Clean Water Action and Clean Water Fund’s Youth Action Collaborative (YAC) program aims to develop environmental leaders from Environmental Justice (EJ) communities.
Clean Water leveraged its rich 50-plus-year history of organizing, advocacy, and policy to pioneer the Youth Action Collaborative (YAC) . We are partnering with a public high school in Malden, Massachusetts, an Environmental Justice (EJ) community where Clean Water has been running campaigns and programs for decades. YAC empowers high school students with the knowledge and skills to address environmental issues and advocate for their communities.
YAC launched as a pilot during the 2023-2024 school year in Malden High School, and it exceeded expectations, doubling its goal from 8 to 16 participants! The curriculum covered climate justice, PFAS, lead exposure, and zero waste, emphasizing practical advocacy skills. At the end of the first semester pilot, 77.78% of participants felt confident in using writing for advocacy, and many felt capable of positively impacting the environmental issues facing their community.
YAC featured issue expert guest speakers, skill-building workshops, and activities like podcast recording and public speaking. Highlights included the Voices of the Future podcast series and student-led campaigns on PFAS and lead in drinking water.
Central to the YAC program's strategy is its focus on building genuine and long-lasting relationships within EJ communities and enhancing awareness of both hyper-local and statewide environmental challenges. By collaborating closely with educational institutions like Malden High School, and incentivizing involvement in areas where Clean Water has ongoing campaigns, the YAC program is not just recruiting for the present but nurturing a future cadre of empowered, well-informed and engaged environmental justice-oriented stewards.
Clean Water aims to expand the YAC to expand to more EJ communities, refine its curriculum, and build an alumni chapter, fostering a new generation of leaders committed to environmental justice.
Through this program a diverse group of youth in the most impacted communities, are given the prerequisite tools, knowledge, and platform to effect real change, regardless of their prior level of engagement or awareness of environmental issues.
The Youth Action Collaborative's inclusive model is a testament to Clean Water's commitment to expanding the environmental movement's reach and impact, ensuring that the voices of young people from all backgrounds are heard and valued in the ongoing fight for a cleaner, safer, and more equitable planet.
For more information or to get involved, please contact Omesa Mokaya.