Back in 2018, fifty-one percent of young Americans believed that global warming was a threat in their lifetimes; only 29% of those aged 55 on up agreed with that statement. (Bruna Alves, 2/6/23. Statista.com)
That year a community organization named Fossil Free Fredericksburg – made up of residents ranging in age from sixteen to retirees – was brainstorming ways to educate and inspire hope in the public about climate change. They wanted to increase people’s understanding of the crisis and its impacts in the future. They also wanted to empower people to make both individual and systemic changes in their community and across the nation.
Thus, the free first youth-led “Solutions to Climate Change Conference” was born.
It was held at the University of Mary Washington on April 6, 2019 and over 150 people attended. Sessions included topics such as Global Warming-Know Your Facts and Dispel Myths, Green Living: It’s a Lifestyle Change, and a Youth Activism and Social Change panel. At the end of the conference, the students triumphantly cheered, “We did it!”
Students from Colonial Forge High School (CFHS) in Stafford were so inspired, they decided to plan their own conference for 2020. They planned and implemented the entire conference with mentoring from educators and community members. This time, it was held at CFHS and over 350 people attended.
In 2023, the third Youth Climate Conference was held in March. This time, college students as well as high school students from Fredericksburg’s James Monroe joined Stafford’s Colonial Forge High School in planning, implementing and presenting a wide variety of topics. Besides a Land Acknowledgement by a local Native American, highlights included a UN presentation, a documentary, a college research on heat zones, and poster sessions. Topics close to home included a discussion on the dangers of the CSX in the lower income area in Fredericksburg nightly park their trains filled with dangerous chemicals. Currently more than 71% of the American public believe that climate change is occurring.