“P-O-W-E-R We’ve Got the Power, Because We Are with YEA! MN!”
(Climate Generation) Youth in the climate movement made waves across the globe this school year, and Minnesota youth working with Climate Generation played a big part. Our approach is to organize for power, recognizing the importance of putting relationships at the center, and in doing so, we made great strides and learned a lot along the way too.
STARTING WITH COMMUNITY
Youth with our Youth Environmental Activists of Minnesota (YEA! MN) program started new environmental clubs at several schools, with support from Climate Generation and alumni of our youth and teacher programs. Meanwhile, teens from the Fond du Lac Reservation, Forest Lake, and Red Wing built trust and confidence together with our Youth Convening MN project, hosting events convening their local communities to learn about climate solutions they can participate in right now.
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With support from the Power Shift Network, youth joined the movement to stop Line 3 and called for a ban on any new fossil fuel infrastructure. Leaders with YEA! MN brought their outreach and training experience to build new leaders in the movement. MN Can’t Wait began meeting with state Representative Frank Hornstein to draft a bold policy calling for zero carbon emissions statewide by 2030.
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Climate Generation youth leaders and staff directly spoke with thousands of teens across Minnesota, with over 300 youth showing up to events led by Climate Generation and over 600 youth to signing up to stay involved.
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SEEING OPPRESSION, REPAIRING HARM
But along the way we made mistakes. As the MN Can’t Wait movement grew rapidly, we had conflict, and we all didn’t know each other enough to have strong trust. We set a fast pace. MN Can’t Wait did not feel welcoming to many students who joined, particularly youth of color and low-income youth. They persisted, but were often the only youth of color to speak on a panel. Or, one of a handful of youth of color showed up to an event with a hundred white youth, and it felt isolating. We are steeped in oppression as a society, often without deep work to shift the culture of oppressive practices.
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In April, MN Can’t Wait made the difficult decision to halt public-facing work in order to focus on these dynamics. YEA! MN hosted a training on environmental justice and white supremacy culture. MN Can’t Wait held several retreats to deepen community and discuss the conflicts that emerged. This summer, many of us are joining an online training for white allies, and we are working with partners to convene community building space for youth of color in the movement. We are hosting a summer book club reading Emergent Strategy by Adrienne Maree Brown, which offers a perspective outside white supremacy culture for building effective social movements.
LOOKING AHEAD
There is a lot to be excited about. YEA! MN will be expanding our leadership team to support deeper involvement from Greater MN youth. We are growing smarter, stronger, and closer in our relationships as we build the movement we all need. Youth and adults will be going on strike and taking action Sept 20-27. We hope you’ll join us. READ MORE
“They looked at me they said, ‘2045? Are you kidding? We have to do that by 2030. That’s what the science is telling us!’” Rep. Frank Hornstein, quoted in the Southwest Journal / Read Full Article
A youth-led climate movement (Soutwest Journal)
Fossil fuel free by 2030? A group of Minnesota teens demands a Green New Deal (City Pages)
