The Power of Youth in Climate Leadership

Kick off Earth Week the right way and join us to hear Xiuhtezcatl Martinez speak about “The Power of Youth in Climate Leadership” on April 17th! This event is brought to you by WUD: Society and Politics Committee and co-sponsored by ASM’s Sustainability Committee.Xiuhtezcatl is a 16-year-old indigenous climate activist, hip-hop artist and youth director of Earth Guardians, a worldwide conservation organization.At the early age of six, Xiuhtezcatl began speaking around the world, from the Rio+20 United Nations Summit in Rio de Janeiro to addressing the General Assembly at the United Nations in New York. He has worked locally to get pesticides out of parks, coal ash contained, and moratoriums on fracking in his state, and is currently a plaintiff in a youth-led lawsuit against the federal government for their failure to protect the atmosphere for future generations.Xiuhtezcatl has traveled across the nation and to many parts of the world educating his generation about the state of the planet they are inheriting and inspiring youth into action to protect the Earth. His message has inspired youth to join the front lines combating the environmental crisis.His work has been featured on PBS, Showtime, National Geographic, Rolling Stones, Upworthy, The Guardian, Vogue, Bill Maher, Skavlan, CNN, MSNBC, HBO, VICE, and more.In 2013, Xiuhtezcatl received the 2013 United States Community Service Award from President Obama, and was the youngest of 24 national change-makers chosen to serve on the President's youth council.  He is the 2015 recipient of the Peace First Prize, recipient of the 2015 Nickelodeon Halo Award, 2016 Captain Planet Award and the 2016 Children's Climate Prize in Sweden. We hope to see you on April 17th, at 6:30 PM in Union South, TITU as Xiutezcatl Martinez speaks about “The Power of Youth in Climate Leadership.”