About Youth Mobilization
Catholic Climate Covenant mobilizes U.S. based high school students around climate action. From formation, to curriculum, and leadership team development, the Covenant offers youth and those who work with youth resources to organize for creation care through a Catholic perspective.
What We Do - Objectives of the Program
Inspire: Youth are inspired and hopeful because of the message of Laudato Si’. Their leadership in turn inspires the whole Church to act.
Develop and Train Leaders: We form regional teams of high school students. Training sessions include: advocacy, climate science, sustainability, Church teaching, eco-spirituality, and more!
Mobilize: Many youth in our Church want to take action and care deeply about the climate crisis but do not have an outlet to do so. We seek to support, accompany, and mobilize those youth to make changes in their communities and in the Church.
Make Change: The leadership teams host annual Catholic Youth Climate Summits (CYCS). The objective of the CYCS is for each attendee to leave with an action plan to take to their parish, school, or community.
Advocate: Youth are passionate about changing systems that contribute to the climate crisis. We prepare them to advocate to decision makers in their schools, Churches, and communities, urging them to make decisions in the interests of the common good, to care for creation, and ensure a brighter future for their generation. The leadership teams organize youth climate lobby days.
Approaches in the Program
Teams consist of 7-20 students. The student leaders are the primary leaders/decision makers, including coordinating and leading the Catholic Youth Climate Summit (CYCS) and lobby day. Youth apply to be on the leadership team at the beginning of the school year and commit for the full year (September-April). They meet, via zoom, twice a month.
Leaders in the Church and climate fields train and provide the leadership team with the spiritual and practical skills they will need to be successful.
The Catholic Youth Climate Summits serve as a catalyst for action. After the event, the leadership team follows up with the attendees to check the progress of their action plans. Additionally, the youth partner on larger actions, such as: rallies, climate lobby days, etc.
