At Force of Nature, executive director Kat Hamilton is helping young people transform climate anxiety into collective agency. The youth-led organization, founded in 2019 by Clover Hogan, supports 16- to 35-year-olds who feel overwhelmed or powerless in the face of the climate crisis. Its workshops, research, and online community equip participants to understand eco anxiety, develop emotional resilience, and channel distress into meaningful local action.

Hamilton finds that young people need both belonging and agency to sustain engagement. Force of Nature emphasizes self-awareness, collaboration, and the link between emotional wellbeing and long-term activism. Hamilton also sees youth-led leadership as crucial, noting that young people bring perspectives older generations can no longer access. “We see young people as a marginalized group,” she says, “where they’re not given access to positions of power or trusted in ways that back the narrative that young people are the future.”

The organization’s strategy includes:

• Running research-backed workshops on climate emotions and systems change.
• Supporting an online community of over 1,500 young people and thousands of alumni through Climate Cafés that foster open, local dialogue.
• Paying youth contributors for their time and input to challenge extractive volunteer models.
• Practicing flat, collaborative governance where decision-making power is shared across the team.

The impact is visible in how participants describe finding clarity, confidence, and connection. The Climate Café model alone has been replicated in more than 35 countries, creating ripple effects far beyond the organization’s small staff.

Challenges remain around funding, focus, and the balance between breadth and depth. “The sweet spot that we filled is meeting young people in the overwhelm,” Hamilton says. “We realized our focus shouldn't be to try to do everything.”

Hannah Hooper, head of programs at Force of Nature, supports young people navigating the intersection of climate change and mental health. The organization works with those who feel anxious or overwhelmed by the climate crisis but want to take action. Its programs help participants understand that these emotions are a rational response to the crisis and guide them in channeling their concern into meaningful community action.

Delivered primarily online, Force of Nature’s programs reach young people around the world, connecting them across regions and helping them find belonging even when local support is lacking. The organization emphasizes agency and community-building over clinical intervention, creating spaces where young people can share openly, feel validated, and take small steps that build confidence and purpose.

Force of Nature’s work includes:

• Running Becoming a Force of Nature, a three-part flagship program that helps young people reflect on their values, strengths, and ways to take climate action, while offering facilitator training and paid opportunities for graduates.
• Hosting Climate Cafés, where youth gather locally or online to discuss their feelings about the climate crisis and explore ways to respond constructively; cafés have been held in over 50 countries.
• Partnering with climate psychologists and research institutions such as Imperial College London to deepen understanding of how to support youth mental health.
• Conducting annual focus groups to ensure language, content, and facilitation remain inclusive and relevant—especially for those in frontline communities.

Program participants often describe entering the space feeling disconnected and leaving with a stronger sense of solidarity and community. Hooper notes that small, consistent actions and peer connection can have a big impact on how young people view themselves and their capacity for change.

Challenges remain in sustaining strategic partnerships and securing funding that supports both local adaptation and global reach. Hooper hopes to see greater collaboration among nonprofits, researchers, schools, and policymakers—and more autonomy for young people to adapt programs to their own regions—so that solutions to climate distress can grow from the most affected communities.