Bay Area Youth Climate Summit (BAYCS)
Spring 2021 — March Community Partnership
Our theme for this semester, Empowering Youth Leaders, is whole-heartedly embodied by the devoted teens of Bay Area Youth Climate Summit (BAYCS). EthiCAL Apparel is proud to announce our March community partnership with BAYCS and will be donating 60% of this month’s profits to their organization.
Being told “you’re too young to do anything” is no obstacle, but a simple challenge for the Bay Area Youth Climate Summit (BAYCS) team. Established in 2020, BAYCS is a student-run network bringing together Bay Area high school students to collectively combat climate change in their local communities. They host monthly hands-on educational workshops for students to learn more about environmental issues and engage in climate action planning (CAP).
Intrigued to learn more about BAYCS’ work and the masterminds behind it all, EthiCAL met with co-founders Amelia Fortgang (17) and Erika Tam (16) — current high school juniors at Lick-Wilmerding High School in San Francisco. It began when the two noticed the switch to remote online-learning due to COVID-19 had led to a lack of climate action in their school’s environmental club. The two quickly took matters into their own hands and adapted to their new circumstances. They used social media to launch BAYCS, recruit for their Youth Advisory Council (a leadership team of now 36 officers), and unite an online community of passionate like-minded youth.
By September 2020, a mere 4 months since starting, they hosted their first virtual day-long summit, which …
- Brought together 280 youth from 88 schools, 14 states, and 5 countries
- Comprised of 16 student-led workshops
- Inspired 25 attendees to kickstart their own CAP projects, with 75% still continuing their efforts today
As they plan for their next summit in Fall 2021, BAYCS will continue hosting monthly workshops with guest speakers from local community organizations. For instance, in November, they hosted an Indigenous Climate Activism workshop with California Indigenous Environmental Alliance (CIEA) to provide a platform to highlight Indigenous peoples’ long-standing commitment to climate activism and share their traditions and practices. To join in on their next event, you can visit their “Upcoming Events” page here.
Although there are a plethora of youth environmental organizations with a similar mission to BAYCS’, Fortgang and Tam clearly outline the reasons why their program differs from the rest. The first is that BAYCS is completely student-run — they don’t have any adult advisors. Tam illustrated how being youth-led is a true advantage since being around the same age group as their members allows her team to easily understand their members’ needs/wants, the best ways to help them, and in turn, inspire their community of youth through their own actions. Additionally, Fortgang points out the uniqueness of their emphasis on and resources for CAP, which includes …
- Purposefully integrated CAP sessions in each event
- Carefully crafted worksheets
- Peer-to-peer mentoring to aid with project ideation and facilitation
- Connecting members to useful organizations/partners for support
- Being shared amongst their network via promotions on BAYCS media pages
By the end of 2021, BAYCS hopes to reach another 1,400 youth for a total reach of 2,000, host another summit in Fall 2021, launch their climate zine, have 15–20 completed CAP projects, expand CAP advising, and secure funding for future events, guest speakers, and possibly, if conditions allow, hold an in-person summit.
Whether you’ve already forged your environmental activism path, or haven’t yet, here’s some advice from Fortgang and Tam to keep you motivated or get started!
“You don’t have to be Greta Thunberg to be a climate activist! My advice: systemic change is more important than individual changes (like a reusable straw), so try to get involved by joining a climate justice organization, voting (if you’re over 18), and phone banking or encouraging friends/family to vote if you’re under 18.”
— Amelia Fortgang, BAYCS co-founder, 17
“Pay close attention and you’ll learn what works for you for your environmental journey — everyone’s different. Listen to which environmental aspect calls to you. Once you know, find your community to get involved with! Do not hesitate to get involved in any way, as we know the need for climate action is ever growing and urgent! Any action helps!”
— Erika Tam, BAYCS co-founder, 16
To learn more and stay updated on Bay Area Youth Climate Summit’s efforts, visit their …
- Website: https://www.baycs.org/
- Instagram: @bayareaycs
- Twitter: @bayareaycs
Author: Kathy Lin | Editors: Vivian Kuang and Smera Patil | Graphics: Natalie Chu | Team: Social Good
