By Jennifer Ong
On September 8th in San Francisco, our 8th annual David Brower Dinner will celebrate the local environmental champions who are carrying the Sierra Club’s environmental legacy into the future. This year, Mr. Joseph Senn's science class at Oakland Technical High School will be honored with the Emerging Voices Youth Award for its partnership with Sierra Club and other community organizations to address climate literacy in the Oakland Unified School District.
Sierra Club volunteer leader Jennifer Ong had the opportunity to interview Mr. Senn about his students’ work:
ONG: Mr. Senn, thank you again for helping your students understand how their voices are so very relevant to our mission to save our planet. What inspired your school to reach out to the Sierra Club to address the issue of climate change?
SENN: We believe education is at its best when it provides relevant and authentic experiences. Since climate change is the most significant issue of our times, we felt it imperative to gain content knowledge, increase community awareness, and make sustainable change. Through our efforts we hope to address the issues of environmental justice, natural resource conservation, and increased resilience in mentality and community.
ONG: As you move forward with your efforts, what are the steps so far being taken to increase literacy on climate change at Oakland Tech?
SENN: We have looked at and learned from a multitude of curricula from many sources. We have partnered with NGOs, union members, parent groups, district personnel, school board members, and community members. We have engaged in sustainability projects around school and created cross-curricular lessons with other classes.
ONG: Looking at the larger picture, what would be the ultimate goal when assessing success for this program at Oakland Tech?
SENN: The ultimate goal is that every student in Oakland Unified School District graduates climate change literate. This is so that students can improve their lives by being resilient to current and future environmental issues. We feel climate change literacy includes knowledge of climate science and social implications, engaging in civic duty, ongoing professional development for teachers, and collaborative effort with our community.
On the evening of the David Brower Dinner, students Erin Ahlich and Sekayi Bardell will be receiving the award on behalf of Oakland Technical High School.
What You Can Do
Please make every effort to honor these students' efforts and support the Sierra Club SF Bay Chapter’s one large fundraiser for the year by attending the David Brower Dinner, sponsoring or connecting us with sponsors for the event, and/or donating any amount that can help us to support the cost of a ticket for our volunteers. Learn more here.
Read more about the chapter's efforts on climate literacy here on our blog.