On March 30, I stood in the basement of the Good Neighborhood Center, surrounded by some 125 young people — middle and high school students getting ready to kick off the Youth Climate Justice Summit with conversations, workshops, and art projects centering climate justice. A day and a space planned by and for youth. The energy in the room, anxious excitement muddled with the seriousness of the topic, mixed with a dash of hope, literally had me in tears.
I consider myself lucky to have spent my professional life in close proximity to the complex brilliance of young people. If we know each other well, you likely have heard me say out loud, “young folk will save us.” I deeply believe that. All day at the Minnesota State Capitol I watched groups of those youth speak truth to power in their meetings with legislators, telling diverse stories of how the climate crisis is impacting their lives, sharing and learning from each other. Building power.
Over the past few years I have watched the creative ways Gen Z and Millennials have entered the space of activism and direct action: a youth-led global strike for climate; parkour artists in Paris using their moves to switch off wasteful lights that stores leave on all night; young K-pop fans flooding hateful hashtags during the Floyd murder uprisings with videos of their favorite Korean pop band; the Youth v. Gov movement where youth around the world are suing their governments for actions causing and worsening the climate crisis; young attendees at COP27 participating in 20+ hours of negotiations and 10+ hours of bilateral talks and securing the recognition of youth as stakeholders in “designing and implementing climate policies” in Article 12 of the Paris Agreement.
I often imagine a world where young people are a part of designing our communities, part of crafting the solutions we need to just about every challenge we face these days. I think about how much more creative these solutions could be, how much longer they could have impact if young people felt ownership of stewarding those solutions. Their perspectives are essential. I have experienced spaces where youth feel belonging and lead — they are some of the most magical and impactful spaces I have been in.
We adults have to recognize that ageism is rampant in our society. We idolize the idea of youth, yet do everything in our power to disenfranchise them. It is time to mentor as equal partners; it is time to get out of their way.
Huey Newton said it well:
“The revolution has always been in the hands of the young.”
How do you center young people in your climate justice work –– during Earth month and every month? What amazing creative actions are youth in your community taking? Where do you find joy in working with young people? Let us be in that movement together.
Susan Phillips
Executive Director