Youth in action: Earth Day

Photo courtesy of California Academy of Sciences.

This blog is part of the Afterschool Alliance's new “Collective for Youth Empowerment in STEM & Society” (CYESS) initiative. This series of blogs highlights examples of programs working at the intersection of STEM and civic engagement. We are excited to showcase the systemic change young people can make in their communities when their afterschool programs support them to layer action onto their STEM learning. If you would like to know more or submit a blog about your youth action program, please contact us.

Youth engagement, action, and activism around climate change inspires me and led to the idea of our CYESS initiative. When young people understand societal issues and challenges and what is at stake for them (and us) both in the now and in the future, many want to take action. Afterschool and other out-of-school-time programs are a great setting for young people to strengthen their learning and appreciation for STEM by applying their knowledge and skills to real-world problems that often have STEM-based solutions. Our field’s foundational philosophy of youth development and emphasizing youth voice and agency allow us to support young people to layer deep engagement and action onto their STEM learning, which is becoming widespread in afterschool programs.

In honor of Earth Day and the young people actively engaging with environmental degradation and climate change, this blog highlights a few programs that are working to support and empower young people. We will be featuring other programs regularly, so get in touch if you would like to send us a blog about your out-of-school-time environmental action program!

1. The Climate Initiative

Contact: Nyla McFadden, Assistant Director of Programs and Education Lead

The Climate Initiative’s (TCI) mission is to educate, empower, and activate young people to combat one of the greatest threats to our planet. As such, TCI provides young climate champions with education and engagement tools to steward our planet and catalyze the transition to climate-resilient communities. Our programming includes:

• Learning Labs - interactive learning tools for formal and non-formal educators looking for climate-related instructional support, as well as a youth looking to learn more about climate issues 
• Climate Action Toolkits (CATs) - youth-focused engagement tools to motivate action projects in local communities
• Policy Toolkits - state-specific guides that empower and activate youth voices in the climate policy legislative process on a state and national level.

Through community-based education and empowerment initiatives, youth learn about local climate problems and possible solutions, giving them hope and the inspiration to become change agents in their communities and beyond. Impassioned high school and college educators started TCI in an area impacted by climate change. We know what it takes to educate, empower, and activate students. We provide a number of educator-specific programming, educator retreats, community events, and community conversations, which are designed to support educators and adult allies on their climate education journey!

2. Youth Climate Program, The Wild Center

Contact: Elodie Linck, The Jeanne Hutchins Youth Climate Coordinator 

The Youth Climate Program brings young people together to act on climate change through conference-style “Youth Climate Summits” (YCS). Summits focus on the science, impacts, justice, and solutions to climate issues, and help youth gain the knowledge and skills they need to become confident changemakers. Summits cultivate hope, optimism, and agency in youth participants and provide the tools and support for them to create Climate Action Plans for their schools and communities. Youth work on organization, public speaking, project management, collaboration, and coping strategies for climate anxiety and grief. Thanks to our YCS Toolkit, Summits have been replicated more than 160 times around the world and are recognized as a pathway for youth engagement on climate change.

3. Careers in Science, California Academy of Sciences

Contact: Laura Lerman, Director of Expanded Learning and Youth Engagement

Careers in Science (CiS) is a STEM learning and workforce development program for San Francisco high school students who come from communities historically excluded from science fields. It is led by the California Academy of Sciences, a renowned scientific and educational institution with a mission to regenerate the natural world through science, learning, and collaboration. Based in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, the Academy is home to a world-class aquarium, planetarium, and natural history museum, as well as innovative programs in scientific research and environmental education—all under one living roof.

In a paid position that lasts two to three years, CiS interns learn, teach, and do science in partnership with scientific researchers and local community leaders. By working in the lab and in the field, teaching visitors on the museum’s public floor, and engaging in community conservation efforts, interns develop the confidence and skills needed to think critically, tackle complex problems, succeed in the workforce, and serve as informed decision-makers in society.  

This year, a group of interns is working with local ecologists and entomologists to engage the public in DNA barcoding—a process of documenting insect species so that scientists can better understand where they live and how they are responding to environmental changes. Interns were trained to collect and process specimens, including extracting, amplifying, and sequencing their DNA, and then shared what they learned with the community by organizing and leading public collection events.  Another group of interns is monitoring California's coastline by observing and documenting populations of the pacific mole crab (Emerita analoga), a keystone species. The data they collect are helping to inform the City of San Francisco’s plans for a large-scale beach nourishment project as part of a critical climate infrastructure program. 

Back in the museum building, a group of interns are working with library archivists to identify and amplify the untold stories of Academy researchers who were marginalized because of their identities and did not receive credit for their scientific contributions. Examples of these stories can now be found on the Academy's website.

Building on the success of Careers in Science, the Academy is preparing to launch Youth Action for the Planet, an environmental action and leadership program that will empower teens around the world to tackle the planet’s most pressing issues. Working with scientists and local leaders in their own communities, participating youth will cultivate environmental leadership skills by engaging in science and nature exploration and designing and implementing conservation, education, and advocacy initiatives of their choosing.