Youth Action Team Rolls Out 'CCE In The Classroom'

With the start of the school year, the Youth Action Team has rolled out its new "CCE in the Classroom" campaign. The campaign supports youth to bring "real live climate action" and civic engagement into middle and high school classrooms. 

"CCE in the Classroom" brings a positive and powerful message to students and teachers; it focuses on climate solutions (rather than "gloom and doom") and the unique power of youth voices in building political will. This can be a welcome change for many students, given the multiple challenges facing them right now. In addition, reaching out to classrooms across the country builds and broadens the CCL youth movement to include a diversity of middle and high school students. 

The initiative supports youth CCL members to develop interactive presentations that connect CCL's work to school curricula. This can go far beyond environmental science classes!  Connections can easily be made to economics, civics/government, history, geography, psychology, or any sort of social science, as well as to English/Language Arts (writing and speaking skills), Health, and all of the Arts.  (We've even heard of presentations given in Spanish classes!) 

The "CCE in the Classroom" initiative also includes the development of middle and high school mini-curricula. These are a series of interactive lessons giving students opportunities to become familiar with climate solutions, and then to contact Congress, write letters to the editor, develop resolutions, and participate in mock lobby meetings. Whether they get involved with CCL or not, these are valuable skills for living in a democracy! The Long Beach California chapter has been invited to create and teach a 19-week course for middle schoolers in 2021, and there are plans to create such a curriculum at the high school level as well.  

A unique part of this initiative is that CCL Youth are the ones taking these programs into the classrooms. Sharing their own CCL experiences  can speak volumes to their age peers and can inspire more middle and high school students to find their voices and get engaged in climate action.  

As the initiative launches, the Youth Action Team is looking for CCL members who are middle and high school teachers who might invite CCL youth into their virtual teaching spaces.  And, as always, the Youth Action Team would love to connect with more youth!   Contact Sharon at youth@citizensclimatelobby.org with ideas or for more information.