Eastern Region Laudatso Si Green Festival 2026

By Laudato Youth Initiative | Press Release | 23 Feb, 2026

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:

JINJA: Ms Immaculate Kisembo

LYI Programs Manager, LSiC Club Patron

Holy Cross Lake View S.S.S

Email:laudatoyouthinitiative@gmail.com

KAMPALA: Mr. Bernard Kahwa

Director Laudato Youth Initiative

John Paul II Justice and Peace Centre, Kampala, Uganda

Email info@laudato-youthinitiative.org

Phone: +25673003823

The Laudato Youth Initiative and its Laudato Si Club of Holy Cross Lake View S.S.S invite you for their third annual Laudato Si Green Festival in Jinja. The event scheduled for July 11, 2026 will Champion Youth-Led Climate Action and Peace-building in Uganda under the theme: “Environmental Conservation for Peace and Sustainable Development,”

Jinja, Uganda – 2026 – Inspired by the call to ecological conversion and peace-building in Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’, the Laudato Youth Initiative together with its Laudato Si Club of Holy Cross Lake View S.S.S announces its third Laudato Si Green Festival, an annual youth faith-inspired event dedicated to advancing climate resilience and sustainable livelihoods that is scheduled to take place on July 11, 2026, at Holy Cross Lake View S.S.S, Wanyange Jinja.

This year’s festival will serve as a dynamic platform where youth, educators, farmers, innovators, policymakers, and community stakeholders will collaborate to design practical solutions to pressing environmental challenges in the school, communities, the region and the Country at large.

The 2026 Laudato Si Green Festival will bring together schools across Jinja region and Uganda, particularly those operating Laudato Si Clubs, to collectively address critical environmental issues affecting communities and the nation. Through interactive, hands-on engagement, the festival mobilizes young leaders to develop climate-smart, youth-driven innovations that promote environmental stewardship and sustainable development.

Participants will engage in impactful activities designed to foster ecological restoration and climate resilience, including:

Tree Planting to enhance our one million tree planting drive and Community Clean-Up Campaigns
Eco Knowledge Booth Exhibitions
Youth-Centered Conservation Stories and Innovations
Technological Eco-Solutions Showcases
Green Mass open air Mass (Care for the Creation Mass)
Sustainability Dialogues with Community and Partner Organizations

These activities provide experiential learning opportunities that bridge faith, science, innovation, and community action.

Uganda’s agricultural economy and ecological heritage face increasing threats from climate change. The Laudato Si Green Festival responds by building local capacity and empowering youth as environmental stewards and peacebuilders.

The initiative promotes:

Systematic Understanding – Equipping youth with knowledge of the root causes of ecological crises.
Community Action Projects – Encouraging scalable, practical solutions for sustainability.
Corporate Social Responsibility – Providing organizations with meaningful opportunities to support environmental conservation and peacebuilding efforts.

By linking ecological restoration with social justice and peace, the festival aligns environmental sustainability, with national development priorities and the Catholic Social Teachings on the Environment, Integral Ecology and the implementation of SDGs.

Now in its third year, the festival continues to grow in scale and influence. In 2025, the event welcomed over 1,700 in-person participants and more than 4,000 online attendees, with coverage from local and international media outlets.

As Laudato Si Clubs expand, participants return to their schools and communities equipped with practical skills, strengthened collaboration networks, and renewed commitment to environmental action. The initiative supports Uganda’s broader efforts to combat climate change while preserving its agricultural strength and eco-tourism potential.

The Laudato Si Green Festival 2026 is strengthened through partnerships with leading organizations, including:

Avail Fruits of Faith Farm – Kampala
John Paul Justice and Peace Centre – Kampala
Foresters Hse Consults – Kampala
Bethany Lands Institute – Luweero

These partners will provide in-person training in climate-smart urban farming, peacebuilding, integral ecology, environmental health and safety consultancy, and sustainable practices through interactive knowledge booths and workshops during and after the event.

Call to Action

Under the 2026 theme, “Environmental Conservation for Peace and Sustainable Development,” We invite corporate organizations, development partners, educational institutions, and community leaders to join this transformative initiative. Email info@laudato-youthinitiative.org for details.

Your partnership will directly empower youth to advance sustainability, environmental stewardship, and peacebuilding across schools and communities.

About the Laudato Si Green Festival

The Laudato Si Green Festival was first held in 2023 it gathered over 1000 youth and the community. The second was held in 2025 and it attracted over 1700 youth and now we are seeing more participants come for this annual youth-led activity rooted in faith, innovation, and community action. So far the biggest regional gathering bringing together youth with mentors to care for our common home.

My Message is to emphasize the importance of youth engagement in environmental protection. “Involving students early is key to shaping a generation that values the environment,” Ms Immaculate emphasised while talking to NBS News. “Our goal is to challenge threats like deforestation and wetland encroachment and build a national culture of conservation.”

Through formation of Laudato Si Clubs in schools, universities, parishes, dioceses and communities and sustained partnerships, media engagement, and structured follow-up programs, the festival ensures long-term environmental and social impact.

We need partners to support us in this event. For partnerships, sponsorship opportunities, or media inquiries, please email us at: laudatoyouthinitiative@gmail.com or info@laudato-youthinitiative.org

Together, we can cultivate a generation committed to ecological responsibility, peace, and sustainable development. Check the events of the previous!