We don’t want youth leaders to wait for their turn. It’s their turn now.
We’re thrilled to share the continued growth of the Youth Action Collaborative (YAC), Clean Water Fund’s youth leadership program where students learn how to be community advocates standing up for environmental and climate justice.
So, what is YAC?
YAC supports high school students, primarily from Environmental Justice communities such as Malden, Massachusetts, in building the knowledge, skills, and confidence to take action on critical environmental and public health issues at the heart of Clean Water’s campaigns including lead in drinking water, toxic chemical policy, Zero Waste, and clean air.
YAC participants don’t just learn about these issues in theory; they explore how they show up in their own communities, and most importantly, what can be done about them.
YAC-ers in action!
Over the past two years, YAC youth leaders have:
- Participated in and facilitated workshops on environmental health, climate justice, and policy.
- Testified at the city council on local drinking water concerns, including lead and PFAS contamination.
- Educated their peers and expanded awareness across their school and communities.
- Engaged in statewide advocacy efforts by joining broader coalitions advocating for legislation.
- Participated in power-mapping and policy strategy sessions to learn how decisions are made, who holds power and influence, and how to strategically engage decision-makers to create effective change in the community.
- Developed civic leadership and communication skills from public speaking at rallies to practicing persuasive writing and letters to the editor.
YAC students don’t just study problems – they design solutions.
The program concludes with their final projects, where students research a local environmental issue and build a campaign to address it. This year, they showcased their final projects at the Mystic Valley YMCA, bringing together community members, public officials, and their family members to learn what they were working on for the whole year.
Most recently, YAC members and alumni brought their voices directly to local decision-makers by testifying at Malden City Hall, calling for stronger action to protect public health and ensure access to safe, clean drinking water. Their thoughtful research, compelling testimony, and practical recommendations earned overwhelmingly positive feedback from the City Councilors, who praised the students' professionalism, preparation, and commitment to improving their community.
YAC graduates are making an impact
What began as a semester pilot at Malden High School has grown into a youth leadership pipeline. We now have an active YAC Alumni Node, a growing network of YAC graduates who remain actively engaged beyond the program. This year, YAC Alumni have spoken at rallies and lobbied their legislators at Youth Advocacy Day and the Malden Climate Summit, taken on leadership roles within the Massachusetts Youth Climate Coalition (MYCC), and mentored the current participants. One of the alumni, Kidus Tsige, who was Clean Water’s 2026 Youth Leadership awardee, was recently featured in the Malden Advocate newspaper!
YAC is not just a short-lived one-time experience, but a sustained movement of young environmental leaders building the muscle memory of lifelong civic engagement, prepared to be community leaders.
A growing movement of youth leadership
Our youngest neighbors have the most to lose, or gain, by the environmental decisions we make today. With the Youth Action Collaborative, we’re training young activists to be confident in the rooms where the decisions are made right now.
This work is only possible because of the consistent support of our community. When you invest in Clean Water Action and Clean Water Fund, you are investing in young people who are building healthier communities, advocating for equitable policies and leading with courage, clarity, and purpose. This long-term investment in future generations is critical to our values.
Thank you for standing with our youth and believing in their power to create change not just in the future, but in the present.
