SanDiego350 is taking the coronavirus pandemic very seriously, and urges everyone to heed governmental precautionary measures. While SanDiego350 in person gatherings are cancelled, we will hold as many events and volunteering opportunities as possible online and we’re compiling a short list of effective remote actions each of us can take every week. Take action now! Also, join our Facebook support group. Thank you for your continued support and stay safe!

 By: Katelynn Sutton, SD350 Youth Outreach Intern

Despite the recent and abrupt changes and challenges of the past month, SanDiego350 and its youth climate activists are remaining strong, engaged, and motivated. On March 19th, we realized that the youth climate action summit planned for April 4th must be converted to an online event. We saw that now, more than ever, youth needed a platform to connect and take action. So in just 3 weeks, we put together a 3-hour summit, with new, online-friendly content. 

I am happy to say our event was a great success. We had about 40 people on the zoom call (mostly teens -- including some from Chicago IL and South Bay LA -- and some adults) and were able to discuss a variety of topics ranging from environmental justice to communicating climate. There were four mini-TED talks by high school student leaders on how they got inspired and what they’ve learned, a spirited game of Kahoot!, and workshops on how to advocate, motivate peers to action, tactics to use, and how to avoid anxiety and burnout. More photos here.

Although the event was successful and the teens were engaged and inspired, it was the first of its kind, which left some room for improvement. Upon reviewing a survey that summit participants filled out, we have concluded that future online events should be shorter, more interactive, and more focused on interpersonal connection. Given we may have a couple of months of remote activism ahead of us, we plan to continuously plan and improve online events. We have multiple events planned for teens and adults in the month of April, like weekly calls with San Diego teen activists, and the April 22nd all-day virtual climate uprising event. 

As we watch the effects of COVID-19 unfold, we can see what it looks like when everyone does their part and the government takes a problem seriously and will demand nothing less. The fact that governments are all currently addressing this global issue goes to show that we are capable of rapid and sufficient action on urgent issues. If we keep fighting, we can get this same level of action on climate change. 

We may be amidst a pandemic, but now more than ever, we need to take action, because we need to find hope for our future. Hope is a beacon of light that keeps us moving forward in times like this. 

SD350: How did you get involved with SD350 and when was that?

Meisha Myers: I started to get involved with SD350 through the Youth Climate Action Summit in June 2019 and the youth summer program, and have been involved ever since.

SD350: What are three words that your friends would use to describe you?

MM: Three words that my friends use to describe me are: focused, determined and caring.

SD350: What drives your activism? 

MM: Injustice, lack of action and inequality drives my activism.

SD350: What have you learned since serving on the SanDiego350 Board? 

MM: Since serving on the SanDiego350 Board, I have learned that there’s more to organizing than the eye sees. It takes time, 110% of effort, and a whole team to run an amazing organization such as SanDiego350. From deciding on a logo to talking about budgeting, being on the board has enlightened me. It has made me take on more responsibilities but has made me more excited about being an activist and being a part of the organization.

SD350: How has SD350 helped develop your leadership as a youth climate activist? 

MM: SD350, as a whole, has made me a more outspoken, and active youth climate activist. Experiencing events such as organizing a die-in, attending meetings, and the youth climate action summit, have all helped make me become a leader. All of these experiences, plus more, with SD350, lead me to create an environmental club and organize the very first climate strike at my school.

SD350: What else would you like people to know about you? 

MM: I am very passionate about environmental justice and environmental science. Recently I started changing my habits to be more eco-friendly and sustainable. The process was hard at first, but now it’s getting easier. I enjoy experiencing new things whether it is through school, social life, etc.

By: Paloma Fallica

My name is Paloma Fallica and I’m a sophomore at the Academy of Our Lady of Peace. I also volunteer for SanDiego350, and one of our top priorities at the moment is spreading the word and garnering support for the San Diego Transportation Equity Working Group’s Environmental Justice priorities for the 2020 MTS transit initiative “Elevate 2020”. 

Our biggest priorities are connecting Environmental Justice communities to jobs, elevating mass transit, making public transit affordable, convenient and safe, and ensuring San Diego meets its regional climate goals. Vehicle transportation in the City of San Diego is responsible for more than half of the region’s greenhouse gas emissions, and this climate crisis cannot be solved if we do not provide an alternate eco friendly mode of transportation by building a transit system. In our eyes, the measure as it stands does not achieve this, which is why we need your help. 

I advocate for the implementation of this improved version of the measure because, as a passionate teenager who isn’t old enough to drive yet and greatly values equity and climate action within our community, these improvements to the public transportation system would be a dream come true. The implementation of Youth Opportunity Passes, or no-cost transit passes, is the most significant proposal; as of now the plan is to provide these passes to anyone 18 and younger, but SDTEWG would like those aged 19-24 to be included so college students can also have access to free public transportation. This will make transit affordable for those who rely on it and encourage other young people to take transit.

Read more here. 

Paloma Fallica is a sophomore at the Academy of Our Lady of Peace. She is involved with SanDiego350 because she believes that to fight the impacts of climate change, those passionate about climate must come together to educate and inspire people to take action. Part of taking action is speaking to be heard, so she wrote this letter voicing her enthusiasm for ensuring public transportation is designed with environmental justice in mind.

The main virtual rally will be from 12-1pm with speakers including County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher, ICU nurse Shannon Cotton, high school and college leaders, and Bobby Wallace of the Barona Band of Mission Indians (Kumeyaay Nation). 

From 1pm to 6pm, a series of workshops and panels will explore the Covid-19 disaster, environmental justice (in Spanish), the Kumeyaay perspective on climate, high school and college climate activism, living sustainably, climate activism from home, the San Diego Green New Deal, and more.

Local artists, music, and yoga mindfulness between the workshops will keep the day lively and build community. A closing session at 6 pm will refocus the urgent need for climate action. The complete program is listed here.

Please share about the event on social media (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter) to invite others and post photos of yourselves getting involved and tagging your friends! #ClimateUprisingSD