Lathrop High School sophomore Josie Adasiak joined 12 teenagers from across the state at the Alaska Environmental Action (AYEA) Youth Organizers Summit at the end of October to address climate change in Alaska . She also heads her AYEA chapter for local teens in Fairbanks.
According to Adasiak, the four-day conference was packed with information and learning about activism and community organizing. “It’s easy to get discouraged about climate change like you’re doing nothing. It’s been really encouraging to be around people who care as much as I do,” she said. . She added that it felt good to be working on a solution.
“I’ve always been really connected to nature,” Adasiak said. “I’ve seen the effects of climate change in real time my whole life.” By sixth grade, her class went skiing once because it wasn’t freezing. “want to protect [the environment] Please keep this for your future children,” she said.
Last summer, Adasiak participated in Calypso Farm’s Community Roots program, worked in the gardens at Hunter Elementary School, and sold fresh produce to the Southside community. Through her food, she connected with her community and learned about food justice and safety, she said.
The statewide goal is to “protect Alaskan people’s access to food through action and education,” Adasiak said. she said.
Adasiak uses the community organizing skills he learned at the AYEA Summit to launch an AYEA chapter in Fairbanks with local teens. Young Alaskans are the future of Alaska, Adasiak said. They plan to work with legislators to advocate for environmental and food-related actions.
“Food secure people don’t always think many Alaskans are food insecure,” she said. We will work to introduce local agricultural projects.
Her goal in Fairbanks, she said, is to bring local food to people in the area. I would like to confirm that it is an option for
For more information about AYEA, connect with local chapters at AYEA.org.
