The following blog was written by CJRF partner Youth Climate Lab as a part of our Small Grants Fund.
In March 2022, Climate Justice Resilience Fund (CJRF) provided a small grants fund for Youth Climate Lab to attend the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival. The festival presented an ideal opportunity for Youth Climate Lab (YCL) to explore the concept of “Everyone VS Climate Change”. This campaign title, used for our time at SXSW 2022, represented reaching outside our existing community to engage with new-to-climate audiences and those yet to be engaged in the climate discussion. What does it really mean, we wondered, to spark climate action outside of our typical audiences, and how can we bring everyone into the re-imagination of climate just futures?
“How are You(th) Showing up for Climate Action?” panel. Left to right: Dominique Souris, Joshua Amponsem, Larissa Crawford, Naia Lee projected on screen
For our panel, “How Are You(th) Showing Up For Climate Action?”, former YCL Executive Director Dominique Souris sat down with Larissa Crawford of Future Ancestors Services, Joshua Amponsem of Green Africa Youth Organization (GAYO) and Naia Lee of Climate Strike Canada & Sustainabiliteens. What followed was an engaging discussion touching on how each speaker contributes to driving sustainable change – and how audiences can show up for climate action too. We found that by speaking candidly and breaking down sometimes intimidating topics in plain language, we can demystify and inspire climate action in those new to or unfamiliar with the space.
“There are so many brilliant young people every day who want [the opportunity to speak] and they won’t get it because it’s being held by those who might not have the knowledge to even be in that room.” Joshua Amponsem, founder of Green Africa Youth Organization (GAYO)
“For me, climate action is really the tool that we use within climate justice. Yes, we need climate action, but we need to do it in a holistic historical context.” Larissa Crawford, founder and Managing Director of Future Ancestors Services
“I think most young people, and most of us probably in this room or the virtual room, know how serious this crisis is, But seriousness should only strengthen our resolve, and we've done huge and hard things before in history, we do them every day in our lives.” Naia Lee of Climate Strike Canada & Sustainabiliteens
Joshua Amponsem connects with Zahra Biabni, also known as @soulful_seeds
The funding that brought us to Austin enabled us to ask how else we could engage in climate action while at SXSW, leading to the hosting of an Everyone VS Climate Change party following our panel. This created an informal space for connecting with others interested in climate and discussing the themes of the panel. This party emphasizes that climate action is a community effort while providing a new community for those new to the climate space!
Guests mingle over climate discussions, drinks, and tacos
Youth Climate Lab’s Executive Director, Jasveen Brar, and CJRF’s Heather McGray
‘Stories in Action’ wall that showcased youth and climate guests in attendance that are working in this space.
Artist features highlighting the creativity of youth artists involved in YCL’s Moving the Needle Virtual Gallery, bridging art with climate action.
Since SXSW, YCL staff and associates have stayed connected with fellow organizers of the party and attendees. Most notable are the panelists and climate influencers specifically Isaias (@queerbrownvegan) and Zahra of Soulful Seeds. Conversations with Zahra and Isaias have been based on some future potential collaboration and mutual allyship in the climate space.
To learn more about YCL, visit their website. To learn more about CJRF’s Small Grants Fund, check out the page under Learning and Insights.