Youth Climate Leadership Program Receives CDC Foundation Funding
Michael P. O'Connor
LINCOLN, MA—Mass Audubon is one of only 11 organizations nationwide to receive support from the CDC Foundation to engage young people in raising awareness about the connections between climate change and health and help their communities respond to environment-related health challenges.
The CDC Foundation is an independent nonprofit which helps the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) save and improve lives by unleashing the power of collaboration between CDC, philanthropies, corporations, organizations, and individuals to protect the health, safety and security of America and the world.
The $49,555 grant will go to Mass Audubon’s Youth Climate Leadership Program (YCLP), which is a youth-led, climate action immersion program aimed at creating a space for learning, conversation, networking, and developing solutions.
YCLP ([email protected]) is comprised of teens statewide who advocate and organize in their high schools and in their communities on behalf of meaningful climate action. YCLP conducts regional climate gatherings, conferences, and festivals throughout the calendar year.
Mass Audubon Youth Climate Leadership Representative Ollie Perrault said, “This funding will support our statewide work on systemic sustainability, environmental justice education, and inspiring youth leadership in the climate conversation. Living in the time of the climate crisis can take a toll on the mental and emotional wellbeing of anyone, but that impact is especially visible and relevant for young people.”
“With this funding, we are able to center eco-grief and hope; helping our youth leaders overcome climate anxiety as they continue fighting for our right to a livable future,” Perrault added.
As Senior Director of Education and Engagement Kris Scopinich noted, “The CDC Foundation grant not only supports YCLP’s growing commitment to centering the voices and perspectives of young people on meaningful climate action but is an example of how such partnerships between agencies and organizations are crucial in addressing the impacts of a warming planet on people and nature.”
Mass Audubon is the largest nature-based conservation organization in New England. Founded in 1896 by two women who fought for the protection of birds, Mass Audubon carries on their legacy by focusing on the greatest challenges facing the environment today: the loss of biodiversity, inequitable access to nature, and climate change. With the help of our 160,000 members and supporters, we protect wildlife, conserve and restore resilient land, advocate for impactful environmental policies, offer nationally recognized education programs for adults and children, and provide endless opportunities to experience the outdoors at our wildlife sanctuaries. Explore, find inspiration, and take action at www.massaudubon.org.