Youth4Climate Summer Camp - Weekly Content
SESSION I: June 29 - July 24
Becoming a Youth Climate Leader
Week 1: Find Your People and Learn Climate Basics
- Introductions and Camp Overview
- Youth Empowerment
- Understanding the problem, including: the basic science and urgency; environmental justice; the opposition; and, climate impacts
- Activity: Discover the power of connection, explore your strengths, build relationships
Week 2: Finding Your Voice
- Psychology of communicating climate
- Talking about the climate crisis so folks listen
- Environmental, health, & economic impacts
- Using effective climate metaphors
- Connecting to your joy and grief
- Activity: create art (or video, song, written word) with your unique voice and share
Week 3: Visioning a Sustainable Future
- Exploring scientific and economic solutions
- Perspective on the future & systemic change
- Creating the world we want want to see
- The quest for climate justice and developing a secular ethic on climate change
- Activity: create a Vision board
Week 4: Individual & Civic Actions
- Advocacy, storytelling, and persuasion
- Speaking with elected officials
- Find your passion: what calls you to action?
- Activity: create a humorous skit to highlight limiting beliefs that prevent action
SESSION II: July 27 - August 21
Building Your Power for Change
Week 1: Your Place in the Movement
- History of youth and justice movements in the US. How and why did they work?
- Starting or strengthening your eco-club
- Virtual action ideas and group projects
- Activity: Use online personality screening tools to explore your personality and strengths: what kind of activist are you?
Week 2: Understanding Your Power
- Organizing teammates to step up & take action
- Running great meetings
- Giving constructive feedback
- Being inclusive
- Connecting with “one-on-one” meetings
- Activity: create a PSA either as an infographic or music video to promote your project
Week 3: Stepping into Your Power
- Planning an event
- Advanced tactics & how to create a campaign
- Emotional resilience for sustained involvement
- Making it FUN and practicing joy!
- Activity: put actions into practice and discover how to make an impact during shelter in place
Week 4: Designing Your Roadmap
- Self care and a healthy club/activist culture
- What’s next? Careers, mentoring, volunteering, choosing a college major
- Activity: design a personal or club roadmap with easy, step-by-step actions for the coming year
content subject to change