![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/03\/2671Sarah_Houle9528_1.jpg\")
The Voiceless Future<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
There are more young people in the\nworld than ever before and their commitment to social and environmental justice\ncannot be ignored. Unlike previous generations, these people have grown up\nlearning about climate change and its impacts, watching as most elected\nofficials have failed to take aggressive action at the scale necessary. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Recently, a group of youth caught the\nmedia\u2019s attention when they confronted Senator Diane Feinstein about the Green\nNew Deal. In the Senator\u2019s response, she offered them her pragmatic and perhaps\neven, realistic perspective: the Green New Deal is an ambitious plan that is\nunlikely to pass Congress. She also pointed out that the very people making\nthis request were not the ones who voted for her–an accurate assessment since\nthey were under 18 years old. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It begs the question\u2026when you aren\u2019t\nyet allowed to vote, how do you make your voice heard? How do you protect your\nfuture and safeguard yourselves against the greatest impacts of climate change?\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Organizing for Climate Action <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
On March 15, youth around the world are walking out of school to participate in the Youth Strike 4 Climate<\/a>. With over 1,000 events expected across almost 90 countries, the significance of this movement cannot be ignored. <\/p>\n\n\n\n These youth are coming together to say that they want to live their lives full of hope and excitement, not fear for their future. They are calling upon the world\u2019s decision-makers\u2019 to understand the crisis in front of us and commit to drastically reducing greenhouse gas emissions immediately. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When it comes to climate change, the deniers–a small but vocal minority–get a lot of attention. However, these young people are telling us to forget the deniers and instead worry about the delayers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n They are the group of people most threatening their future, and there are far more delayers than there are deniers. Without a doubt, the year 2080 looks bleak for these young people, but the year 2018 didn\u2019t bring much comfort either. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As inspiring as their leadership has been, leaving all of this up to our youth is just irresponsible. They have been forced to fill a void that we adults have left for far too long. It\u2019s time that we each step up and make sure the youngest among us aren\u2019t the only ones raising their voices. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Get engaged and support the young voices that are rising up. Here are just a few ways:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2192 Make sure the youth in your community have all the tools they need to tackle this global challenge. That includes ensuring your school district is teaching Massachusetts Science, Technology, and Engineering Standards across K-12 curriculum. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2192 Call your Senator <\/a>and Representative <\/a>and tell them that you want bold and swift action on climate change now. Better yet, tell your State legislators<\/a> that same message. Use the tools at your disposal that many of our youth currently lack–holding the people we voted for accountable to do their job.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We have all heard, and perhaps even been on the receiving end of the \u201cyoung and na\u00efve\u201d stereotypes. Young and carefree. Young and impressionable. Young and idealistic. And while all of those adjectives might be accurate, they aren\u2019t stopping youth around the world from calling into question the actions (or lack thereof) of previous generations […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":116,"featured_media":12480,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[178,7],"tags":[246],"class_list":["post-12479","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-climate","category-get-involved","tag-climate-action"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/03\/2671Sarah_Houle9528_1.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3t87A-3fh","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":16755,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/in-your-words-ollie-p\/","url_meta":{"origin":12479,"position":0},"title":"In Your Words: Ollie Perrault","author":"Kaylin D.","date":"March 18, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"As a 15-year-old climate activist, people often ask me at what age I first got involved and started working with Mass Audubon. While I officially started as a youth leader when I was 11, I have been involved in this work for my whole life.\u00a0\u00a0 Ollie For my generation, there\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Climate"","block_context":{"text":"Climate","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/climate\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Ollie holding a chicken","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/03\/Ollie-2_750.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/03\/Ollie-2_750.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/03\/Ollie-2_750.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/03\/Ollie-2_750.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13176,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/leading-by-gretas-example\/","url_meta":{"origin":12479,"position":1},"title":"Leading By Greta’s Example","author":"Hillary T.","date":"October 1, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"If you\u2019ve been following the news about the youth-led climate strikes, there\u2019s a good chance you\u2019ve heard about, and been inspired by, Greta Thunberg. This 16-year-old from Sweden has galvanized millions worldwide to speak out about the climate crisis and demanded that world leaders take meaningful action on this urgent\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Climate"","block_context":{"text":"Climate","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/climate\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Greta Thunberg","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/09\/GretaNatureNow.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/09\/GretaNatureNow.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/09\/GretaNatureNow.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/09\/GretaNatureNow.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13126,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/stand-with-youth-climate-strikers\/","url_meta":{"origin":12479,"position":2},"title":"Stand With Youth Climate Strikers","author":"Alexandra Vecchio","date":"September 18, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"On September 20,\u00a0Mass Audubon will stand with millions of people of all ages around the world to amplify the voice of youth activists who understand the urgency of climate change.\u00a0\u00a0 We have partnered with Youth Climate Strike Massachusetts to share our support and stand in solidarity with youth and adults\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Climate"","block_context":{"text":"Climate","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/climate\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Mass Audubon Supports Youth Climate Strike","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/09\/MAClimateStrike_blog.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/09\/MAClimateStrike_blog.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/09\/MAClimateStrike_blog.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/09\/MAClimateStrike_blog.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12064,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/students-take-action-on-climate\/","url_meta":{"origin":12479,"position":3},"title":"Students Take Action On Climate","author":"Alexandra Vecchio","date":"December 12, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Climate change is the defining issue of our time. Perhaps no generation is more at risk to the impacts of this issue than those who are in school today.\u00a0 In a study presented to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in 2016, a survey revealed that 40% of Generation Z\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Climate"","block_context":{"text":"Climate","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/climate\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/12\/youthclimatesummit750.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/12\/youthclimatesummit750.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/12\/youthclimatesummit750.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/12\/youthclimatesummit750.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10146,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/thankful-for-young-climate-leaders\/","url_meta":{"origin":12479,"position":4},"title":"Thankful For Young Climate Leaders","author":"Daniel Brown","date":"November 22, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"As we head into Thanksgiving during this tumultuous political era, I find myself reflecting back on the challenges and progress of the past year, both close to home and around the globe. It\u2019s easy to get discouraged by the nightly news, but something that continues to inspire me is the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Climate"","block_context":{"text":"Climate","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/climate\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Western Massachusetts Youth Climate Summit \/ Phil Doyle","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/11\/climateleader600.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/11\/climateleader600.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/11\/climateleader600.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":17356,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/ollie-perrault-a-hero-among-us\/","url_meta":{"origin":12479,"position":5},"title":"Ollie Perrault: A Hero Among Us","author":"Kaylin D.","date":"December 6, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"During the Celtics game on November 30, 15-year-old Mass Audubon Youth Climate Leader, Ollie Perrault, was given the Heroes Among Us Award. For 25 years, the Boston Celtics have recognized people across the Commonwealth who are making a difference in our communities. This year, Governor-elect Maura Healey presented Perrault as\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Climate"","block_context":{"text":"Climate","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/climate\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/12\/Ollie-and-royals-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/12\/Ollie-and-royals-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/12\/Ollie-and-royals-2.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/12\/Ollie-and-royals-2.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12479","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/116"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12479"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12479\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14539,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12479\/revisions\/14539"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12480"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12479"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12479"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12479"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}No Matter Your Age–We Must Act <\/h3>\n\n\n\n