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When school systems don't support climate literacy, students in Rhode Island take education and climate activism into their own hands.
by Zoe Redlich
While the average students at Cranston High School East use their lunch breaks as a moment to grab food, relax, and catch up with friends, Arianna Cunha saw a different kind of opportunity in these hour-long breaks. As the soon-to-be leader of Cranston High’s Sunrise movement, Cunha could not miss the opportunity these lunches presented for community organizing. Standing up on the cafeteria tables, Cunha and her friends would invite students to gather at her house to learn about climate activism and organize events.
"Students are some of the most passionate people about climate justice because it's their future on the line, and high school students are some of the easiest people to organize because it's really easy to disturb the status quo in high school," Cunha said.
Under Cunha’s guidance, students at Cranston High School East invited peers at other schools to join them in educating themselves on climate issues and activism. By the end of the year, the Sunrise chapter at Cranston had partners at 20 other schools.
Climate education is a contentious issue in the Rhode Island state government. In 2020, the Climate Literacy Act made it further than expected in the legislative process but was ultimately not approved. This act would have mandated climate education from kindergarten through high school. Advocates stressed the importance of integrating climate education into the rest of curriculum being taught in school. However, others argued that the act was too rushed and did not consider the nuances of teaching environmental justice and climate issues to young kids. With the Climate Literacy Act under an indefinite period of review, it has largely been up to students in Rhode Island to forge the climate education they desire for themselves and for their peers.
Cunha first became involved with the climate movement when she was 15. While for some, climate issues are more of a topic understood on a global level, Cunha was faced with them everyday from a young age.
“Because my dad was homeless for many of my elementary and middle school years, people around him were most affected by the climate crisis even though they had no part in it and almost no carbon footprint,” Cunha said.
In search of the tools necessary to organize successful climate action, Cunha attended a three day conference in Washington DC during which she was assigned a climate coach that would help her with starting a Sunrise chapter at her high school. At the time, the Sunrise Providence Movement was made up mostly of people in their twenties, so starting at the high school level seemed much more approachable to Cunha who had been intimidated by being the youngest in previous activism settings.
“It wasn’t too scary because we had coaches and the only scarier option would be dying of the climate crisis, you know?” Cunha said with a laugh.
photo from Sunrise RI Youth Instagram page, 2021
In search of the tools necessary to organize successful climate action, Cunha attended a three day conference in Washington DC during which she was assigned a climate coach that would help her with starting a Sunrise chapter at her high school. At the time, the Sunrise Providence Movement was made up mostly of people in their twenties, so starting at the high school level seemed much more approachable to Cunha who had been intimidated by being the youngest in climate organizing crowds.
“It wasn’t too scary because we had coaches and the only scarier option would be dying of the climate crisis, you know?” Cunha said with a laugh.
Cut to: The Strike Circle.
Each Friday after school, Cunha would host a Strike Circle at her house, a method of organizing Cunha had learned during her time in DC. These meetings would consist of around 20 students crammed into a tight living room and sitting on any surfaces available to them. Each week, more and more students would gather to discuss and plan out action events and disruptions to bring attention to the need for concrete climate action. Eventually, this grew into the Rhode Island Sunrise Youth chapter.
“I could not see myself doing anything other than climate activism for the rest of my life,” Cunha said, reflecting on the impact of the Strike Circle. “I was totally planning on going into another field, but climate activism has shown me a greater community and sense of self.”
As Earth Day of 2020 approached, Rhode Island Sunrise Youth had an organized protest planned that 800 people were slated to attend. It had taken hours and hours of organization, and would have been the largest event that Rhode Island Sunrise had seen in some time. Unfortunately, with the start of the pandemic, the event was canceled. Still, Cunha was able to organize events on a smaller scale that allowed students’ voices to be heard, whether over Zoom or in person. These stories are what Cunha cherishes most about her time with Sunrise Youth.
“We heard a lot of awe-inspiring stories that were very raw and had not been told before because the speakers were so young,” Cunha said.
The story that has stuck with Cunha most was about a “happy plate.” One of the co-founders of Sunrise Youth Rhode Island described growing up in a household where the next meal was never guaranteed. As a way of encouraging her children to eat their entire meals, her mother would tell her and her siblings that a finished plate was a “happy plate.”
“That’s a story that an adult just wouldn’t share,” Cunha said.
Although an unfortunate amount of climate activism is left to younger generations, organizations like the Rhode Island Environmental Education Association (RIEEA) are doing their best to assist with the process.
Sitting in her high school’s library one April afternoon, Kacie Doran, now a first year in college, eagerly watched as one face after another joined her Zoom meeting. Other than being captain of her volleyball team, this was Doran’s first real experience in a leadership position. Instead of leading peers to victories on the volleyball court, Doran would be tackling the challenging topic of climate literacy.
Since the blocking of the first climate literacy bill in 2020, RIEEA has been a key player in giving students the resources they need to understand climate literacy and take action in their own schools. Doran participated in this program first as a student and then as a leader. Before her involvement with RIEEA, Doran had very limited exposure to any climate issues. Although she attended a private high school with no shortage of resources, there was almost no focus on environmental issues in or outside of the classroom. So when more and more students joined her Zoom meeting, Doran began to understand the impact she had the opportunity to make.
“I was so nervous. I’d never done anything like that before,” Doran said.
It was never Doran’s intention to become involved with climate activism at her school. She joined the recycling club during her freshman year in order to get out of sitting in homeroom for 20 minutes every morning. Once a part of the club, she realized how small actions can have a large impact on communities. She led an initiative along with RIEEA to create a community garden at her high school that gave produce to her cafeteria and engaged students with the environment and sustainability.
“The garden was outside of the gymnasium so everyone saw it when they walked in," Doran said. “Art students made posters for it that said which plants were which and how they were used.”
Even the creation of a community garden is a large step for some schools.
“My little brother is a freshman now and besides from the science fair, he hasn’t been taught anything related to climate change,” Doran said.
While Doran is now studying fashion in college, she says that what she has learned from her participation in RIEEA’s program has allowed her to approach all of her classes at the University of Rhode Island with sustainability as a major consideration. She also looks forward to joining climate action organizations once she gets more settled in to the life of a college student.
Anna Dubey, a volunteer with the Outdoor Leadership and Environmental Education Program (OLEEP) at Brown University has taken similar insights away from her time volunteering with high school students in Providence. Every Wednesday, Dubey travels to the Met High School to help lead workshops on climate change and environmental justice issues.
“They often come in with minimal education on climate," Dubey said of the Met High School students. "The high school doesn't have many science classes, so the knowledge they come in with is usually from social media, which can be very valuable."
According to Dubey, although students often come in with little knowledge on the topic, they quickly become engaged and passionate about climate issues. By the end of each semester, the students themselves often lead the discussions and activities surrounding climate topics. Dubey is continually inspired by the way the students come to interact with the material by the end of the semester. They once even created a game of sharks and minnows that was an analogy to greenhouse gasses getting trapped by the earth’s atmosphere.
It is clear that across Rhode Island, students have been taking the lead in educating themselves on the climate and organizing youth movements. While some of the burden will perhaps be lifted by the creation of a new climate literacy act or more work from organizations such as RIEEA, Cunha appreciates the life that being a youth climate activist has given her, especially during difficult times.
“I’m an orphan, and climate activism has given me a family and a community. It has shown me what it’s like to rely on people around you,” Cunha said.
About the author
Zoe Redlich, a sophomore at Brown, concentrates in English and can often be found biking along the East Bay Bike Path.
Commentary
In writing this story, I wanted to explore the ways in which Rhode Island youth have engaged with climate activism, especially when considering the lack of environmental education provided by the average middle or high school in the state. My most major difficulty with this story was finding students to interview. Because of legal issues with minor's information, it was difficult to get contact information from any organizations about current participating students. Instead, I ended up speaking to students who were engaged with youth groups a couple years ago. However, they were able to give me insight into the current youth climate movement as well. I wish I had been able to hear from more students, but it was both illuminating and inspiring to hear from Doran and Cunha about their experiences as organizers.
Sources
Interview with Anna Dubey - March 1, 2023
Interview with Kacie Doran - March 29, 2023
Interview with Arianna Cunha - April 13 - 2023
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