What does it take to support the next generation of young climate leaders around the world?

For the co-executive directors at the Youth Climate Justice Fund , Joshua Amponsem and Nathan Méténier, co-leadership, care and trust are at the heart of the mission. We sat down with them for a Q&A about their leadership (and coaching) journeys.

Joshua and Nathan are at the helm of a trailblazing organization. Founded in 2023, the Youth Climate Justice Fund (YCJF) connects young local leaders, Indigenous Peoples, women, and queer-led organizers with intersectional trust-based funding and capacity-strengthening resources. It has already committed over $8M across 115 initiatives in 51 countries. Nathan and Josh have been there from the start.

We got to know the pair during their coaching program with Kenny Sajous-Georges. They were, and continue to be, focused on decentralizing YCJF’s decision-making and thoughtfully expanding the staff team to support the growing needs of their grant-making programs. The fund plays a critical role in the global ecosystem, where less than 1% of big climate foundation grants go to youth-led initiatives.

The strong roots and rhythms of their partnership—and the metaphors they developed with Kenny to guide it— tell a story about the collaborative spirit at the heart of YCJF’s growing global impact. In our coaching program, a metaphor isn't just a figure of speech—it’s a living vision of who you want to be, designed to anchor your learning and help you embody the life and leadership you imagined.

Meet Joshua: The Compassionate Gardener

Joshua is a Ghanaian climate activist with nearly a decade of experience in climate action and resilience. He founded the Green Africa Youth Organization and previously served as Climate Lead at the Office of the UN Secretary General’s Envoy on Youth. Today he’s focused on supporting grassroots work, and shifting philanthropy toward local and youth-led initiatives.

At YCJF, Joshua aligns vision in practice, strengthening grantee support and advancing the field of youth led climate leadership worldwide. The questions on his mind are: What are we learning? What resources do we need to bring in? What stories or relationships will do that? What impact are we making?

His coaching metaphor was the “Compassionate Gardener”, knowing when to step in and nurture the YCJF garden and when to step back. As a powerhouse changemaker, Joshua is journeying from solo innovator to building collective power.

Meet Nathan: The Orchestra Conductor

Nathan is a passionate climate activist, LGBTQI2S+ advocate, and a connector that bridges people, movements, and funders. A former member of the UN Secretary-General’s Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change and a founder of Generation Climate Europe, he was also a nominee for “Young European of the Year” in 2020.

Nathan’s days at YCJF never look the same. He could hop from a people and culture conversation to a donor meeting on Monday, then deep dive into movement-building or a finance decision on Tuesday. “It requires a lot of grounding,” he says.

His coaching metaphor was becoming an “Orchestra Conductor”. Balancing fast-moving work at YCJF, along with multiple board roles and his development as a certified coach with Integral Coaching®, Nathan is on a journey toward leading holistically, bringing harmony to disparate parts of the whole.

The interview

SPRING: You describe your co-ED partnership like an arranged marriage. We have to know more!

JOSHUA: We’ve often said that we didn't choose each other. The community proposed that we would be a good fit. If anything, it's proof that, you know, community matchmaking does work in some contexts—and you work it out, right? Naturally, there are moments where it gets busy and some things fall in the cracks. We have to find moments to resolve that, but at the core of our relationship is a deep commitment to one another and the communities we support.

And it’s unique because it's pretty difficult for one person to hold all of this and hold it excellently, right? Traditionally, you would have an ED or CEO, then you’d have a managing director, [someone] who is the face of the organization and another person running the show. But, when you look at us—and I hope that Nathan agrees with this—we understand that we have different skillsets and expertise that we bring to the table. Now, [things are] relatively easier for each of us to hold and feel a bit…you know, lighter.

And we very much enjoy it! We talk about it a lot publicly. As a model, we think co-leadership is very important, not just for youth movements, but for organizations working on shifting power in systems. It’s part of the way to really embody that.

[Laughs] That was a long response. Nathan, over to you.

NATHAN: I mean this was gorgeous! And I love the analogy. I use it often.

For me, there's a couple of things that are really key.

One is a really deep, relational partnership. It’s a lot of strategic decision-making but it’s also about vibes and emotions. We always come back to each other to ask: Do we have the same opinion on that? Do we feel the same way about that person or initiative? And it’s really beautiful, because it allows me to be better at getting in touch with what I actually think, because I have someone with whom I have a deep sense of safety—safety to test ideas, safety to disagree, safety to have tensions around ideas. Our relationship has so many layers that these will never break through to the core. And that has been so powerful.

And the last thing is not feeling lonely. I think any person in a role like this can feel lonely very quickly [when going] through the challenges, and I've never felt lonely with Joshua. I've always felt like we got each other's back.

SPRING: So, how did coaching fit into your co-leadership journey? What did you work on?

JOSHUA: Coaching is something you need to be ready for. It has to be at the right time, where you can really put attention and intentionality to it. The first part [for us] was doing individual coaching to get support on things that we’re struggling with. And now we’re taking the journey together, with both of us in the same session [with Kenny]. We also offered it to the team, telling them: “Look, if it feels right, go for it. If it doesn't feel right now, you can also pick it up whenever you want to.”

NATHAN: One of the things that I really love about coaching, at least the kind of coaching that Spring offers, is that it bridges the work, the personal life, [and] the community. It’s not just fixing one issue but something more holistic that can help unlock awareness [about] elements that are having multiple effects on your life.

I think there's a beautiful bridge between Josh and I because both of us are very action-oriented. It's wonderful to be action-driven, so you get things done fast and create momentum, but it does lead to other things, like folks around you feeling confusion or being burned out if things go too fast.

My metaphor was the Orchestra Conductor because it [represented] this ability to be more stern, and to be able to be much more intentional in my moves, right? What [could I do] that will have a bigger impact instead of just doing everything all at once and getting exhausted or feeling like my decisions weren't the best because they had been taken too fast? Coaching helped me to have that mirror, to take awareness of that trend.

JOSHUA: I was trying to be a Compassionate Gardener, not becoming some sort of a lone warrior. I think the practicality of it was getting more comfortable in building systems that allow people to be able to do their work and not absorb a lot of the responsibility for it all on myself. I wanted to be comfortable saying “no” so that I can create more time to brainstorm new ideas and ways of doing things for myself, and not constantly be reactive to what is demanded of me. So, it was quite a journey with Kenny and [we practiced] different exercises to get to a point where I felt comfortable around that. 

SPRING: Those are both such meaningful metaphors because they're specifically roles where you must be very attuned to yourself and responsive to your whole ecosystem to lead well. Do you feel like you moved closer to your leadership goals?

JOSHUA: I came away with a lot of clarity about the work that we do, about the role that I play in that work, and the role that I play in the ecosystem. I also learned what “well-being” means for myself, and how that translated into the work I do. Powerful. That's the word to use, for me.

NATHAN: For me, it's really about being responsible versus feeling responsible. In my role and life—and as the organization has grown—more and more responsibilities have piled up. But I’m also a son, a partner, a brother, and a friend. I felt the weight on my back [to do it all well] and I was getting more tired. Once I was able to focus on the responsibility and grounding myself, or giving myself grace, that really helped me.

SPRING: That’s wonderful to hear. We’re also curious about the other person in this coaching relationship: Kenny! Can you share a bit about how you worked together?

NATHAN: We’ve been able to be the three of us more and we’ve really enjoyed that because Kenny has been the centre point. Kenny has the ability to create space, make us really grounded and hold us accountable to the things we talk about or observe in the way we act—which is what we need on our personal journey, right?

JOSHUA: That was beautifully said. In my memory, I think you had a call with Kenny first and were like, “I think you’re gonna vibe with Kenny. You should have a call and let me know.” And then we had an exploratory call, and it felt really great so we went ahead. It’s been a great journey since then. One of the things I enjoyed was the flexibility in exploring things, and not always having to set a destination in a call. I always felt like there was room to change the thing that we were supposed to talk about, and be like, “You know, this [other thing] is more present for me now.”

NATHAN: I also felt that how Kenny created space for both of us to be with each other outside of just the co-ED role, outside of two colleagues, was important so we could just hear what was happening in our own lives. With the current operational context being increasingly difficult and the executive orders threatening environmental and social justice movements, it's been a really challenging year. And I think having that space has been a highlight.

SPRING: You both bring so much intentionality to your leadership. What’s next on the horizon for each of you?

NATHAN: Two things. One is acceptance. Acceptance of the beautiful, the good, the joy, but also the imperfect, the messy and the uncomfortable, because if you don't accept, you might feel responsible for something that you have no control over. And the second thing is to double down on relationships and care. At YCJF, we often say let’s do quality over quantity, and sometimes we don't do things which would be perfect for us to do because we know we can't deliver them with quality and intention. In this moment [in time], what you can rely on is deep community and solidarity across leaders, partners, and people in the movements making our world just a bit fairer and safer.

JOSHUA: On my side, I’m thinking about the level of relationship that is required to be able to detach when it is time to step away. The other thing I’m thinking about is where do relationships need to go deep, as opposed to adding more relationships? So, thinking about our community: Who are the people we are in a deep journey with? Who are the ones with whom a deeper connection is required and how do we foster that? As YCJF grows, Nathan and I carry the responsibility to consider how we sustain the work, absorb growth and new responsibilities, and intentionally evolve our culture—not to preserve it unchanged, but to adapt it thoughtfully to meet the moment, support our partners, and scale the relationships that matter most, without losing the trust, care, and compassion we bring to this work.

NATHAN: YCJF is still a really young organization. As we've been growing, we've been bringing new people into the community. As Josh said, what kind of relationships should we create? We’re in an ecosystem, right? It's not just donors out there. Movements are on the other side. It's not about philanthropy on one side and youth movements on the other but the constant practice of building bridges. It's a galaxy of relationships and connections that you continuously try to nurture.

SPRING: Thank you both so much for sharing your story and experiences with us! It was a treat to be able to hear about the care that you hold for each other, your communities and the mission you’re stewarding at YCFJ.

NATHAN: I loved it! I think it was the first time we could chat about our directorship, and also our development journey. I appreciate you so much.

JOSHUA: Thank you for holding space for us.

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For sake of clarity, responses from this conversation with Joshua and Nathan have been edited and condensed by Jesse Firempong, who—along with Kenny Sajous-Georges—was also part of this conversation.