Marin Voice: Impressive young activists creating new standards as future leaders

I have a dream that can become a reality. As more climate change activism programs get teens involved, I picture a near future in which many of these young advocates hold public office on local, state and national levels, or play significant roles in political campaigns.

My dream also envisions more young women, leaders of the present movement, holding public office.

I have recommendations regarding how we can help teens become politically literate and equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to increase their chances of holding public office or assisting others who are candidates. While these suggestions apply to all students, my focus is on climate crisis activists. That is clearly an urgent need.

There are a number of programs and organizations in Marin in which teens are actively working to support actions that will combat the effects of climate change. Some adults are working with these teens to teach them to effectively work the political system.

Many young activists are learning how to organize and effectively use social media to promote this cause. That is not enough. As many are learning, they still run into insurmountable obstacles on a congressional level. A key goal must be to change the balance of power in Congress to ensure that effective climate change action is taken.

One high priority is public speaking. Anyone who saw Amanda Gorman’s recitation of her inauguration poem “The Hill We Climb: An Inaugural Poem for the Country,” had to be impressed by her public speaking skills. Her intonations, timing and expressive use of her hands were a perfect demonstration of excellent public speaking.

For starters, every school should require training in public speaking, at the least a unit in an English or social studies class. Include watching excellent public speakers, perhaps beginning with the Gorman reading. Each student should be required to give a few short speeches followed by supportive feedback. Importantly, the issue of anxiety about public speaking must be addressed. It has certainly been said that some people fear public speaking as much as they fear death.

Most students will never run for public office. But all students will benefit by having the skills needed to make them effective aids to politicians they choose to work with in the future.

Closely related to this, being an effective debater is essential in political elections. Many English teachers already include debating as part of their curriculum, which is also a great way to teach critical thinking. Every climate crisis related program should include this.

Political diagnosis, including precinct analysis, is a critical skill that can be taught. This can start on a local level with learning how to draw a power map to identify who has the power in a community and to figure out what will move those individuals or institutions to change. This could include looking analytically at school board election politics.

Students need to think globally but begin by acting locally. They should be taught how to diagnose the political makeup of the community. This includes knowing the dominant beliefs and values of likely voters. It also includes doing advance research before addressing a particular community group and knowing how to “read” a room before engaging potential voters. Think about including a visit from a local political leader.

Importantly, students need to learn networking skills to build political alliances. Social media is part of the skill set of many students, but face to face meetings and phone calls, the old-fashioned approach, can be equally valuable.

Counseling students regarding university programs focused on environmental activism should be another aspect of training young activists. This is a logical next step for high school climate change activists.

The primary goal is to change the makeup of Congress so that bills designed to combat climate change will be passed, not stymied. These dedicated young people can help do that over the next couple of decades with the right training.