Photo by Sarah Kelso
It can be disheartening to not be taken seriously. I began my foray into Alabama politics two years ago when I was a sophomore in High School and I can attest to this statement first-hand. While adults are often “impressed” by my interest in political activism, many elected officials are not likely to be influenced by my voice alone simply because of my age and presumed lack of experience. Did I let this stop me? Absolutely not! I continued to work on various political campaigns and attend marches and rallies. After all, I can’t gain experience if I give up trying simply because my first attempt wasn’t a success.
Fast-forward to this year, my senior year, and I realized that I could do more than just passively participate at these events. The only problem was that I had no idea how to transition from attendee to organizer. Luckily, I happened to officially become a member of the Sierra Club in December of 2018. With this membership came a multitude of emails about donating, calling representatives, and joining conference calls about current issues. The topic for one conference call caught my attention because I had been asking this question myself: What do the midterm election results mean for the future of environmental legislation? After joining this call, I certainly learned a lot about what to expect in this legislative session, but my most important take-away came at the end when I learned about the “Our Climate Resolutions” week.
Sierra Club’s “Our Climate Resolutions” aimed to get Sierra Club members to start community conversations across the country. I was intrigued by the sound of it, but still wary of the prospect of leading a large group of opinionated activists. I was especially hesitant since this would be my first experience as an event organizer. But then I heard that my group could be as small as fifteen people— I was in.
I used the next few weeks to make flyers, reserve a meeting room, and join an online training about facilitating meetings. Before I knew it, the day of the meeting had arrived. I spent all morning printing information sheets, buying refreshments, and looking for reusable drink cups to the point that I was almost late to my own meeting. I arrived just in time to greet about a dozen participants as they walked in (I deemed this to be a very good-sized crowd). Soon after, the meeting had officially begun! I handed out information sheets to guide the conversation and we started to discuss congressional voting records, midterm election results, and current legislation. We also brainstormed how to approach local issues and find solutions. It was exciting to see how my fellow high school students with little experience on these topics were able to trade ideas with more experienced activists. After what had seemed like just a few moments, the meeting was almost over. First, however, I snapped a picture to commemorate what I was sure would be the first of many times I would work with these people.
Youth Climate Strike in Montgomery, Alabama
And sure enough, after the beginning of the legislative session, I was able to get together with three people who had attended my meeting to lobby Senator Doug Jones’ office to discuss the Green New Deal. In addition, I attended the Alabama Rivers Alliance’s annual Water Rally with one member of my group, helped get two people involved in volunteering at a local Earth Day event, and I attended Montgomery’s Youth Climate Strike on March 15th. While all the participants of my meeting did not join each event following our discussion, I managed to find a few who are willing to stick together, and I am eager to see what comes next.
Thinking back on this whole experience, I would change a lot about how I organized this event, but I wouldn’t change anything about the connections I made with people from across North Alabama. I made some mistakes, as was expected, but it was such an amazing feeling to organize and lead my own meeting that I am excited for the next opportunity to host an event. For anyone contemplating whether or not you should organize an event of your own, I highly recommend that you do! Even though it’s not an easy task, it helps you and your attendees to improve your activism skills and confidence in everything you do moving forward. Regardless of what you choose to do, I wish you the best of luck as we continue fighting for our planet!