CivXNow – A Project of iCivics
iCivics is working to inspire life-long civic engagement by providing high quality and engaging civics resources to teachers and students across our nation. They champion equitable, non-partisan civic education so the practice of democracy is learned by each new generation. YVFP is proud to be a member of the CivXNow Coalition, a cross-partisan group of over 100 organizations who’ve pledged to ensure that every young person acquires the civic knowledge, skills, and behaviors necessary for informed and authentic civic engagement.
American Public Television
American Public Television has licensed 11 Young Voices for the Planet films as film compilations within their interstitials and two ½ hour TV programs: Cool Kids vs Warm Planet and Kids Lead the Way. APT has distributed the Young Voices for the Planet films to 60 public television stations. You can call your local PBS station and ask whether they are broadcasting the Young Voices for the Planet films.
PBS LEARNING MEDIA
PBS Learning Media is a digital media service offered for free to support PreK-12 curriculum-based teaching and learning. You can find Young Voices for the Planet films on the PBS LearningMedia website which provides free educational resources to the 1.8 million teachers, helping them teach math, science, social studies, arts and literacy skills according to their curriculum standards. View the updated Young Voices for the Planet Civic Engagement & Democracy curriculum, which is based on its film series, and the associated standards here.
NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION
National Wildlife Federation highlights the Young Voices for the Planet films on several of their pathways resource pages, i.e., energy, water, climate change, and biodiversity.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC – THINK GREEN
National Geographic’s five million subscribers (teachers, librarians, school administrators, youth and others) had access to the Young Voices for the Planet films and curriculum for three years. Its alliances reach 20,000 per year; their Facebook geo-literacy supporter’s number 40,000 and the newsletter reaches another 100,000 twice each month. The YVFP films were streamed through National Geographic Education Online.
UNITED NATIONS FOUNDATION – CLIMASPHERE
The United Nations Foundation links the UN’s work with people around the world, mobilizing the energy and expertise of business and NGO’s to help tackle issues including climate change, global health, peace and security, women’s empowerment, poverty eradication and energy access. The UN Foundation has been featuring the Young Voices for the Planet films on its Climasphere website.
HARVARD UNIVERSITY — TRANSITION STUDIES
To prosper for very much longer on the changing Earth humankind will need to move beyond its current fossil-fueled civilization toward one that is sustained on recycled materials and renewable energy. This is not a trivial shift. It will require a major transition in all aspects of our lives. This weblog explores the transition to a sustainable future on our finite planet. It provides links to current news, key documents from government sources and non-governmental organizations, as well as video documentaries about climate change, environmental ethics and environmental justice concerns. The Young Voices for the Planet film series is included as a resource.
NOAA CLIMATE.GOV
NOAA’s Climate.gov website features the Young Voices for the Planet films and describes how they inspire and empower youth and adults alike to reduce CO2 emissions.
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
The Graduate STEM Fellows in K-12 Education (GK-12) Program, managed by NSF’s Division of Graduate Education (DGE), provides funding to graduate students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines to acquire additional skills that will broadly prepare them for professional and scientific careers in the 21st century.
THE BENJAMIN CENTER AT SUNY NEW PALTZ
Lynne Cherry, director of Young Voices for the Planet, was Visiting Scholar (2019-2020) at The Benjamin Center at SUNY New Paltz, where she built cross-discipline partnerships within the SUNY New Paltz ecosystem. Through the residency, Lynne is guest-spoke in classes and provided workshops on developing self-efficacy in young people through the YVFP film series—documenting young climate leaders’ success stories—and its companion Civic Engagement & Democracy Curriculum.
MID-HUDSON TEACHER CENTER
The Mid-Hudson Teacher Center (MHTC) created an online professional development course that introduces the Young Voices for the Planet films and Civic Engagement & Democracy Curriculum to educators in NY’s Orange, Ulster and Dutchess Counties, helping them to integrate it into their classrooms.
ZINN EDUCATION PROJECT – TEACH CLIMATE JUSTICE
The Zinn Education Project “Teach Climate Justice” offer teachers classroom-tested lessons for elementary through high school that address the climate crisis that threatens young people’s lives and puts climate science and equitable solutions front and center. These lessons can be used in social studies, language arts, science, and other subjects. The Young Voices for the Planet award-winning film, “Words Have Power” is included among these resources.
Citizens Climate Lobby
Citizens Climate Lobby (CCL) was founded to create the political will for a stable climate and to empower individuals to have breakthroughs in exercising their personal and political power. CCL is a grassroots, non-partisan organization. The organization trains and supports volunteers to develop relationships with members of Congress, the media and community leaders that will lead to enacting effective climate legislation. The focus of CCL’s lobbying efforts is a bill that will put a steadily-rising fee on carbon-based fuels and return the revenue to all households.
Communitopia
Communitopia works with young people in environmental justice communities directly through school, library and science center programs. Their programs have been shown to increase scientific literacy on climate change and students’ desire to take action and influence others on climate change. Communitopia integrated the award-winning Young Voices for the Planet film “Words Have Power” and Civic Engagement & Democracy Curriculum into their programs. Like the film star, Jaysa Mellers, the young people Communitopia engages are particularly interested in advocating for better air quality, as well more green spaces in their neighborhoods. They’re also interested in holding their elected officials accountable for enacting just climate laws at the local, regional and national levels. Together, YVFP and Communitopia instill self-efficacy in students, empowering them to help shape the conversation, learn the facts, find solutions and create energy-smart communities.
PROJECT GREEN SCHOOLS
Project Green Schools shows the Young Voices for the Planet films to thousands of students and invited Lynne Cherry to speak at their annual conference. In 2018, Project Green Schools awarded Young Voices for the Planet a Lifetime Achievement award for green education.
EARTH DAY NETWORK
Earth Day Network. Every year since the first Earth Day, Earth Day Network has held a gala Earth Day Celebration on the National Mall with large screens showing movies of people working to save the environment. In 2017, the Young Voices for the Planet films were embedded in the Teacher Student EDN Tool Kit.
North American Association of Environmental Educators (NAAEE)
For more than four decades, NAAEE has promoted excellence in environmental education throughout North America and the world. We are dedicated to strengthening the field of environmental education and increasing the visibility and efficacy of the profession.
MY HERO
MY HERO gave the YVFP film “Words Have Power” their BEST of FEST and 1st Place in Environmental Film awards in 2019. The YVFP Civic Engagement & Democracy Curriculum lessons for grades 3-12 based on “Words Have Power” are included in their online Teachers Guide which introduces multi-media tools, films and activities to students in order to instill environmental stewardship. YVFP was also received MY HERO’s ENGAGE award and has had one of its films included in their Media Arts Program with DVD – Celebrate ECO Heroism. “Olivia’s Birds and the Oil Spill” and “The Last Straw” are included in MY HERO’s anthology of films for young people.
AMERICANS WHO TELL THE TRUTH
Americans Who Tell The Truth (AWTT) is a collection of Robert Shetterly’s portraits and narratives that highlights citizens who courageously address issues of social, environmental, and economic fairness. By combining art and other media, AWTT offers resources to inspire a new generation of engaged Americans who will act for the common good, our communities, and the Earth. Mr. Shetterly has created portraits of many young activists who can be found on his Portrait Gallery under the “Young Activists” theme. AWTT’s engagEd offers a resource for educators who wish to teach the tools of engaged citizenship and involve students in solving the world’s problems.
THE CLEAN NETWORK
CLEAN (Climate Literacy Energy Awareness Network) is vetted by scientists at eminent scientific institutions such as NOAA. CLEAN builds on Climate Literacy Network’s broad collection of educational resources and fosters a scientific-education community that helps facilitate students, teachers, and citizens becoming climate literate and informed about “the climate’s influence on you and society and your influence on climate.” CLEAN has given the ‘seal of approval’ to the films regarding their scientific content and accuracy and their value to help teach science in the classroom. Members of the 1000+ scientists and educators, often show the Young Voices for the Planet films at schools, science centers and conferences.
CHILDREN’S ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY FOUNDATION (CELF)
CELF prepares future citizens and leaders by promoting education for sustainability for K-12 teachers, administrators and students. CELF’s Citizen Science Teacher Training Workshops incorporate YVFP’s films “Words Have Power” and “Longing for a Local Lunch”. These films introduce the issues of environmental justice and environmental health (air quality), as well as how to incorporate fresh local food into school cafeteria and wellness programs.The films, in combination with the YVFP ACTION plan, present students with opportunities to innovate solutions, develop critical and systems thinking skills, and inspire “action as an antidote to fear.” In accordance with Next Gen Science Standards, students use AirBeam air quality monitoring technology and apps to conduct an in-depth exploration of air pollution in their community and its impacts on health. They learn about the intersection of science and policy related to air quality, including engagement with legislative processes while developing action plans to share with community leaders.
American Renewable Energy Day (AREI)
AREI’s is to advance the rapid implementation of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency at the speed and scale necessary to provide solutions of both the environmental and economic crises currently facing humankind and the planet. AREI brings together thought leaders to solve world problems and includes the Young Voices for the Planet films in their film screenings.
CLIMATE MAMA
Climate Mama educates and informs Climate Mamas and Papas of all ages from all around the world about the realities of the climate crisis—providing trusted and reliable sources that have been vetted and triple checked. They help us make connections on how they are impacting and impacted by climate change. Climate Mama inspires us to make our hectic, harried lives more sustainable, for ourselves, families, community and the world we share.
Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes
The Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes celebrates inspiring, public-spirited young people. Each year, the Barron Prize honors 25 outstanding young leaders ages 8 to 18 who have made a significant positive difference to people and the environment. Alec Loorz won the Barron Prize in 2010, and Olivia Bouler won the Barron Prize in 2011.
THE CLOUD INSTITUTE
The Cloud Institute prepares school systems and their communities to educate for a sustainable future by inspiring educators and engaging students through meaningful content and learner-centered instruction.
THE COMMUNICATION INITIATIVE NETWORK
The Communication Initiative is a partnership and networking space where people using media and communication strategies for action on poverty and other major issues share, learn and converse.
CLIMATE INSTITUTE
Screening YVFP Films in Climate Observatories in Mexico. The Climate Institute has completed construction of about a dozen “Climate Observatories”, called “Casas de la Tierra” or Earth Houses, throughout Mexico. Exquisitely designed small science centers, they blend with the landscape and reach, on average, 10,000 participants each month. The Climate Institute hopes to replicate this model globally in the southern US where there are large Latino populations and in countries throughout Latin America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
Alliance to Save Energy (ASE): School Energy Audits
ASE shows the YVFP films in their teacher workshops about conducting school energy audits. The films have a great impact as information about saving energy and money cascades through the levels of school, home, business and community, as heating and cooling buildings consumes 1/3 of all US energy.
Camel Climate Change Education
Camel is a program of the National Center for Science and the Environment. They share the Young Voices for the Planet films at their educator workshops, conferences and on their website.
CLIMATE CHANGE LIVE
ClimateChangeLIVE was sponsored by the U.S. Forest Service in conjunction with 26 others partners. including the Dept. of Energy, NOAA, Fish & Wildlife Service, ACE, Will Steger Foundation and National Wildlife Federation. Their webinar series and televised webcasts featured the Young Voices for the Planet films and emphasized the importance of staying away from gloom and doom and teaching through hope. It featured videos, teacher testimonials, kids action projects and their thoughts on climate change. Their focus was on kids inspiring other kids and giving teachers the skills they need to teach about climate change and encourage action. This program was fast-paced and engaging. USFS estimates that they reach 400,000 people a year with their programs.
DREAM IN GREEN
Dream in Green, the namesake of our film “Dreaming in Green”, brings energy audits to schools. Dream in Green uses the Young Voices for the Planet films in their programs, links to them on their website and facilitates their screening in Florida films festivals.
EARTH FOCUS
Earth Focus is an environmental news magazine that features investigate reports on how changes to the Earth’s resources and climate are affecting everyday people all over the world.
ESRI
ESRI has helped Young Voices for the Planet to create a YOUTH ACTION MAP with the help of GIS Corps. We welcome hearing from you about your youth action stories which we will put on the map. See GIS Below for more information.
GETTING THE PICTURE – CHASING ICE TEACHER GUIDE
The Teacher Guide for the Movie Chasing Ice: Chapter 6.2 Speaking Up for Our Earth. There are plenty of ways, big and small, for people of all ages to change the world around them to help make it a better place. Even though it seems that adults are making many of the decisions about the fate of our planet, many kids have already taken on the challenge of climate change with great success. This chapter, features kids who have taken big initiatives to raise awareness on climate change and make a difference in their own personal actions as well. We hear their stories, and also learn about opportunities we can take in our own lives every day to change the story of climate change for the better.
GIRL SCOUTS
Girl Scouts of Northern California helped to fund our film Girl Scouts and they show it to their troops to inspire them.
GIS CORPS
GIS Corps & ESRI have created the YVFP Youth Action Map of International Youth Action Projects. The Young Voices for the Planet Youth Action Map uses software donated by ESRI, and has been designed by Pam Bond, a volunteer from GISCorps. The map connects the global community of youth fighting climate change and enables them to locate others nearby to collaborate with. It includes the Young Voices for the Planet youth.
Global Co Lab Network
The goal of the Global Co Lab Network is to help people get out of their silos and work across networks more effectively. The “Co Lab” helps foster solutions-based collaboration with a focus on ensuring input from teens and millennials. Over the past year and a half, Global Co Lab has hosted six salons engaging teens through Teens Dream, a digital platform empowering teens globally to articulate and pursue their dreams.
GREEN AMBASSADORS
The Green Ambassador Institute is an organic grass-roots program that was developed by students, for students, and for the benefit of the world that the students will inherit. Their strategy through all of their programs is to provide experiences for the Green Ambassadors to acquire knowledge and develop the skills that will not only help them in this program, but also provide them with real-world skills for personal, academic, and professional success. The students take the issue, research and develop solutions, and socially market the solution to their peers and the community at-large.
IMATTER YOUTH MOVEMENT
iMatter was founded when a Alec Loorz, a teenaged activist, called upon thousands of his peers to organize and march for their future. iMatterNow is a vision for the path forward, backed by powerful tools and resources. It calls upon young activists to secure commitments from our local governments to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to levels that ensure a healthy planet for ours and all future generations. If we band together, school by school, city by city, we can end the climate crisis within our lifetimes.
INTERFAITH POWER & LIGHT
The mission of Interfaith Power & Light is to help hundreds of congregations of all faiths to save energy, go green, and respond to climate change. They are showing the Young Voices for the Planet films at their house parties and have included them in their Film Library—a great collection for congregations and religious communities to borrow.
JANE GOODALL INSTITUTE
Jane Goodall Institute JGI’s Roots & Shoots gives youth a way to organize meaningful projects and empowers them. Like Young Voices for the Planet, they recognize that young people have the capacity to make a difference in their own lives and the lives of fellow human beings, animals and the planet we share. They have reached more than 150,000 young people from preschool to university in more than 120 countries.
MASSACHUSETTS CLIMATE ACTION NETWORK
The Massachusetts Climate Action Network (MCAN) fights the climate crisis one town at a time, with the help of local MCAN chapters – and you! They showed “Save Tomorrow” at their annual conference where the Save Tomorrow kids conducted a workshop on how to convince town leaders to commit to clean renewable energy. MCAN sponsored many screenings of the Young Voices for the Planet films throughout Massachusetts often partnering with other groups such as the Audubon Reserves.
MOTHER NATURE NETWORK
With a goal of providing the most accurate and up-to-date information available, MNN cover the broadest scope of environmental news and social responsibility issues on the Internet, and in a way that is engaging and easy-to-understand. As opposed to scientists, activists or experts, MNN is designed for the rest of us — everyday people who simply want to make our world better.
MOMS CLEAN AIR FORCE
Moms Clean Air Force featured the YVFP films in a blog and they share the YVFP films with their members and show them at house parties.
NASA STEM
NASA’s STEM education programs, which reach hundreds of thousands of K-12 students, often show the Young Voices for the Planet films. Their education outreach department reaches hundreds of schools and conferences.
NATIVE FOREST COUNCIL
The mission of Native Forest Council is to fully protect and preserve every acre of publicly owned land in the United States. NFC created a special webpage just for our films.
OUR CHILDREN’S TRUST
Our Children’s Trust incorporated a great deal of the Young Voices for the Planet footage from our film Kids vs Global Warming into their film about Alec Loorz’s lawsuit against the Federal Government for failing to regulate carbon emissions. Alec’s is one of their documentaries of young people suing governments for failure to protect their future. Our Children’s Trust included the YVFP films in a traveling Film Festival On Tour — “A Climate of Change” — that they and the Wild & Scenic film festival organized together. The YVFP films are also included in their Climate Action handbook.
OUR TASK
Our Task’s goal is to inspire the young people to be an important voice on global problems and be the powerful force to lead the change towards a sustainable planet for future generations. The Earth 2100 Conference took place in June, 2016 in Washington D.C.. This is a knowledge exchange space where a thoughtful, civil, intergenerational dialogue takes place every year on global issues that young people will confront over the course of their lives. Our Task launched their Global 2100 Project and celebrated their 10-year anniversary.
PLANET CLASSROOM
Planet Classroom is a Network on YouTube created by youth and for youth. During its first 6 month Season the Network is presenting a global show highlighting powerful stories that are by youth and for youth artists, creators and curators. Our creators and curators focus on celebrating global oneness. They do this by showcasing powerful video storytelling, cultural workshops and social impact innovations combined with interactive discussion on global challenges featuring voices from around the world. We seek to provide not only awesome entertainment for audiences but opportunities and innovations that inspire communities to heal, flourish and learn from their global peers.
PLANT FOR THE PLANET
Plant for the Planet is a global movement that has planted millions of trees worldwide. At the Plant for the Planet academies (one-day workshops), children learn the tools and knowledge they need to excel as ambassadors for climate justice and to empower other children, as well as adults, to raise awareness of the need for sustainability. Plant-for-the-Planet has appointed more than 27,000 Climate Justice Ambassadors. It is an initiative of world citizens who are committed to climate justice through achieving an overall reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and a unified distribution of these emissions among all of humankind.
POWER OF ONE WOMAN
The power of one woman is changing the world. Women on the earth, working for the earth, featuring real women with real stories and real change. This link takes you to their feature on YVFP Founder, Lynne Cherry.
SIERRA CLUB
Sierra Club is the organizer of the film festival at the Green Festivals being held in many cities around the US. and has been showing subtitled versions of the YVFP films for screenings in noisy exhibition halls. The Sierra Club has 1.4 million members.
TEAM MARINE
“Team Marine” students appeared in a Young Voices for the Planet film in 2009 about their success in passing a ban on plastic bags in Santa Monica, Ca. Year after year, other Team Marine students, inspired by this film, have worked toward a California STATE plastic bag ban. Their efforts include scientific research; testifying, marching through the streets, creating PSA videos about storm drains, doing eco-artwork, lobbying at the capitol, calling & writing, TV, newspapers, magazines, blogs & podcasts. They collaborate with NGO’s and academic institutions, educating countless audiences through their lesson plans, speeches, booth presentations, and social media presence. Their website approached 1 million page views. Team Marine students were instrumental in getting California’s statewide plastic bag ban signed into law.
TIME FOR KIDS
TIME For Kids is a weekly classroom news magazine that motivates kids to read! Issues cover a wide range of real-world topics kids love to learn about – and it’s the best nonfiction text you’ll find! Our Digital Editions are the perfect supplement to your TIME For Kids print subscription, and they deliver a host of exciting features to help bring TIME For Kids to life.
VOICES OF YOUTH
Voices of Youth offers inspiring, original insight and opinion from across the globe – from young people, for young people.