Throughout 2021, re:power partnered with Future Coalition to train nearly 1000 participants across 7 unique training series geared toward developing new youth organizers in the fight for climate justice. This was one of the most ambitious training operations re:power has ever undertaken and likely one of the largest comprehensive training series held for youth climate justice organizers.
Future Coalition is a national network for youth-led organizations and youth organizers across the country. With a focus on supporting BIPOC young people, queer young people, and young people on the frontlines, Future Coalition works collaboratively to provide youth-led groups with the resources, tools, and support they need to create transformative change in our communities and in this country. During our partnership, they spent the year building new campaigns opportunities for youth to hold fossil fuel financiers accountable for their role in contributing to climate chaos – and we were so excited to be a part of it.
Here’s some more information about what re:power and Future Coalition did together:
Trainings Held
Re:power developed and designed 7 unique training series in partnership with Future Coalition. These included:
- Pilot Grassroots Organizing
- Grassroots Organizing
- Facilitators’ Training
- Action Design Training
- Recruitment Training
- Action Safety & Police Liaison Training
- Political Education Series
Future Coalition was intentional in working with re:power to design a training series that would build upon itself and allow them to not only develop new organizers but also new trainers. All of this work was part of building their Youth Climate Finance Alliance to organize big banks to stop funding the Fossil Fuel industry.
Wins
40 on-the-ground actions demanding a Fossil Free Future including:
- 21 youth-led actions targeting Chase Banks;
- 11 Federal Reserve actions;
- 2 BlackRock actions;
- 2 university divestment actions;
- 1 Vanguard action;
- 2 solidarity actions; and
- Secured meeting with Chase executives
- In addition to on-the-ground actions, digital campaigning resulted in 113 phone calls and 1,775 emails to Chase executives demanding a Fossil Free Future.
Learnings
In working with a youth-led organization, there were significant lessons learned for each entity:
- Move more slowly—urgency is important, but does not sustain people in the long fight.
- Be ambitious! Future Coalition is a youth-led movement that does not put unnecessary barriers on their ambition. It was a great reminder for many of us who have done this work for a long time.
- Utilize a people-centered approach—the people are what truly matter in this work. Invest in the people first.
What’s next
With the learnings and trainings from re:power, the Youth Climate Finance Alliance is entering their first ever shareholder season, where young people across the country will be calling on Shareholders to tell fossil fuel financiers to put an end to fossil financing.
Future Coalition is continuing to rapidly expand, opening its doors to even more youth movement support opportunities, coaching, resourcing and incubating of youth organizations. We are excited to watch them grow and continue to support!
This work was led by Conrado Ferreira dos Santos, re:power’s Director, Movement Building Programs.
