On October 24, nearly 400 students will gather at West Los Angeles College to join the fight against climate change on the International Climate Day of Action. With a focus on youth activism and environmental justice, students from John Marshall High School, Culver City High School, Hamilton High School, Westchester Enriched Sciences Magnets, Animo Inglewood Charter High School, Animo Venice Charter High School, and West Los Angeles College, will assemble at the campus to learn how they can find their voices and more solutions to climate change. Through a series of workshops and community-building activities, students will learn how they can contribute to saving the earth’s dwindling resources. The event will include a land acknowledgment, a live performance by Native dancers, yoga, a DJ, a vegan food truck, fashion, and more.
Wanjiku “Wawa” Gatheru, a world-renowned environmental justice activist, will headline West’s three-day Climate Action Palooza as the keynote speaker. Joined by hundreds of local students and young leaders, Wawa will lead the discussion on Climate Justice and Youth Activism. Wawa is a Kenyan-American climate storyteller and a powerful voice in the environmental justice movement, boasting nearly 40,000 Instagram followers. To date, she is the only Black person in history to have received the prestigious Rhodes, Truman, and Udall Scholarships.
The inaugural Climate Action Palooza will include a mix of students and green leaders who will raise awareness about climate action, sustainability, and environmental justice. The fun-filled event, hosted by the state’s only California Center for Climate Change Education at West, promises to merge three extraordinary days of action and advocacy with resources to help prepare students for competitive careers in the green economy. West also boasts the – first and only – Climate Change & Environmental Studies Associate Degree and Certificate programs among the 116 California community colleges.
