Maine Youth for Climate Justice supports young people in the fight for climate action and justice through legislative advocacy, community organizing, and educational programming.

Climate justice is an interconnected movement. It demands bold action that aligns with the magnitude of the crisis while prioritizing justice, science, and prosperity for all.

We Value…

Uplifting Youth voices - Intergenerational Collaboration - Challenging the Status Quo

We, the Youth of Maine, Demand…

Intersectionality

Policy priorities: Wabanaki Sovereignty, Minority Community Protections, Affordable Healthcare

  • The State of Maine recognizes and respects legislative actions supporting sovereignty for the Wabanaki Nations.

  • Protection and compassion through policy for queer people, people of color, and new immigrant Mainers.

  • Equitable and affordable healthcare, food security, housing, and mental health resources.

Youth Civic Engagement

Policy priorities: Promoting and Protecting Youth Voices, Climate and Wabanaki Education, Freedom of Speech and Expression

  • Legislators must listen to, amplify, and protect the voices of marginalized communities and youth in the policy decision-making process, or step aside.

  • Maine public schools provide comprehensive climate and Wabanaki education.

  • All government agencies and the judiciary respect young people's freedom of speech and expression, ensuring their voices are neither disregarded nor silenced.

Environmental and Energy Justice

Policy priorities: Climate Superfund, Energy Fairness, Public Transportation, Green Workforce

  • The top 1% of polluters are held accountable and pay for their mess.

  • A just transition shepherded by the State of Maine to 100% clean, renewable energy by 2040.

  • Legislators support policies to increase funds for clean public transportation and protect electricity customers.

  • Opportunities for youth to enter and contribute to Maine’s green workforce.

Federal and State Action

Policy priorities: Climate Action, Dismantling Oppressive Systems, Student Protections

  • Legislators, corporate leaders, and people in positions of power take necessary action to mitigate and adapt to climate change with the urgency that science and justice require.

  • An acknowledgment of and remedy for the colonialist systems that have contributed to the climate crisis and are actively used to oppress people in the Global South, including those in Palestine, Congo, Sudan, and South Sudan.

  • Federal and state protections for vulnerable groups, including international students, advocates for the liberation of Palestine, and others demanding institutional divestment from apartheid states, and the military-industrial complex.