The California Youth Climate Policy (CYCP) Leadership Program is halfway through its fourth cohort, bringing together 70 student leaders from across California to build skills, develop advocacy campaigns, and advance climate action in their local school systems.
Since launching in 2023, the program has grown and evolved each year, building on student feedback and the incredible work of past cohorts. In partnership with UndauntedK12 and the Sierra Club, Cohort 4 brings together a diverse group of students from across California who are ready to create real policy change in their local school systems. The program also welcomed new leadership this year, including Youth Programs Manager Mariah Grooms and UndauntedK12 Program Manager Sarah Cassanego.
This cohort represents a wide range of grade levels, racial and ethnic backgrounds, and school types, and their campaign focus areas reflect the breadth of what climate action looks like in schools. Students are working on everything from environmental literacy curriculum and zero-waste initiatives to energy, transportation, and green schoolyards. Each student is mapping out their own campaign pathway across three key areas: campus operations, curriculum, and community partnerships.
Mentorship continues to be at the heart of the program. Each student is paired with a mentor who brings experience in climate policy, advocacy, and navigating education systems. Together, they work through a Personal Leadership Plan designed to build the kinds of skills students will carry into college and their careers, as well as collaborate on strategies for developing and executing a multi-month advocacy campaign.
This fall has included hands-on learning and opportunities for students to put those skills into practice. During the August workshop, students identified their campaign focus areas and built public speaking skills through role-playing and frameworks such as Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson’s Climate Action Venn Diagram. In September, students focused on coalition building, drafting an environmental policy, and they learned more about how school boards operate under California’s Brown Act. Alumni from previous cohorts also joined the sessions to share their advocacy experiences and offer guidance on delivering effective public comments.
The program mantra that keeps students going through these sessions and the challenging task of catalyzing change in their school communities is “Joyful Persistence”.
As we get deeper into the fall season, students will continue to engage with their local school boards to make introductory public comments and request spots on future agendas. Over the next few months, they will also continue to draft their policy proposals (whether that’s a board resolution, a board policy, or an administrative regulation), and present them to their school boards by December. As Cohort 4 moves toward its January Capstone Graduation, these young leaders are proving once again that youth voices belong at the policy table.
