Learning by Doing: Youth Climate Leaders Tackle Local Climate Challenges

Written by Sophia Danforth, Executive Director of the Vermont Energy Education Program and New Hampshire Energy Education Program

Students don’t need to wait until they’re adults to make a real difference on climate. In the Youth Climate Leaders Academy, high schoolers pick a problem in their own school or town, build a plan, and see it through, with plenty of twists and lessons along the way.

At the New Hampshire Energy Education Project (NHEEP), we believe that people understand things best when they care about the outcome, and can take a hands-on approach. Our focus on “learning by doing” led us to create Youth Climate Leaders Academy (YCLA), a year-long program for high school students who want to address climate change in their communities. Since 2017, YCLA has supported up to 100 students each year as they chose a problem to address, brainstormed solutions, planned and then implemented a project in their school or town.

Past teams have pushed for electric school buses, promoted carpooling and biking, cut school energy use through changes to lighting, heating, and behavior, brought solar panels to school roofs, and designed compost and recycling systems. Others have run education and advocacy campaigns to raise community awareness of local challenges and solutions. (For highlights, visit  https://veep.org/successstories/.)

The program begins with data. Students explore Project Drawdown to see the global impact of different climate solutions, then look at state-specific emissions data to find solutions that are locally relevant and feasible. These tools help teams define their problem and focus their work where they can have the greatest impact. 

Two days, one big map

In early December, teams gather for a two-day kickoff retreat, armed with a climate-change related problem they want to address and a starter idea of how they might tackle the challenge. Teams zoom out to see the whole system around their problem and hunt for root causes they might disrupt or change.

Between mapping sessions, students choose skills workshops, from meeting facilitation to fundraising to graphic design, and meet with expert consultants from groups like Clean Energy NH, Efficiency Vermont, and the NH Department of Environmental Services, alongside many others. 

But ask students what stuck with them and many expand past climate solutions: they stopped feeling alone. They met peers from across two states who care about the same things they do, and built partnerships across town lines that lasted through high school and beyond. Many connect with adult mentors with whom they stay in touch as they move on to college or careers.  

Twists, turns, and the occasional flop

Students leave the retreat with a plan, then spend the rest of the school year putting it into action, with support from NHEEP staff. Sometimes projects are an immediate success. Most take twists and turns. Some appear to be outright failures. But listening to students talking about how the experience changed them, one can see how even the uncertainty can build core skills. 

"I would not be the same person. Advocacy has provided me with the opportunities to not only learn about the climate crisis, but raise my voice on the issues that matter. This has converted my climate apathy into action." - Taylor Barry 

"[YCLA] helped me build deep connections with my community and also gain valuable skills that I am using after high school." - Flo Dapice 

At a time when youth climate summits seem to be cropping up like mushrooms everywhere you look, it’s clear that there’s a need for a gathering space for young people concerned about the future of our planet. What makes YCLA different is that students don't just learn about the problems, they practice planning and carrying out real solutions, and NHEEP trusts students to identify problems that matter, design solutions with multiple benefits, and learn the skills they need to advance those solutions as they go.

YCLA alumna Dahlia Cohn notes: “Climate work still seems like it needs to be exterior to your ‘normal life,’ [meaning] your normal schoolwork and normal [home] work afterschool, so you really have to devote a level of energy to act in a way that feels fulfilling, and a level of energy that not everyone has to give. I really just wish that climate work could be more prioritized because leadership shouldn’t be a privilege for only those who are able, it should really be something that everyone has access to.”

If you've ever looked around your school or town and thought someone should do something about that, we think that someone could be you.

Sophia directs the Vermont and New Hampshire Energy Education Program (VEEP and NHEEP), and leads an incredible team of educators who support youth in understanding energy and taking climate action. Learn more about Youth Climate Leaders Academy at veep.org/ycla