside Lianne and Katie from CRIN. Their session will focus on ensuring that children and young people are not treated as an afterthought, but recognized as full participants whose voices matter in shaping climate decisions.
More information: https://www.fide.eu/spring-school-2025
Flooded Futures - A symposium about the impacts of climate change on the water cycle
Organized by five master's students in biology at UGent, this event aims to raise awareness and promote discussion about the challenges and solutions related to water and climate.
Guest Speakers:
Benjamin Van Bunderen Robberechts
Klee Schamp – Project engineer in hydraulics at Arcadis Gent
Vincent Ogembo – Postdoctoral researcher in water and climate sciences
Filip Watteeuw – Schepen van Klimaat, Energie, Wonen en Milieu
Sociaal en klimaat, gaat dat samen? De Laatste Dinsdag met Dirk Holemans en Benjamin Van Bunderen Robberechts
Klimaatbeleid moet sociaal zijn, alleen zo krijg je iedereen mee. Maar wereldwijd zien we dat klimaat in het verdomhoekje zit. Hoe kan klimaat een prioriteit worden in een maatschappij? Stefaan Segaert gaat in gesprek met Dirk Holemans (denktank Oikos) en klimaatactivist Benjamin Van Bunderen Robberechts.
ism Avansa, Hart boven Hard, Oikos, Masereel Fonds, Mondiaal Lokeren en Lokeren.
CJFR trip to Denmark to Build Partnerships for the EU Day for the Victims of the Global Climate Crisis
Ben will visit various danish civil society organizations to explore ways to collaborate on the upcoming EU Day for the Victims of the Global Climate Crisis.
During the trip, we aim to learn from local initiatives, share ideas, and work together to ensure the EU Day becomes a powerful moment of remembrance and action.
Connected Learning, Empowered Youth: from climate activists to leaders for tomorrow!
Learning Planet Festival - The world's annual gathering to transform education
Friendship NGO event (online)
Theme - “Connected Learning, Empowered Youth: from climate activists to leaders for tomorrow!”
UGent Humanities Academie - For Rosa
Curator Nic Balthazar programmeert de toneelvoorstelling 'For Rosa' in het kader van het jaarthema 'Regeneratie'. Na de voorstelling volgt een gesprek met Benjamin Van Bunderen Robberechts en Stef Craps.
Council of Europe - Second Meeting of the Council of Europe Governmental Committee on Environment (GME)
Benjamin has been invited to adress the Council of Europe during the 2nd meeting of the Council of Europe Governmental Committee on Environment (GME)- more info soon.
Ecocide Café: Conversations on Climate Justice and Ecocide
Stop Ecocide Youth event in The Hague - Netherlands
Friends of Europe - Policy Insight
Staying the course: driving sustainability forward in a shifting geopolitical context
This policy insight, organised by Friends of Europe and the European Environment Agency (EEA), offers a check-up on the state of our environment, taking stock of the progress made this past year and identifying key milestones to be achieved in 2025 for Europe to meet its ambitious targets.
For Rosa - Speciale voorstelling met nabespreking in Beersel
For Rosa is het waargebeurde en aangrijpende verhaal van Benjamin Van Bunderen Robberechts en Rosa, een jonge klimaatactiviste die in de zomer van 2021 tragisch verdronk in de Ourthe tijdens de verwoestende overstromingen. Rosa was een van de 39 Belgische slachtoffers, Benjamin leerde haar kort voor de ramp kennen op een kamp voor jonge wereldverbeteraars. Toen het water haar meesleurde, sprong de toen 14-jarige Benjamin haar achterna, maar hij slaagde er niet in om haar te redden. Deze tragische gebeurtenis veranderde Benjamin's leven: hij maakte er zijn missie van om de wereld te redden, precies zoals Rosa en hij dat hadden besproken voor ze stierf.
In juli 2022 was Benjamin door de Klimaatcommissie in het Vlaams Parlement uitgenodigd maar er daagde slechts drie parlementariërs op om zijn verhaal te horen. Deze toespraak vormt het uitgangspunt van de voorstelling. Met behulp van video, muziek, en projecties, waaronder beelden van een stunt waarbij Benjamin de namen van Belgische klimaatslachtoffers projecteerde op iconische Brusselse gebouwen zoals het Berlaymont en de Wetstraat 16, geeft de voorstelling een indringende blik op zijn strijd. De muziek van Rain Requiem, gecomponeerd door Jef Neve en geschreven door David Van Reybrouck, versterkt de emotionele diepgang van het verhaal.
Regisseur Nic Balthazar schreef het stuk samen met Benjamin, wat resulteerde in een krachtige multimedia-monoloog waarin de jonge acteur Felix Maesschalck het aangrijpende verhaal van Benjamin en Rosa tot leven brengt. Felix, die eerder indruk maakte op TAZ 2023 met zijn monoloog Het Nijlpaard, is gecast als de verteller die Benjamin's missie overbrengt: de tragedie van Rosa en de wil om de wereld rechtvaardiger te maken voor toekomstige generaties.
Voorstelling met nabespreking in CC De Meent in Beersel.
Food Film Fest ‘24 - THANK YOU FOR THE RAIN + panel discussion
Food.Film.Fest, the film festival of Voedsel Anders that tells stories about the future of our food system, returns to De Cinema! On 27 November, we screen the film THANK YOU FOR THE RAIN, in collaboration with Join For Water.
The screening will be followed by a (pre-recorded) after talk with a local partner of Join For Water from Uganda, who will tell about the consequences they experience of climate change on their water system. Afterwards, a guest speaker will translate the global challenges to the Flemish context. Afterwards, Benjamin Van Bunderen Robberechts, 18 year child right & climate activist and founder of ClimatejusticeforRosa vzw, and Marlies Lanaerts, founder of Klimplant vzw, join the table to discuss the link between climate adaptation and water challenges.
(H)Eerlijk Verbeeld - “HOE DEMOCRATISCH IS HET INTERNATIONAAL KLIMAATBELEID?”
Stel je een wereld voor waarin elke stem, hoe klein ook, wordt gehoord en meehelpt om de richting van het klimaatbeleid te bepalen. Dat is precies het ideaal achter democratische burgerinitiatieven gericht op natuur en klimaat, waar 100% participatie wordt nagestreefd.
Dit lijkt in contrast te staan met de bekende klimaatconferenties van de Verenigde Naties (United Nations Climate Change Conferences). Op deze conferenties wordt de toekomstige wereldwijde klimaataanpak besproken, echter zonder burgerparticipatie en vaak met teleurstellende resultaten. De vraag is dan ook: hoe democratisch zijn deze conferenties eigenlijk en zullen zij de oplossingen bieden die we nodig hebben?
Of zijn deze conferenties democratischer dan ze lijken..? En zijn burgerinitiatieven voor natuur en klimaat een wat utopisch idee met gebrek aan doeltreffendheid?
COP29 - The 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference
The Conference of the Parties (COP), is held annually, with the Presidency rotating between the five recognised UN regions.
This year, Azerbaijan has been selected as the Presidency of the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29), to be hosted in Baku this November.
Climate Justice for Rosa will be represented by Benjamin.