That is what various student groups and organizations gathered to discuss on the last day of Black History Month. The Will Steger Foundation sponsored Clean Air: the New Civil Rights Struggle at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities last week with a diverse coalition of partners, including Sierra Club, Black Motivated Women, Black Student Union, Native American Law Students Association, Black Law Student Association, American Indian Student Cultural Center, and EcoWatch.

Will Steger Foundation is teaming up with Sierra Club and cultural groups from the University of Minnesota to host a discussion focused on cultural, health, and policy perspectives on clean air on February 29th at noon.

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Six Midwest Youth Climate Orgs Receive Funding for Critical Initiatives

The Will Steger foundation has been a key ally in building the youth climate moment across the Midwest. Since 2007 WSF has been actively working with partner organizations across the generational spectrum to support youth climate leadership across the region. This includes a robust network of youth organizations and a close relationship with the RE-AMP network, a coalition of over 120 environmental non-profit organizations and Foundations across the Midwest.

WSF has played a key role in connecting Midwest youth organizations with RE-AMP funding opportunities, specifically in regards to RE-AMP 'Allies' Funding through the Global Warming Strategic Action Fund. This includes outreach and engagement to strategic youth allies, mentorship on grant proposals, and facilitation of regional communication among Midwest youth applicants to foster a coordinated approach to the RE-AMP funding opportunity. The following is a list youth initiatives funded by RE-AMP in 2011. WSF is proud to support these vibrant initiatives and recognizes the critical role they play in the larger environmental movement.

GELT organizers worth with local youth in Highland Park MI

Global Exchange: Green Economy Leadership Training, Detroit, MI

Global Exchange's Green Economy Leadership Training (GELT) program educates, engages and empowers youth to be active agents of change in building the necessary clean energy, green economy future. The program trains youth and community members in practical skills that will empower them to improve their communities, such as environmental justice, energy conservation, renewable energy, green building technology, water conservation, waste diversion (recycling and composting), urban agriculture and food security and urban forestry. Seizing the opportunity to begin a new era of organizing, the GELT program deploys community-based solutions that break from conventional thinking and puts the emphasis on empowering individuals and communities.

Little Village Environmental Justice Organization: Neighborhood Transit Access

LVEJO organizers demand transit access

Little Village environmental Justice Organization(LVEJO) has created the coalition 'Communities for a 31st Bus Route' to advocate for transit access for 6 different Chicago neighborhoods, including Little Village (noted as one of the top 6 most polluted areas in the Chicago Metro), and to serve a ridership of over 100,000 people, mostly low-income. Along with a dozen diverse partners, the transit access campaign engages local youth through LVEJO programming in leadership training, community outreach, and grassroots organizing. The campaign will target key legislators and seeks to save up to 500 tons of C02 per year.

Grand Aspirations: Our Power Campaign, Minneapolis/Iowa City

Grand Aspirations is expanding its Our Power campaign in South Minneapolis, MN and replicating it in Iowa City, IA. The campaign focuses on building diverse alliances in support of energy efficiency and clean energy at the neighborhood and city level and integrating implementation of energy efficiency and clean energy with movement building. Our Power unites local youth, community groups, and businesses from diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds in support of a clean energy economy. Local and national youth leaders will act as community energy leaders to engage 500 residents and 50 businesses in Minneapolis, and 125 residents and 10 businesses in Iowa City, in energy efficiency and clean energy measures.

Wisconsin Public Interest Research Group: Energy Service Corps Program

Wisconsin Public Interest Research Group (WISPIRG) is in the second year of its Energy Service Corps Program launched in partnership with Americorps. Through direct citizen outreach and partnerships with local institutions the program engages youth leadership at the University of Wisconsin Steven's Point and the University of Wisconsin Madison in reaching diverse constituencies with demonstrations, presentations, and home inspections that highlight the potential of efficiency to save energy, save the environment and save money. Student "Energy Efficiency Ambassadors' will encourage residents to conduct subsidized energy audits and home weatherization.

MPIRG student organizers at the University of MN Morris

Minnesota Public Interest Research Group: Minnesota Youth Alignment

Minnesota Public Interest Research Group (MPIRG) seeks to engage it's statewide youth network in support of the following 3 key campaign areas funded by RE-AMP for member organizations in Minnesota. Solar Works for Minnesota: MPIRG will leverage it's relationships of three University of MN campuses to push to legislature for guaranteed pricing for public buildings that develop solar and other renewable energy resources. Defend Clean Energy Laws and Regulations: MPIRG will engage, educate and mobilize it's student network in defense of Minnesota's clean energy policy foundation. Reduce Vehicle Miles Traveled: MPIRG will launch an education and advocacy campaign targeting Duluth Transit Authority and push for transit solutions that better serve the needs of student riders.

Illinois Student Environmental Coalition: Chicago Coal Campaign

ISEC organizers join a human banner targeting Chicago Mayor Emmanuel

Illinois Student Environmental Coalition seeks to continue its collaboration with the Chicago Clean Power Coalition(CCPC) to retire two existing coal plants in the city. The campaign is at a critical juncture and support from students is essential to advancing the work of the coalition. ISEC has been key to the CCPC movement over the past year and will continue to work with the Coalition to empower and engage it's state network of student leaders to effectively target the Mayor of Chicago and City Council.

Midwest Power Shift was a huge success. Hundreds of youth gathered in Ohio to train and take action on a clean and just energy future. You can find this blog, photos and video from the weekend, and youth reflections from across the Midwest, at We Are Power Shift. The Will Steger Foundation was a proud member if the Midwest Power Shift Steering Committee and is actively engaged in building a unified Midwest youth coalition.

This weekend, over 400 youth leaders from across the Midwest converged in Cleveland, Ohio to do some political organizing. Ohio is a critical swing state in the 2012 election, but these activists weren't coming to knock on doors for Mitt Romney or phone-bank for Barack Obama.

Instead, their mission was two-fold: continue to work together building the clean energy economy in the heartland, and two, stand up against the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, a major setback and threat for the Midwest.

Midwest Power Shift was one of the largest youth political conventions of the year and a clear sign that both parties should think twice about relegating climate and energy to the sidelines during the 2012 election. It's easy for the media or political pundits to quickly pass over such conferences, after all, what could a bunch of wild-eyed youngsters accomplish on their own?

Well, Occupy Wall Street has showed that we can accomplish quite a lot, actually. And if the energy at Midwest Power Shift was any indication of where we're headed, the youth climate movement is going to be making a serious impact in the months to come. More Power Shift summits are planned across the country, organizers are setting up shop in other critical swing states, and students up and down the East Coast are preparing to flood into Washington this November 6 to surround the White House in another major protest against Keystone XL.

More and more, students are getting out of the classrooms and into the streets. On Sunday, after organizing and planning for on-going action, over 400 people streamed out of Cleveland State University to march through downtown. Our first stop: the Cuyahoga County Democrats Office, and an office for the Obama campaign. We showed up not to lambast them, but to pass our message to the campaign, and to show them that we're a force to be reckoned with. Outside the office, over a dozen 2008 Obama Campaign volunteers stepped out and talked about how they had worked so hard to elect President Obama, knocking on doors, making phone calls, and being the organizing force behind Students for Barack Obama. And they showed that they're committed to continuing to use the grassroots organizing tactics that they learned on the Obama campaign, however this time to build the movement against the pipeline: clipboards were passed to sign-up for future trainings, and hundreds of people broke out their cell phones to call hundreds more people and recruit them to attend future rallies, like our November 6 encirclement of the White House. They showed that this isn't just a movement of complaining, this is a movement of doing that it's continuing to build steam and wont stop, no matter what.

One of the most inspirational parts of the weekend was working hand-in-hand with #OccupyCleveland. On Friday night we caught wind that Occupy Cleveland was facing eviction, so over 200 of us marched down to them to stand with them and show our support. As we entered the park, the crowd went wild, cheers broke out: "The People, United, Will Never Be Defeated!" We're coming together to stand up against big corporations and political cronyism, and it feels powerful. It felt powerful to have them marching by our side as we marched the streets of Cleveland, and visited the OFA office, to demand President Obama reject the Keystone XL pipeline, a pipeline riddled with corporate malfeasance and political corruption.

Something is stirring in America. Not just down at the encampments on Wall Street, but along the Keystone XL pipeline route in Nebraska, on campuses across the country, and right here in the Midwest. In 2008, young people rallied behind a candidate. In 2011, youth are rallying behind a cause. And that is what may just deliver the hope and change this country really needs

Whit Jones
Campaign Director
Energy Action Coalition