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Dear friends,
I am constantly amazed by the resilience and determination of young people around the world – including and especially the five young women spotlighted below who serve as contributing editors of our OH-WAKE Magazine. Their innovative thinking, leadership, and tenacity always leave me feeling inspired!
But while I admire the perseverance of this next generation of leaders, I also want to acknowledge and hold space for the toll that recent years have taken on young people. We’re seeing ever-increasing numbers of youth around the world suffering from eco-exhaustion, erasure, and youthwashing.
Now is the time for us to do everything we can to make sure meaningful youth leadership is front and center in local and global policy decisions – both to show them that we are listening and that we value their present and their future.
But this isn’t happening today – at least not on the scale that a sustainable future demands.
Here’s a visual from our Google Trends research that is keeping my team focused on doing everything we can to pass the world’s largest megaphone over to youth leaders.
What you are looking at is our collective waxing and waning interest in the global youth environmental movement. When a noteworthy event receives media buzz, we pay attention – you’ll see that reflected in the large spikes in searches.
Once the strike fades from the public eye, our curiosity and our attention literally flatline.
We need your help to change this picture. Here’s how you can make an impact in your own circles:
- Share this newsletter with your friends, family, and network.
- Encourage a young person to complete the Global Youth Environmental Leaders Survey.
- Head over to ohwake.org to read more about youth priorities.
- Become a monthly donor to support our work. In addition to helping elevate and amplify the youth voice, you’ll also receive a print copy of OH-WAKE Magazine, Issue #1.
Thank you for everything you do – there is so much work to be done to work toward a healthier planet, and we can only achieve that vision with your help. As a small “thank you”, we’ve shared one of our downloadables from OH-WAKE Magazine.
Warmly,
Dr. Dune Ives
CEO, Lonely Whale
UNEP Survey
Do you know a young environmentalist who is yearning to have their voice heard? Lonely Whale has been commissioned by the United Nations Environmental Programme for a first-of-its-kind Global Youth Environmental Leader Survey.
This survey is open to anyone under the age of 25 around the world. Please share with your community. The survey closes on March 31st, 2022!
You can help spread the word by forwarding this newsletter and resharing this post: YOUTH ENVIRONMENT SURVEY.
Our Gift to You
If you need a break from your own eco-exhaustion, try this coloring page created by Ly Heisig, Senior Art Director for OH-WAKE Magazine, featuring the sage words from OH-WAKE contributing editor Oluwaseyi Moejoh. Check out more downloadables at ohwake.org.
Five Young Women Changing the World
In celebration of young voices and in keeping with this month’s theme of centering female leadership, we’re highlighting five young women making history as contributing editors to OH-WAKE Magazine. I am always so inspired by their insights – if you haven’t had a chance to get to know their work, head over to the site and give it a look! And a new issue is coming just in time for Earth Day!
Chanté Davis (17) is a climate storyteller from New Orleans, Louisiana. As an Ocean Hero, Chanté strives to make the movement equitable and inclusive to the historically oppressed through her One Oysean campaign.
Dejea Lyons (18) was born and raised in the beautiful Cayman Islands. Growing up on an island fostered her deep love for the ocean and the water, as well as a deep concern for the ocean’s health. She is the vice-president of Protect Our Future, a youth led organization in the Cayman Islands.
Hannah Testa (18) is a sustainability advocate, international speaker, author, TEDx speaker, politico, and founder of Hannah4Change, a nonprofit dedicated to fighting issues that impact the planet.
Heather Brockbank (17) is a youth leader and activist from The Bahamas. Heather is the UNICEF HEY Campaign Ambassador for The Bahamas and 2021 BESS scholar with the Bahamas Reef Environmental Education Foundation (BREEF).
Oluwaseyi Moejoh (20) is the Cofounder of U-recycle Initiative Africa and also a law student. She has been recognized as a National Geographic Young Explorer, a High Seas Alliance Youth Ambassador and a 2021 Three Dot Dash Global Teen Leader.
