Discovering a Youth Led Climate Campaign

By Demi Karadimas

I attended the conference, “Reaching the Turning Point,” on Wednesday, October 21. I tuned into the conference at 2:30 pm and stayed on for about two hours. I ended up hearing some information about the youth that are working to fight and try to help regarding climate change. I also attended the section where alumni from Ramapo College of New Jersey spoke about how they are helping climate change in their everyday lives, and some in their jobs. This portion of the conference seemed almost like the most important part to me because it exhibited how today's youth as well as the adults are working together to put back together our precious world. Instead of focusing on both the youth and adults of today’s society, I will be zoning in on the youth activists and how they are one by one making a difference in today’s world.

One of the youth who presented is named Rachel Lee. I thought she was truly an outstanding young woman. She spoke about how she is a part of an organization called “This is Zero Hour”. What I find most impressive is that this organization is a youth led group. “This is Zero Hour” is made up of youth who are young activists and want to use their voice to speak up against climate change. This organization's main focus is to fight for climate and environmental justice. Prior to this conference, I really did not know what climate justice was. Rachel Lee said that climate justice is looking at climate change not just as an environmental issue, but as interwoven with social issues. I find it so inspiring that young adults and children who are still in the minor community are going out of their way to seek climate and environmental justice. I learned something new from a youth climate change activist and that is incredible.

I was very interested in the organization called “This is Zero Hour”, so I decided to go to their website. From their website, I was able to locate the things they have done in the past and the things they are working on today. First off, the organization launched a campaign with another committee called the ”National Children's Campaign”. The whole purpose of the campaign that they collaborated on is to educate people about the Green New Deal. I think that this is very important because it is a plan that can potentially start to save the Earth. In addition, the “This is Zero Hour” organization launched a different campaign that aims to educate people on climate change in general. A few things that this organization had completed in the past is The Youth Climate Summit, The Youth Climate Art Festival, and The Youth Climate March.

All of these events that are held by “This is Zero Hour” are crucial to teach others about climate change and have the youth be able to stand up and use their own voices. I believe that these days, no one values the youth opinion because they are not legal (for drinking and voting) yet and don’t know what it is like to live in the real world. The youth’s opinion should be valued because in reality, they will be the ones to take over the economy and government one day. It is important to teach the younger generation how to fight for what they believe in