Back in May, interns from Antioch High School took important steps in their environmental advocacy work by bringing their projects beyond the classroom and directly to local decision-makers. Through presentations at both the Antioch Unified School District Board meeting and the Antioch City Council meeting, the interns shared the results of months of research, community engagement, and environmental education. These presentations gave them the opportunity to practice public speaking, demonstrate the impact of their projects, and advocate for greater action on issues affecting their community. By speaking directly with their school district representatives and elected city officials, the interns showed how youth voices can play a meaningful role in shaping local conversations about climate change impacts and environmental justice.
At the Antioch Unified School District Board meeting on May 20th, interns introduced themselves as the newest Earth Team cohort and explained how the goals of their Climate Literacy Committee (CLIC) project have progressed since they last presented to the board a year prior. More specifically, the team presented on the climate literacy workshops they held at middle and elementary schools throughout the school district. Read more about those workshops here! The interns each took turns approaching the podium to express why teaching students about climate change at a young age is a critical step in developing an informed community, one that is willing to adapt to and mitigate increasingly extreme climate hazards. They shared how they planned and facilitated the workshops, highlighted feedback they received from participating teachers, and concluded with an appeal for the board to continue supporting climate literacy throughout the district.
Less than a week later, the same intern cohort presented at the Antioch City Council meeting on May 26th. Despite the last-minute notice from the City Clerk and City Manager’s offices that they would not be showing the slide deck that the team had made, the interns did a great job of altering their presentation to fit into a series of public comments. For this presentation, the interns shared the results of a different project focused on Tire and Road Wear Particles (TRWP) that are oftentimes so small they stay suspended in the air, traveling out from roads into our greater watersheds and even our bodies. They explained the objectives of the project funders from the California Air Resources Board (CARB), described how they collected road dust samples across Antioch to assess TRWP concentrations, and discussed why their findings matter for the health of their community and local environment. Read more about the sampling process here!
By presenting their work to both the school board and city council, the interns demonstrated that meaningful environmental advocacy starts with informed, engaged community members. Their presentations highlighted not only the impact of their projects, but also the value of creating opportunities for young people to contribute to local decision-making. As they continue developing their leadership skills and tackling environmental challenges, these interns are helping build a more informed, resilient, and sustainable future for the Antioch community!
