Our Youth 4 The Climate Interview with FGA

It's been a while since we caught up with you all! What has OY4C been up to?

Our Youth For the Climate has had a very busy year! We have been working on our biggest project, the first climate education curriculum created by young people for young people. The OY4CCurriculum features 12 intersectional topics and teaches young people how to turn their knowledge about the climate crisis into action. Last fall, we ran a virtual cohort of 25 global students who participated in the curriculum. We officially launched the OY4CCurriculum this February and are now primarily focused on getting it into global schools by this fall.

What positive actions have you seen to protect the environment and fight climate change?

We have seen a diverse array of positive actions that protect the planet. From hands-on work, like trash pick ups and composting, to advocacy work like lobbying and promoting education, we find that there are lots of different ways people can take action. 

What inspired OY4C's start?

Our Youth for the Climate was founded in 2021 during the middle of the pandemic by our founder Ava Langridge. Growing up on the East Coast and later moving to San Francisco, Langrdige said she spent much of her childhood surrounded by nature. However, a youtube video she watched at age 12 sparked her interest in zero-waste living. She became the Zero Waste Teen and eventually shifted her focus to environmental activism and climate education. She started OY4C by spreading climate education on virtual classes and social media.

How does OY4C specifically address the climate crisis, and what unique perspectives do you think young people bring to this issue?

OY4C addresses the climate crisis with climate education. According to UNESCO, 53% of national school curricula do not mention climate change at all. We believe that this statistic needs to change as the climate crisis worsens. The OY4CCurriculum addresses the climate crisis by educating young people about 12 intersectional climate topics, including topics that address the social dimensions of climate change like climate justice and eco-anxiety. We believe young people bring a unique perspective to climate change because the climate crisis will inevitably affect our futures the most. 

How do you balance the demands of running a nonprofit with your responsibilities as a high school/college student?

As a Director at OY4C, finding a balance between academic work, activism, and my social life is difficult. One thing that helps is blocking out time for each part of my life. For example, each week I try to list all of my tasks out and decide when to do them. Dedicating chunks of time for activism instead of doing random tasks throughout the day also helps me appreciate the work I’m doing and allows more time for reflection. 

What is your biggest challenge in mobilizing others toward climate action within your school and community, and how have you addressed it?

One of our biggest challenges in mobilizing others is working as a virtual organization. While it is essential that we work a global team, we do not have the advantage of having larger in-person outreach events. One way we have addressed this is focusing on growing our social media platforms to reach a wide audience of young people. We also encouraging all of our members to reach out to their personal networks and increase our professional networks via collaborations.

How has Feel Good Action worked to help further OY4C's mission?

Feel Good Action’s works toward an extremely important part of OY4C’s mission: mobilizing young people to vote. Many people may not see the intersection between voting and the climate movement, but FGA does. Legislators have the power to take collective action by creating systemic change—something the climate movement desperately needs. Climate change cannot be solved by one individual. It needs to be addressed at state and federal levels, and lawmakers need to know that this generation of young people want climate issues to be prioritized in their political agenda.

What advice would you give to other young people looking to make a difference in the fight against climate change?

I would say we need young people now more than ever to join the climate advocacy movement. I would also encourage people to pick a few topics or find a type of activism that aligns with their skills and passions. Think about the ways climate change was changed your life and start there; working towards a specific issue you are passionate about or have a connection to (such as climate justice or sustainable agriculture) makes it easier to share your story and your why. Being a student activist is difficult, but also an extremely rewarding experience. It allows you to apply what you learn in the classroom to real world problems and have an outlet for the anxiety and frustration that builds up overtime. 

How can individuals support OY4C and the broader cause of climate action?

The best thing individuals can do to support OY4C is to integrate the OY4CCurriculum or share it with your personal and professional networks. Our curriculum is free and can be integrated into schools in multiple ways, and teaches young people how to turn their eco-anxiety into action. As a grassroots organization, outreach by word of mouth is extremely valuable to us, so any help we can get in sharing our curriculum is greatly appreciated.

In the broader cause of climate action, individuals can educate themselves, amplify the voices of those most burdened by the climate crisis, and fund youth climate initiatives. We also encourage people to take the OY4C Pledge to commit to fighting for systemic and intersectional change. Following OY4C on our social media platforms also helps us grow as a team of student volunteers–we promote a wide range of climate initiatives, sustainable lifestyle tips and global climate news.

Finally, what message do you want to share for Earth Month, especially to those who might feel overwhelmed by the scale of the climate crisis?

To all of those feeling overwhelmed during Earth Month, we understand how you feel. The climate crisis is an incredibly complex problem and it often feels like not enough work is being done to fix it. One small thing you can do is spend time in nature to recenter yourself. Today, so much activism and how we receive news is via screens, we often forget what it is like to experience nature. We  also encourage you to find a climate movement (like OY4C!) so you join a community of like-minded individuals and can work together to make positive change. We also have eco-anxiety resources on our website.