Buffalo Youth Traveled to D.C. to Participate in Empowering Workshops and March for Climate Justice

Recap: MAP Youth Attend D.C. Climate March

Author: Mariama McCoy, MAP Youth  |  Re-posted from GrowWNY.org

June 12, 2017

Climate JUSTICE and YOUTH

Youth from Buffalo's Massachusetts Avenue Project (MAP) had the chance to go to D.C. for the People’s Climate March to represent agriculture and youth for they affect and are also affected by climate change.  Although the trip began with an overnight bus ride with very uncomfortable seating and walking very far with suitcases, the youth were lucky to have found free accommodations at a local church.  There they played Uno and Jenga while waiting to for the Youth Contingent to start.  They attended the People’s Climate March Youth Contingent workshops to talk about topics that connect some youth to climate change issues at Standing Rock, including a chief’s son.

At the Youth Contingent, they participated in a skit that showed the power of action, starting with disempowerment and then putting in place changes that could empower youth. They learned that to fix our country’s economy we have to address underlying issues such as racism.  They learned chants and songs for the day of the march, and obtained some free posters to march with.  They heard speeches from several different organizations and leading people in climate social justice movement.  After the workshops there was a dance party where the youth met teens from other organizations such as the Alliance for Climate Education (ACE) fellowship in New York City, as well as the Young People’s Action Coalition.


The next day, the youth took public transportation and caught a ride on golf carts to meet the Sierra Club Niagara Group bus from Buffalo.  Before the march even started, they saw a girl faint from heatstroke.  During the march, people were selling water for $5 a bottle, but luckily the youth had already gotten water for only $1 a bottle.  The march was a far walk in the heat, but the youth had the chance to yell chants into a bullhorn, things such as “water is life” alongside Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, Youth Director of Earth Guardians.

Finally, they marched past Trump’s hotel and saw some awesome art work, including a life-size piece “Putin’s Puppet”.  Together with thousands of people, they sat down in the street and all patted their hearts to make a heartbeat for 100 seconds for the first 100 days of Trump being in office.  Their trip ended with a trolley ride to get lunch before boarding the Sierra Club buses and return to Buffalo.

BUFFALO YOUTH FORUM ON CLIMATE JUSTICE

A YOUTH FORUM ON CLIMATE JUSTICE will take place on Tuesday, April 12th, at 271 Grant Street, from 4 PM to 7:30 PM. The event will be co-hosted by the Crossroads Collective and the Western New York Environmental Alliance. 

Dinner will be provided by BPS Child Nutrition Services.  To help us plan the dinner, please let us know how many people (youth and adults) will come by Thursday, April 7th.  Contact Rebekah Williams by email at Rebekah@mass-ave.org or by phone at (716) 882-5327 x6.

The event will be interactive, incorporate the arts and performance, and engage the youth participants in dialogue on what they think about climate change and how climate change has impacted their lives, either here in the states or perhaps in other countries (considering youth who are new Americans).

Some of the organizations coordinating the forum are Grassroots Gardens, Massachusetts Avenue Project, 4-H / Cornell Cooperative Extension, Ujima Theatre, the WASH Project, the Jane Goodall Foundation, HEAL International, and Buffalo Farm to School.

The purpose of the event is to connect with youth who are interested in advocating for climate justice in Buffalo, and help guide us in our next plan of action.

The forum will provide an important opportunity for organizations working on climate justice issues to learn what youth are thinking, and help us determine necessary education, behavioral, and attitudinal change regarding climate change work.  It’s too often that adult-led organizations presume what youth are thinking or their experiences, rather than ask youth directly.  This is our opportunity to do something different.

We hope that you will get involved by bringing your youth out on April 12th! 
Contact Rebekah@mass-ave.org or call (716) 882-5327 x6 with questions.

WORKSHOPS added to WNYEA Environmental Congress Event on Dec. 8

We've added afternoon WORKSHOPS to the program of the WNYEA's 9th Environmental Congress on on Tuesday, December 8. Join us!

We will be taking a deeper dive into some of the topics that the membership has put forward. Alliance members will be leading four simultaneous working group sessions in the Buffalo Museum of Science classrooms from 4:00 - 5:30pm.


Email antonina@timbreconsultants.com if you plan to attend, and include the title of the workshop you would like to join.

WORKSHOPS:

NY Renews: Building a strong and just coalition for a winning legislative campaign
In December, a broad coalition of labor, environmentalist and social/economic justice advocates are releasing a climate justice and jobs campaign – NY Renews. The aim of this campaign is to win progressive policy reform in the 2016 NYS legislative session and beyond. The platform calls for (1) mandatory and legally enforceable greenhouse gas emission reduction and renewable energy procurement; (2) a reinvestment fund for low income and vulnerable communities to support energy democracy; and (3) mandatory job standards on publicly supported projects and funds for just transitions for workers and communities displaced by the energy transition. The workshop will discuss the underlying values of the campaign, the Jemez Principles,the three platforms and their relevance to WNY, and to seek appropriate ways of engagement for the Buffalo Niagara region.
- Facilitated by: Meghan Maloney de Zaldivar, Energy Democracy Organizer, PUSH Buffalo

Engaging Youth in Climate Justice Action
This workshop will be a working session to bring together climate justice partners and potential partners working with youth, to get to know one another and learn how our groups engage K-12 youth in climate justice efforts. We hope to learn from each other about various participatory climate justice education activities, and determine if there’s interest in continuing to work together to involve more youth in climate justice work in a meaningful way.
- Facilitated by: Derek Nichols, Program Manager, Grassroots Gardens of Buffalo, and Rebekah A. Williams, Youth Education Director, Massachusetts Avenue Project

Environmental Justice and the Campaign for Green Jobs
A workshop on the who, what, where and how of energy based economic development in Buffalo. Using the Home Energy Conservation Kit (HECK) project case study as the basis for conversation, project leaders will present and facilitate a discussion about initiatives, impacts, partnerships and the role of worker owned cooperatives in the just transition to a clean and inclusive economy.
- Facilitated by: Johnnie Fenderson, Workforce Development Coordinator, PUSH Buffalo, and Art Wheaton, Director of Western NY Labor and Environmental Programs, The Worker Institute at Cornell

Our Buffalo, Our Outer Harbor "seeking pathways to a sustainable future.”
The Western New York Environmental Alliance has been fully engaged in discussions about appropriate steps to take regarding the development of the Outer Harbor. We argue against "sprawl" and for "smart growth". We advocate for appropriate development around the Times Beach Nature Preserve and Tifft Nature Preserve. We push for financial accountability from the State of New York and the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation. We advocate for the protection of critical natural resources such as Lake Erie and the Niagara River strait. We have stood behind our members that are working to make sure that decisions about our common and publicly owned waterfront are made by an informed community. We believe in the Public Trust.
- Facilitated by: Jay Burney, co-founder of GreenWatch, the Learning Sustainability Campaign, and chair of the Friends of Times Beach Nature Preserve.

Youth for a Just & Sustainable World - Be the Change!

Generation Waking Up is a global campaign to ignite a generation of young people to bring forth a Thriving, Just, Sustainable World. 

The Video below is part of the 'Generation Waking Up Experience', a multimedia educational workshop that inspires young people to transform their lives and communities. The video is awesome! Check it out:

Below are a couple of upcoming campaigns that young people can get involved in to help make change happen:

PowerShift NY: Shift from dirty Fossil Fuels to clean, Renewable Energy.
Power Shift NY will be held in Albany on April 27-29.
Don't miss the amazing speakers like Bill McKibben (environmental author and activist, 350.org founder), Josh Fox (Gasland filmmaker and activist), Sandra Steingraber (biologist, author, and environmental & children's health advocate), and others. Check out the Conference and Register here. Spread the word!

350.org - Connect the Dots:
350.org is launching a Global Day of Action to connect the dots between fossil fuel extraction, climate change, and the extreme weather that has reshaped so much of the American landscape this year. Take action on May 5, 2012! 
Rally, educate, document and volunteer along with thousands of people around the world to support the communities on the front lines of the climate crisis. To learn about events in your area, or to start your own event, Click Here. Invite your friends!