The First Conversation — Official Event Poster

Official Poster

Edition 1 · 2021

UYT 1

The First Conversation

Climate Crisis and Development

Where it all started — a powerful conversation on climate crisis that sparked a movement.

Date & Time

19th December 2021, 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Venue

Hotel Pearl Avenue, Ring Road, Dehradun, Uttarakhand

Event Type

In-person Talk

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Edition 1 · 2021

UYT 1

The First Conversation

Climate Crisis and Development

Where it all started — a powerful conversation on climate crisis that sparked a movement.

19th December 2021, 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Hotel Pearl Avenue, Ring Road, Dehradun, Uttarakhand

In-person Talk

Explore Edition View Report

Date

19th December 2021, 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Venue

Hotel Pearl Avenue, Ring Road, Dehradun, Uttarakhand

Organiser

Free Smile Foundation

Format

In-person Talk

The Story

The First Conversation

The inaugural Uttarakhand Youth Talk was organised on 19th December 2021 at Hotel Pearl Avenue, Dehradun — bringing together students, activists, journalists, and community voices under the theme "Climate Crisis and Development." Global environmental activist Ridhima Pandey addressed the gathering in an in-depth symposium, covering topics from sustainable development and Himalayan glacier retreat to the Kedarnath floods and the Char Dham expressway project. The event was hosted by Free Smile Foundation and designed to encourage youth to protect and consider the environment their responsibility. The organisation committed to organising similar events across all districts of Uttarakhand.

Speakers & Guests

Voices at UYT 1

Speaker

Ms. Ridhima Pandey

Climate Activist

Independent / ArtCAN

Moderator

Mr. Parth Upadhyay

Legal Expert & Event Moderator

Free Smile Foundation

Welcome Address

Muskaan Kulshrest

Co-founder

Free Smile Foundation

Welcome Address

Ayush Kumar Singh

Co-founder

Free Smile Foundation

Key Highlights

What Made UYT 1 (2021) Special

Speaker: Ridhima Pandey — TEDx Speaker & BBC's 100 Most Empowering Women (2020)

Symposium on Climate Crisis and Development with interactive Q&A

Ridhima shared her petition against the Indian government for inaction on climate change

Discussion on Kedarnath flood of June 2013 and its 5,700 deaths

Topics covered: Sustainable Development, Awareness, Education, Reduce-Reuse-Recycle

Debate on Char Dham expressway project and its environmental impact

Interaction with Dr. Mukul Sharma, Hiryrdesh Sahi (Proud Pahadi Society), journalist Rithik Bhandari

Discussion on reviving Uttarakhand culture and traditional environmental methods (Nitin Joshi)

Hosted by Free Smile Foundation in association with The Global Goals

Closing address by Ms. Stuti with a call to action for environmental responsibility

By The Numbers

Impact in UYT 1 (2021)

Participants

Districts

Outcomes

What We Achieved

Launched Uttarakhand Youth Talk as a platform for youth-led environmental dialogue

Raised awareness of climate change impacts specific to Himalayan Uttarakhand

Connected youth with global climate activists and regional community leaders

Commitment made to expand similar events to other districts of Uttarakhand

Muskaan Kulshrest's opening: "The environment surrounds the person, creates the personality"

Voices of UYT 1

“The environment surrounds the person, creates the personality.”
Muskaan Kulshrest— Free Smile Foundation

“Development goals must be pursued without breaching environmental regulations — we need sustainable development.”
Ridhima Pandey— Climate Activist

Official Document

Official Edition Report

Read the full official report for this edition directly below, or download a copy to keep.