As the rising generations will inevitably be the leaders of our future, raising awareness among the youth is crucial to slowing down the harmful progression of climate change. At American Canyon’s Meet Me In The Street Event, I had the opportunity to work alongside the Napa Sierra Club to educate American Canyon’s youth on the critical state of vulnerability that our wildlife has been put under due to the effects of climate change. (Photo: Kate Bit and Maia Medalle at the Napa Sierra Club booth, by Nick Cheranich)
“Meet Me In The Street” is a monthly event held from June to August for the community of American Canyon. As I’ve lived in American Canyon my entire life, I’ve acknowledged the insanely diverse range of ages and ethnic backgrounds. Therefore, I sought “Meet Me In The Street” as a valuable outlet to educate my community's youth and seek their personal insights on our current climate emergency. I developed an interactive lesson that referred to how climate change disrupts animal migration, contributes to habitat loss, and causes conflict within the food web. Following the lesson, participating children had the opportunity to answer an intermediate trivia question with the chance to win a prize.
Within a short three hours, I connected with various individuals ranging from elementary ages to adults and parents. I had begun by asking every child the same question, “Do you know what climate change, migration, or habitats are?” While a handful of children responded confidently and correctly, I was surprised to see how many had trouble matching the definition to the word(s). This exposed me to a new perspective on the faults of our education system as it’s their responsibility to teach our youth, the leaders of our future, about the immensely relevant and significant issues of our world. This reflection of our current education system led me to remember the value of the Climate Restoration Resolution that I, alongside various members of Napa Schools for Climate Action, worked towards establishing within NVUSD schools to further enhance the climate curriculum.
Our climate’s issues are currently exceedingly overlooked by national leaders, political figures, and society itself. It’s our responsibility to educate the rising generations who will, unavoidably, be our future leaders and decision-makers. Outreaching and connecting to individuals of all age ranges at “Meet Me In The Street” reminded me of my purpose within the climate advocacy movement, the community that I strive to change for the better, and the value of one’s voice, despite conventional age barriers.