ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE CURRICULUM

OPEN SOURCE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE RESOURCES

YoR is developing an environmental justice educational curriculum created by and for California youth and available to all in print and through our online platform. Our curriculum and toolkit of educational resources will include lessons, videos, projects, and a space for youth to connect with others on local environmental justice topics:

  • Lesson 1: History of Environmental Justice

  • Lesson 2: Intersectional Environmentalism

  • Lesson 3: Environmental Justice Issues: From Local to Global

  • Lesson 4: Storytelling for Justice 

  • Lesson 5: Art as Activism

  • Lesson 6: You are an EJ Movement Leader

When we asked frontline California youth who come from communities affected by environmental justice what they would want to learn and be taught to their peers, this is what they said:

  • Anti-blackness and what environmental racism is

  • Indigenous acknowledgement, involvement and frameworks.

  • How can one be more involved in their community?

  • Environmental science and justice careers and opportunities

  • The importance of grounding ourselves + understanding EJ comes in different forms 

  • More ways to get involved in the environmental justice movement that is easily accessible

  • What is CDR?

  • The history of the environmental justice community, where are the roots and how did it start? 

  • Environmental justice issues around California and how they connect with Latin American EJ issues

By directly addressing the resource gaps for youth in environmental communities and providing access to youth-oriented and culturally responsive educational materials, we will work to amplify the voices of California youth as environmental justice activists through empowering and inclusive storylines, narrators, characters, and themes.

CURRICULUM WORKING GROUP

YoR recognizes that this important work cannot be done alone. In the spirit of the Jemez Principles for Democratic Organizing, YoR works in collaboration with experts from community-based organizations across California through a curriculum working group composed of adult and youth leaders from each participating organization. We hope to both learn from their expertise and “extend their reach” beyond their immediate service areas.

 Each of these organizations represents communities that have championed environmental justice for decades. We hope to share their rich history while ensuring they “speak for themselves” through direct participation in the curriculum’s creation.