
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.

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.


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!
by the numbers!
9k+
total youth engaged
113+
climate-related
workshops
240+
high schools connected

2.8k+
social media followers
180+
people reached
through CAPs!
meet the team!
featured
alumni
Meet the alumni of the Bay Area Youth Climate Summit team!