YEA! MN ended the school year with an adventure in Rice Lake State Park to celebrate our year’s work. Students reflected on the year’s highlights, helping shape an even stronger program for next year. Here are some photo highlights: We paddled to our canoe-in campsite, singing sea shanties by great sailors such as Keshia. Chef […]
I am feeling full. I’ve spent my last five months working alongside high schoolers, and we have done deep work. Along the way, they reminded me of the things that make youth leadership so special. I want to honor these young people’s year of work together by seeing some of their superpowers. Roll deep. When […]
I have been going up to the Boundary Waters every summer since I was nine or ten years old. It started out as a week-long family vacation every year over the 4th of July, and later became a two-week long canoe trip every summer with YMCA Camp Menogyn. My family also has a cabin about […]
As we made our way into the air conditioned church on New York Avenue in Washington, D.C. after a full day of meeting with Sen. Al Franken and Rep. Betty McCollum; attending a workshop; and showing up for an action, a change of pace from the hot, humid and packed day was welcome. We had […]
In the past 5 days I have taken two separate 22 hour bus rides, met over 50 new people, crossed about 5 state borders, shared sleeping spaces with strangers and walked in 90 degree weather with 200,000 other people. So, yeah you could say it was a busy weekend. Traveling to Washington, D.C. to participate […]
As this past YEA! MN network meeting drew to a close, I realized that perhaps the most effective tool we have on our side during the climate fight is an unlikely one: our humanity. It’s obvious that the climate fight has become incredibly polarized, with people on either side often taking a hostile attitude towards […]
As I sit writing this on a sunny Saturday nearing 70 degrees, I’m reminded that spring has sprung! When I decided to go to the People’s Climate March and Youth Convergence in D.C. earlier in March, the last weekend of April felt miles away. But mid-April has crept up on me and, as someone who […]
As I look back & reflect on YEA MN’s last network meeting, I am feeling more empowered and guided than ever. At the start, we got to work with the amazing people of iMatter, a national youth climate organization with school teams here in Minnesota, and generated ideas of how we can work together to […]
As a young person who aspires to be an activist, I would say that one of the most fun and empowering events I’ve participated in during the past two years has been Youth Lobby Day, which happens every March at the State Capitol. At first, it can be quite daunting, especially when you’re trying to […]
The 9th annual Youth Climate Lobby Day at the Minnesota State Capitol began with a Summit in the Governor’s Reception Room. This opening event included Governor Dayton, Lt. Governor Smith and a packed room full of young people. It featured a powerful panel of youth speakers representing partner organizations, including MPIRG, Minnesota Interfaith Power & […]