- Ami Eckard-Lee: Climate change
is a global environmental issue,
but it's also a humanitarian crisis
that disproportionately impacts marginalized communities
all over the world.
Climate change has a greater impact
on marginalized groups of people
because of the preexisting effects of systemic racism
and historical inequalities that lead to greater exposure
to harmful pollutants and unsafe environments.
This inequitable and heavy burden
of exposure to environmental hazards
is referred to as environmental injustice.
But there is one group of people who are often overlooked
when we talk about impacts of climate change
on people: youth.
So, how are youth impacted by climate change?
[bright music]
Many people are considered marginalized
due to different forms of discrimination.
Racial and ethnic minorities, low-income communities,
people with disabilities, the elderly, youth, and more.
Youth and other marginalized groups
face political disadvantages that make it hard
for their voices to be heard.
Despite this political suppression,
they're valuable changemakers and innovators
who are stepping up to challenge societal norms
and fight for climate action.
So, how are youth empowering marginalized voices
and supporting systemic change?
And who is empowering them?
- Taylor Seale: Youth are constantly underestimated.
I run a program in partnership with the City of Madison,
Dane County, and United Way of Dane County,
and we organize a group of high school students
who have the opportunity
to tangibly fund K through 12 initiatives
that are designed by youth, for youth,
and through all of our work, we firmly believe
that youth have the power to make big change
in their communities.
They are experts in their communities.
- Ami: Bloomberg Philanthropies created an international program
called the Youth Climate Action Fund that distributes funding
to various youth-led climate projects around the world.
Madison, Wisconsin was chosen as a participating city
in both 2024 and 2025.
- Reya Khatri: By Youth for Youth is a committee
of Dane County high school students
that make investment decisions to support youth-led programs
and projects in Dane County.
BYFY members identify issues impacting youth in Dane County,
establish funding priorities, review grant proposals,
and recommend funding from county and city grants
to support projects
developed and implemented by youth for youth.
We all come from different backgrounds and locations,
but we all have a passion for youth voice
and impacting the vulnerable populations
in our community.
There were so many great applications
that we saw come through.
The individual impact that each of these projects holds
contributes to the greater community
because of the youth they involve, the different schools,
for example, it's giving those youth an opportunity
to be a part of something larger than themselves.
I feel like, for me,
when I was looking at the grants,
I really wanted to fund a program
that would not just contribute a couple months,
but could be expanded throughout a couple of years as well.
- Esther Ko: So, we also kind of looked at, like, the impact
and if it was diverse or not.
- We looked at the demographics of people as well,
and through that, we identified which ones we wanted to fund.
- Ami: The By Youth for Youth members awarded funding
to 17 youth-led environmental projects
to help students get involved in community action.
These projects ranged in focus from composting to solar
and even sustainable transportation.
The goal was to give youth the opportunity
to have their voices heard,
and to give them the support they need
to make actionable change within their communities.
One of the awarded groups
was the Freedom, Inc. Youth Squad,
who proposed creating a garden
to teach young Hmong and Black girls about food sovereignty
while providing fresh, culturally relevant produce
to their community.
- Amerius Jones: The gardening project
was really for us to learn and, like, give back.
So, it's like basically a give and take.
We take more information with learning about gardening
and how to access food naturally,
while also, like, giving back to our community,
because a lot of the times
with communities like people of color,
they're put in, like, neighborhoods
where, like, access to natural food is not easy.
So, like, a food desert where, like,
they'll have, like, a McDonald's,
a Wendy's, a Burger King, but like,
the grocery store is probably, like, 20 minutes away.
- A food desert generally refers to a community
that does not have access to healthy and affordable foods.
These communities often don't have local grocery stores
and are limited in public transportation options
that could get them to one.
This can make accessing healthy
and affordable food very difficult,
which forces members of these communities
to rely on fast-food chains
or the prepackaged, processed foods
found in convenience stores.
This lack of access to a sustainable environment
is another form of environmental injustice
that actively suppresses and contributes
to disproportionately high health-related issues
for people in these communities.
Who is your project aiming to help?
- Namaiya Nellem: Our project is aiming
to help minority groups of people
in our community, which our community is Black people,
Southeast Asian girls, women, and queer folks.
- Can you tell me what you ended up choosing to plant?
- Namaiya: So, we chose to plant collard greens,
tomatoes, lavender,
habanero, basil. - Amerius: Basil.
- Namaiya: Zucchini, strawberries.
We grew a lot of stuff that was culturally relevant
to our groups of people.
Like, we use collard greens for, like, soul food.
We use, you know, zucchini for soul food,
you know what I'm saying?
So, we use it that, like, culturally relevant to us
and our community.
- Yeah, something that means something to us.
- Why are, like, culturally relevant foods
so important for specific communities?
- Because our food basically shows how we live on.
Like, food that is passed down from generation to generation
shows how we could stay connected to the people
that came before us within our community.
It shows that once you give people who don't have it
the opportunity to learn things, it grows them as a person
and as a community.
- And it's, like, a tradition thing.
Everybody has their traditions,
and sometimes food is a part of a tradition.
- Namaiya: And that's especially for communities
that are underprivileged.
It's important that we have things that are fresh
and grown by us, for us.
- Why did you two choose to participate
in climate action?
- I care about what I consume,
what I breathe in, what I breathe out.
That's why it's very important to me.
But the best thing you can do is, like, start where you are.
So, like, starting your own garden.
Once you start at home, you can tell your friends,
and their friends tell their friends,
and so on and so forth.
- I think of it, like, it starts with me,
you know, like whatever I wanna do,
I can't make nobody else do it.
I got to start it myself.
And then, people will follow suit.
You just gotta have, like, the right mindset
and the right goal,
and your outcome will be beautiful.
- Taking action for our environment
has never been more important, and amplifying the voices
of those facing the greatest impact is a great way
to start combating environmental injustice
in our communities.
You can get involved in climate activism by joining
or starting environmental clubs at your school.
Seek out existing organizations that uplift marginalized groups
and offer your support
through volunteering and outreach.
If you wanna take things a step further,
you could find out who your representatives are
and write to them.
You could encourage them to vote for policies
that help combat environmental injustice
and uplift marginalized communities in your area.
By breaking down the barriers
that confine marginalized groups,
we can empower individuals and communities
to work towards environmental justice
and equality.
Meaningful change happens when all perspectives
have a place at the table, including youth.
So, get out there and make your voice heard.
[bright music]
- We out here working on our beautiful garden,
as you can see.
Having a little trial and error here,
but we gonna get this right for the community!