webinar

Youth Leaders on Climate Justice

DATE

August 20, 2025

TIME

3-4p ET / noon-1p PT

LOCATION

Virtual

Centering Community in Climate Action

Young people recognize that environmental justice requires connecting environmental impact with a wide-range of social issues and addressing the disproportionate impact of climate change on marginalized communities. Young people are drawing attention to these issues and demanding an intersectional approach to the environment that is grounded in community-oriented solutions.
Register

Join GTY and the National Collaborative for Transformative Youth Policy for an important youth-led discussion about environmental justice and how philanthropy can partner with young people to achieve meaningful change. In this session, young people, practitioners and grantmakers will discuss what climate justice means to young people, how they are fighting to ensure more attention and resources are allocated to a broad range of climate-related issues, and the disproportionate impact environmental issues have on marginalized communities. There will be plenty of time for Q&A and discussion.

This program is free and open to grantmakers and others in the thriving youth community. GTY’s webinars and funder learning opportunities are made possible through the time and expertise of presenters from the field.

In the spirit of transparency, GTY will make available the list of webinar participants to presenters upon request, unless the registrant requests to remain anonymous (please indicate your preference via the registration form).

Speakers

MODERATOR

Myiah Smith

Policy Consultant, National Collaborative for Transformative Youth Policy

Myiah Smith is a sustainability futurist who merges performance arts, education, and systems thinking to envision, develop, and expand liberated futures. As a D.C. native, Myiah grew up with her father serving as the D.C. Anacostia Riverkeeper; summers spent hauling tires out of the marsh, laying river walk trails in the spring, and restoring wetlands all year long. Myiah’s commitment to environmental stewardship and social unity is deeply ingrained in both her personal and professional pursuits. She consults with organizations such as the National Collaborative for Transformative Youth Policy and the Georgetown University Laboratory for Global Politics and Performance, in pursuit of economic, social, and environmental harmony through impactful, long-term projects.

Aru Shiney-Ajay

Executive Director, Sunrise Movement

Aru Shiney-Ajay (she/they) grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where she first started organizing around human rights and marriage equality. In college, Aru joined the fossil fuel divestment campaign, eventually leading the campaign through successful student and faculty resolutions calling for divestment. Aru began running Sunrise’s training program as a sophomore in college in 2018 as a nineteen year old, and in 2019 left college to organize with Sunrise. She has served as our Trainings Director, Deputy Campaign Director, and was recently hired as Executive Director.

Najah Casimir

Program Officer, Mobility, Barr Foundation

Najah is a Black disabled woman who was raised in the Muslim faith tradition. Originally from Philadelphia, Najah’s approaches are deeply informed by the experience of being nurtured in a city of communities that prioritize joy, celebration, and liberation.

As a Program Officer on Barr’s Climate team, Najah’s work focuses on the Mobility strategy and assisting with program-wide activities related to advancing racial equity. Before joining the Barr Foundation in 2021, Najah worked at the City of Cambridge and focused on community-centered approaches to engagement and using technology to improve constituent services. Prior to that, they were a member of Boston’s Active Transportation team. Through projects and programs designed to make streets safer for people using low-carbon transportation options, Najah’s work focused on infusing equity into decision-making processes.

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