If you have received this twice our apologies! We are trying a new system! Thank you for stepping into the new year with us! Whether you’re a student, a teacher, a parent, or an instagram follower, we’re thankful for every person that chooses to be a part of our community. This month’s newsletter go over a mural at Castlemont High School, a call for support on getting teacher’s money out of fossil fuels, an upcoming rally against radioactivity in San Francisco, our fifth annual fellowship, and an important message from our programs director. |
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“Black Lives Matter, Water Is Life” Last week students from the Castlemont club hosted a mural painting party. They stated: “There are resources to keep us safe from climate chaos but we are not getting those resources because people are more interested in making money than our lives. People have a right to life, healthy food, water, clean air, a safe place to live, and to not be discriminated against. The same things that make our community suffer makes the whole earth suffer.” These students titled their mural “Black Lives Matter, Water Is Life”. "We saw art as a way to get our opinions heard about millionaires making profit from killing us…" - Draven, Castlemont Club Member |
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Teacher’s Union, Stand With Us To Divest! Last Friday, January 28, we met with the president of the CTA. We called on them to support fossil fuel divestment. We want our teachers money taken out of an industry that is driving the climate crisis, and actively hurting Black, Brown and low income communities in California and across the world. |
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We will continue to visit the CTA every Friday, from 4:30 to 5:30, until they stand with students and teachers and call on CalSTRs to divest from fossil fuels. Left: YVA members with CTA President E. Toby Boyd |
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Yesterday, YVA returned as we do every Friday to call on the CTA to stand with students, teachers, the Oakland Education Association and many other local unions to call on CalSTRS to divest teachers' funds from the racist, lying, and murderous fossil fuel industry.
At the very same time, other members of YVA also stood side by side with teachers' union representatives against racist school closures that hit Black and Brown students hardest.
We appreciate Oakland Education Associaton and the CTA for their work to protect youth and teachers.
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We appreciate CTA President Toby Boyd for meeting with us last week and listening to our concerns. And because we believe that fossil fuel divestment is so important to our health, justice and survival... and because be believe that CTA is THE most important voice in deciding what CalSTRS invests in we also will continue to call on the CTA every Friday until they join is in calling for divestment |
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In solidarity with young people lifting their voices every week to support their teachers in divesting from fossil fuels, we ask that anyone who is able join a public Symposium on CalSTRS investment in fossil fuels. Not only will you be able to hear from youth and labor leaders speaking out for divestement, your presence on the call, and your supportive questions, will help pressure CalSTRS and the CTA to support divestment. Their commitment to investing in an industry that lies, perpetuates racism, and threatens all life can only continue if our attention is elsewhere. By joining this forum, you can show them that indeed, as YVA member Aidyn once said, “The Future Has Its Eyes On You." |
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Rally In The Bayview! As many of you know we recently started a campaign in San Francisco focused on the clean up of radioactivity. This month on February 12, 2022 please join YVA, Greenaction, the Marie Harrison Community Foundation, and the Bayview Hunters Point Mother & Father’s Committee to rally for the full cleanup of all radioactive and toxic contamination. If you aren’t able to make it please share this flier on your socials! |
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Fellowship As many of you know our fifth annual fellowship starts this Saturday, February 5th. We’re so excited for this year’s fellowship and will be hosting the first one on zoom. This year we have 40 amazing fellows. Stay tuned to see what this year’s participants do! This year we asked fellows to submit a response in any media format they choose answering the question: ”Why do you fight for your community or planet?” Here is one fellow’s response: |
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A Word From Our Programs Director I recently published a piece on the importance of building a climate movement in the context of fighting for social justice and overall human rights, using examples from the lives of the students I work with. I often feel like these are not my stories to tell, and yet I am often in "climate" spaces where if I don't tell them, the silence on them speaks volumes. In general, I feel like my role is to make space for youth to tell their own stories, but sometimes I guess that means direct advocacy to mostly white, well-off climate activists to listen. I also want to note that I actually have a lot of compassion for the "funder" in this piece. It feels bad to be afraid, no matter what other privileges you have. And we all have occasions for fear. My hope is that by considering other experiences ultimately everyone's humanity is elevated. Read the article here: https://bit.ly/Climatearticle |
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