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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-led activism network that offers in-depth educational, environmental justice workshops and mobilizes local Bay Area high schoolers to create and implement Climate Action Plans (CAPs) in their communities and schools.

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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. Originally created by leaders of Lick-Wilmerding's Environmental Club, they gathered together applications for the inaugural BAYCS Youth Advisory Council of 22 students from 15 Bay Area schools in May of 2020. Over the summer, the Youth Advisory Council worked tirelessly to plan the first ever Bay Area Youth Climate Summit on September 12, 2020. The summit brought together over 280 youth from 88 schools and 14 states for a day of workshops, discussions, and Climate Action Planning.

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          In 2021, we hosted our second ever Bay Area Youth Climate Summit! This time, the summit consisted of both virtual and in-person sections, one on each day so both local and national or international students could tune in. Our in-person summit was graciously hosted at St. Ignatius College Preparatory in San Francisco. 

          The Bay Area Youth Climate Summit strives to foster a local community of high schoolers that is empowered to both learn deeply about different facets of 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!

          Since September of 2020, we have run monthly workshops on topics ranging from local air quality inequity to Indigenous climate activism, and an Environmental Science Career Expo. Learn more about our workshops here. BAYCS also continued to support students in achieving their Climate Action Plans. You can learn more about these student-led projects on this page. Additionally, BAYCS worked to support community mutual aid efforts in an environmentally friendly way. From December-February, we donated over $15,000 in hygiene kits that included socks, deodorant, menstrual supplies, toothbrushes, and reusable masks to local community fridges in Oakland, Marin, and San Francisco. On April 24, 2021, we hosted the Earth Day Bay Area Youth Climate Summit that focused on two key themes of policy and action, providing a way for youth to engage in tangible action on Earth Day.

Our Story
Our Impact

by the numbers!

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1k+

newsletter subscribers

3.5k+

total youth engaged

18+

successful CAPs

2.1k+

social media followers

74+

climate-related 

workshops

180+

people reached

through CAPs!

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Meet The Team

meet the team!

Partners

partners

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featured

Bow Seat

Bow Seat

Awarded the Bow Seat Fellowship Grant

RTV Slovenija Interview

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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