Youth for Environmental Action
“I am passionate about social justice and I want to make sure that future generations have the same opportunities to be enriched in the outdoors as I have had.”
–Youth for Environmental Action Leader
WHAT IS YEA?
The purpose of Youth for Environmental Action is to connect students who are passionate about the environment and who want to take action together for the future. YEA students work on projects that increase school sustainability, advocate with school leaders for change, and plan and lead Santa Cruz County’s annual Environmental Action Summit bringing together community leaders, educators, and students to find solutions to the environmental issues our community faces. No previous leadership experience is needed! Great community service opportunity!
How does YEA work? How do you join?
A new YEA Team is formed each school year. See the program overview here for more information and then submit this form and we will contact you with more information about meetings. The team includes students from all high schools across the county and you do not need any leadership experience to apply! Students work together to identify YEA projects and lead the annual Youth for Environmental Action Summit.
Listen to YEA Student Leaders Sophia and Natasha's 2024 interview on KSQD radio's Inside Education program! They share about Youth for Environmental Action and the changes happening at their school thanks to collaboration between students and school leaders that began at YEAs annual student-led Summit.
2024 YEA Interview--ksqd.org.mp3YEA ACTION PROJECTS
Survey on School Environmental Action
YEA created a survey to gather data directly from high school students and staff about their experiences of how sustainable schools are, how much schools connect students with environmental curriculum, and how climate change and environmental issues affect students mental and physical health. Explore the Survey Results for both 2022-23 and 2023-24 here. You can see countywide data or filter by schools and districts.
Board Resolution for Schools
In 2021-2022, YEA leaders developed a TEMPLATE Board Resolution for Environmental Action. YEA Student Leaders met with the Santa Cruz County School Board Association to deliver this presentation and share the template resolution.
Elevating Student Voice
YEA Students bring youth perspectives to school board presentations, radio programs, conferences, district green teams, and education events. They also produce videos to share youth voices with school leaders, teachers and peers. See our youtube channel and follow @sccstudentleadership on Instagram to hear from us.
Annual YEA Summit
Students are the group that will be most impacted by climate change, yet too often our voices are left out of conversations about how to address these matters. To close this gap, Youth for Environment Action (YEA) hosts an annual Summit that brings students from all high schools in the county together with school district leaders and community decision makers to collaborate on solutions.
For a recap of the Spring 2024 Summit, read the article below authored by YEA's Aptos High Student Leader
For more information contact: Amity Sandage, Environmental Literacy Coordinator and YEA Advisor, at asandage@santacruzcoe.org
Y.E.A Advisor
Amity Sandage,
pronouns: she/her/hers
Environmental Literacy Coordinator at Santa Cruz County Office of Education
My work, which I love, is to support students to build their understanding of and connection to the environment, so they are empowered and prepared to take action for a sustainable future.
A quote that I believe in: "Like music and art, love of nature is a common language that can transcend political or social boundaries." --Jimmy Carter
