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The Youth Climate Justice Summit (YCJS) is a youth-led and justice-centered gathering of Chicago area high-schoolers of all knowledge levels and backgrounds to engage in active citizenship around the most pressing issues of our time. As an antidote to apathy and misinformation, the inaugural YCJS will empower students to take things into their own hands and advocate for just climate action and policy in their school communities.
The day-long event will start with an introductory plenary, "Climate Justice 101, Chicago-style," followed by two rounds of break out workshops. These will feed into in the development of Climate Action Plans, concrete next steps to uplift our schools and neighborhoods, and to ensure safe and healthy environments for all.
We will end the day with an open mic and some time to socialize with each other. Find out more from our schedule!
Get a sneak-peek of your experience from another summit
This is our first year – but we are benefitting from over a decade of experience.
Why the focus on Justice?
Why the focus on Justice?
Chicago is a leader in Environmental Justice. Justice centers human wellbeing. Chicago is still one of the most segregated cities in the U.S. today; health outcomes depend heavily on someone’s location, and therefore race and class. This means that in Chicago, there is a 30-year gap in life expectancies between people from different neighborhoods!
It also means that people from strongly polluted neighborhoods – "sacrifice zones" – are the first to feel the effects of climate change on their bodies and wallets.
Chicago environmentalists, starting with young leaders, must focus their efforts on justice through intersectionality.
Find out more from the Chicago EJ Index Atlas!
Chicago Department of Environmental Permitting and Inspection
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