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A   B   O   U   T       U   S

by Youth & for Youth

The Bay Area Youth Climate Summit is an entirely youth-run network of movement-builders, creating in-depth and interdisciplinary workshops and mobilizing local Bay Area high schoolers.

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our story!

The Bay Area Youth Climate Summit (BAYCS) was born out of a need for effective virtual activism during the pandemic. Founded in May of 2020, the inaugural BAYCS Youth Advisory Council connected environmental leaders from 15 schools based in San Francisco, becoming a community hub that has grown ever since. After five months planning, BAYCS put on the first-ever Bay Area Youth Climate Summit on September 12th, 2020, bringing together over 280 youth from 88 schools and 14 states for a day of workshops, discussions, and Climate Action Planning. 

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Outside of our summits, we have run monthly workshops on topics ranging from local air quality inequity to Indigenous climate activism to ARTivism. These workshops are opportunities to explore different facets of the environmental movement and for youth to meet and connect. Additionally, in 2022, we hosted our first annual Earth Day Festival focused on climate joy and hope, bringing together Bay Area school environmental clubs, bands, and artists. BAYCS has also worked to support community mutual aid efforts, donating over $15,000 in hygiene kits to local community fridges in Oakland, Marin, and San Francisco, 430 books to the Children’s Book Project, and supporting circular fashion efforts through a Smartwool Sock Drive in 2023. 

Since this first summit, we have built off this foundation and our summits have grown. Our 2021 summit consisted of both a virtual and in-person section, hosted at St. Ignatius College Preparatory in San Francisco. We hosted our 2022 summit at the World Affairs Building, uniting over 100 youth and educators through nine interactive workshops. In 2023, we held our summit at the California Academy of Sciences, uniting over 230 youth. Finally, our most recent summit, in September of 2024, was held at the University of California, San Francisco, with over 14 workshops and 215 attendees. 

The Bay Area Youth Climate Summit strives to foster a local community of high schoolers that is empowered to both learn deeply about the climate crisis and take action. If you are an interested young person, we encourage you to join us in the fight for climate justice!

Our Story
Our Impact

by the numbers!

9k+

total youth engaged

113+

climate-related 

workshops

240+

high schools connected

Bay Area Youth Climate Summit logo

2.8k+

social media followers

180+

people reached

through CAPs!

Meet The Team

meet the team!

Partners

partners

California Academy of Sciences logo
Greenbelt Alliance logo
Bow Seat logo
350 Bay Area logo
Youth vs. Apocalypse logo
Children Now logo
World Affaris logo
San Francisco Environment Department logo
St. Ignatius College Preparatory School Green Team logo
Bay Area Science Festival Logo
Lick-Wilmerding Environmental Club log
The Youth Vote logo
Compton Kidz Club logo
The Wild Center's Youth Climate Program logo
George Washington High School Eco Club logo
The Center logo
Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts Environmental Club logo
Project Super Plants logo
Green swirl logo
San Mateo County Office of Education logo
Mycelium Youth Network logo
Acterra logo
The Marine Mammal Center logo
Project Purpose Logo
KQED logo
Youth United for Community Action logo
Asian Pacific Environmental Network logo
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featured

KQED Newscast

KQED Newscast

A radio feature about BAYCS's work.

Reasons To Be Cheerful

Reasons To Be Cheerful

‘Composting Our Emotions’: How Climate Action Cultivates Well-Being

BAYCS Inspires New "Youth Action for the Planet" Program

BAYCS Inspires New "Youth Action for the Planet" Program

BAYCS in collaboration with the Cal Academy's new Youth Action for the Planet!

California Academy of Sciences Panel

California Academy of Sciences Panel

Cal Academy hosts BAYCS for MLK Day of Action. Hear Co-Chair, Finn Does speak on environmental justice!

Bow Seat

Bow Seat

Awarded the Bow Seat Fellowship Grant

US State Department RTV Slovenija Interview

US State Department RTV Slovenija Interview

Natalie & Finn interviewed for US State Department Media Co-op Project: Radio-Television Slovenia.

United Nations

United Nations

Climate Action Story: Bay Area Youth Climate Summit

SF Examiner

SF Examiner

SF’s youth ready to ‘turn and burn’ for the planet’s future

Greenbelt Alliance

Greenbelt Alliance

Youth Climate Activism from Glasgow to the Bay Area

ABC-7 News

ABC-7 News

4 Bay Area teens win 2021 International Young Eco-Hero awards for strategies to fight climate change

J. Weekly

J. Weekly

2 Bay Area teens among $36,000 Diller Teen Tikkun Olam award winners

Diller Tikkun Olam Awards

Diller Tikkun Olam Awards

The Bay Area Youth Climate Summit was one of 15 projects created by this year's 2022 awardees.

The Paper Tiger

The Paper Tiger

Bay Area Youth Climate Summit Cultivates Activists

Acclimate West

Acclimate West

Two Bay Area Activists Rally for Earth Day Summit

She's Up Next Podcast

She's Up Next Podcast

Episode #2: Achieving Environmental Justice Through Climate Action

The Paper Tiger

The Paper Tiger

BAYCS’ Earth Day Summit Highlights Climate Policy & Action

UCSF Bay Area Science Festival

UCSF Bay Area Science Festival

Bay Area Youth Climate Activism Panel

EthiCAL Apparel

EthiCAL Apparel

March Community Partnership: Bay Area Youth Climate Summit (BAYCS)

Redwood Bark

Redwood Bark

Virtual climate summit assembles teen environmentalists nationwide

The Paper Tiger

The Paper Tiger

Youth Climate Summit Inspires Hundreds of Students

featured
alumni

alumni

Meet the alumni of the Bay Area Youth Climate Summit team!

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