Student Action on Climate Change

Saving Our Home

What To Do & Where To Start

For some, environmental activism may seem like a broad topic. It can be overwhelming for a person to know where to start. For youth, there are several programs based in Colorado that help get youth into nature and helping the planet. 350 Colorado is an organization that works on raising awareness of climate change. The organization has eight different committees. Among those campaigns is the Youth Action Committee, run by Phoebe Dominguez. “The majority of our committees meet once a month to plan events and ongoing campaign efforts,” Dominguez said. “Depending on how you decide to get involved your volunteer experience can vary a lot.”

Dominguez has been on the Youth Action Committee for two years. In that time she has helped to organize over fifteen events and campaigns and has spoken at twelve events.

“I had been interested in climate justice for a little bit, so I didn’t know how to start and felt completely overwhelmed. I needed to do something, so I decided to do Fridays For Future at the Colorado State Capitol,” Dominguez said. “One day someone told me about 350 Colorado and that I should look into their events. I went and met a lot of amazing people who have supported me and many I am still close with. I think the main reason I decided to volunteer with them is that I didn’t want to feel so alone anymore.” 350 Colorado gives youth the opportunity to volunteer and get involved in other activities, but there are also companies that help to get youth directly outside in nature. The Big City Mountaineers organization gives youth from lower-income homes an opportunity to connect with nature. “We basically identify and

break down barriers facing youth who want to get into the outdoors. We are focused on serving students coming from communities who receive less funding: low-income students,” member Megan Aranow said. “We are not explicitly an environmental conservation program, we are focused on helping students develop a relationship with the outdoors.” Big City Mountaineers only provides volunteer opportunities for adults, not youth. However, the company is focused on providing youth with a connection to the Earth. Aranow has been volunteering with the Big City Mountaineers since 2017 and joined the staff team in the fall of 2021. While there are a lot of organizations on the state level there are also opportunities at Conifer High School (CHS). The school has a Keep Conifer Green club, which gives students the opportunity to be environmentally aware in their community. “My goal was to spread awareness of climate change, littering, and pollution. I

Artist Zoe Watts, CHSToday

wanted to help people live a healthier life,” club president Jenna Stricker said. “It’s important because we are the next generation to help the environment.” For more information on the club for the 2022-2023 school year, email science teacher Jeff Colborn at jcolborn@jeffcoschools.us. Climate change and saving the environment may seem like an overwhelming topic, but finding solutions doesn’t have to be. There are resources everywhere that help reconnect people and the environment. “We see the environment and our students as benefiting each other. People can take care of the environment and the environment is crucial for taking care of us. We think it’s important for people to have a good relationship with the outdoors,” Aranow said. “That is essential for our long-term wellbeing.” 27