CAF Seattle's November Gathering - Visioning Schools that Honor Young Peoples' Needs
Youth and adults alike gathered together for Climate Action Families’ (CAF) Seattle’s November 2023 meeting at Bethany UCC in South Seattle to enjoy food, sing and learn about how youth organizations are standing up for environmental and social justice.
The church gathering space echoed with the sounds of inspired voices, led by the CAF All Together Now music team, and Sunrise members leading the group in singing, “Rise up!” with excited feet stomping on the floor. This energy carried on throughout the meeting as four students from the Sunrise Movement @ The Downtown School shared their passion for protecting the environment and student health.
The Sunrise Movement focuses on bringing young people together (~15-24yr olds) to win a Green New Deal, a suite of aims that are meant to take on inequality and climate change.
These four students shared why they got involved with the Sunrise Movement and how the organization is fighting for change in schools, called the Green New Deal for Schools which consists of:
SAFE AND CLEAN BUILDINGS
School buildings, buses, and other school infrastructure are updated to run on 100% renewable energy, be climate resilient, and ensure safe, non-toxic learning environments.
FREE & HEALTHY LUNCH
Schools provide locally sourced and sustainably grown lunch to all students for free, to make sure no student goes through the school day hungry.
PATHWAYS TO GREEN JOBS
Schools offer opportunities to connect students with meaningful and good paying union jobs combatting the climate crisis.
CLIMATE DISASTER PLANS
When climate disaster strikes, school administrations have plans to help students recover and use buildings as designated relief zones for the whole community.
CLIMATE CURRICULUM
Students are taught a comprehensive climate justice curriculum – developed by educators, scientists, and students, not politicians and lobbyists – that helps them understand our history and prepares them to face the climate crisis.
Following their talk, they gave the group the opportunity to envision their ideal schools, and express their dreams for cleaner and healthier schools through drawings on a banner. By the end of the meeting, the banner was displaying beautiful illustrations of animals, landscapes, and symbolic images of equality and truth in schools.
It was truly inspiring to see so many young people not only dream up a brighter future, but to work towards tangible ways of attaining that future. Our younger youth got to witness that they don’t need to wait to graduate from college to make a difference.
We hope you will join us in empowering an intergenerational climate justice movement.
Our next meeting is December 15, 2023. Please RSVP Here!
