Vision

To empower the next generation of courageous changemakers who will protect our most important life-giving resources: our ocean and our climate.

GOALS & ASPIRATIONS

(Expanded from the demands listed on the global climate coalition site strikewithus.org to meet the unique needs and potential of coastal communities.)

WHY DO WE NEED S.O.S. WAVEMAKERS?

Background

Since the release of the October 2018 UN IPCC Report giving little more than a decade to prevent unstoppable climate catastrophes from impacting their shared future, millions of young people on every continent have rallied to speak truth to power demanding immediate transformative solutions. This movement has been slower to take hold in the U.S. and our region than in other places around the globe.

3 Potential Hindrances to U.S. Youth Eco-Activism

  1. U.S. media barely covers the climate emergency, the plastic crisis, or how global youth are rising up to protect life on Earth.
  2. Overwhelmed with 24/7 Internet information, most Americans are aware of how humans are impacting the environment but few are tuned in to the increasingly disturbing predictions; pollution-induced disasters already happening around the world; or the urgency, scope, and scale of transformation needed to protect life on Earth.
  3. Pressure to succeed in school, overloaded schedules, social pressure to conform with peers, and the fear of failure our competitive culture nurtures, may further deter some youth from participating in activism movements much less attempting to plan awareness-building events.

S.O.S. Wavemakers is Our Solution

S.O.S. WaveMakers will be a regional movement of young leaders who support and inspire one another through monthly youth-led “drop-in” digital meetings and quarterly in-person gatherings. A Resource Circle of community leaders will ensure S.O.S. WaveMakers have needed knowledge, support, and connections; impactful leadership opportunities that enhance their academic development; and readiness for college and life.

Join a coalition of youth eco-activism supporters & collaborators!

Citizen’s Climate Lobby (Santa Cruz Chapter)

Doug Erickson, Founder Santa Cruz New Tech Meetup

Rebecca Garcia, Watsonville City Council Member

Patagonia Santa Cruz

Regeneración, Pájaro Valley Climate Action

Santa Cruz County Climate Action Network

Santa Cruz Indivisible

Sunrise Movement, Santa  Cruz Hub

Surfrider Monterey

Surfrider Santa Cruz

The Last Plastic Straw

Watsonville Film Festival


JOIN THE COALITION!

PHOTO CREDITS: Johanna Miller/Register-Pajaronian, Jordy Hyman Santa Cruz Sentinel, and Amelia Olson, Point Lobos 2018, Save Our Shores