Donations spotlight: Support Earth Guardians as it presses for youth-driven climate action

Note from the CREDO Mobile team: This August, Earth Guardians is among three amazing groups that will receive a share of our monthly grant. Funding from the CREDO community will help Earth Guardians train diverse youth to be influential leaders at the forefront of the climate movement around the globe.

 Read this important blog post about Earth Guardians’ critical work, then visit CREDODonations.com and cast your vote to help send funding to the group to assist its efforts—and the efforts of our other outstanding August grantees.

For nearly three decades, Earth Guardians has been at the forefront of empowering and developing youth and young adults into climate justice leaders. Founded in 1992, Earth Guardians is an international intergenerational organization dedicated to training youth at the intersection of climate, environmental and social justice. Our mission is fueled by a commitment to youth agency, community building and nonviolent direct action, employing art, civic engagement and grassroots projects to address climate change and environmental degradation around the globe.

Our unique strength lies in engaging our network of global Crews in community-driven action while shaping young people into climate justice professionals. With a youth-led team that is predominantly under 30, BIPOC and female, our internal leadership emphasizes diversity and empowerment.

We prioritize underserved communities, providing our network with resources and training to promote a holistic approach to climate justice. Our achievements and ongoing programs reflect our dedication to nurturing the next generation of leaders and protecting Mother Earth for generations to come.

Major impact over the years

Over the past five years, Earth Guardians has made significant strides in initiating youth-led climate solutions and campaigns. We have provided educational resources to 20,000 classrooms across the U.S., equipping educators and students with tools to understand and address climate change. Our global reforestation efforts are monumental, with over 50,000 trees planted across Africa, India and Brazil, restoring ecosystems and combating deforestation. Additionally, we have disbursed $85,000 to support youth-led grassroots projects, significantly benefiting local communities through initiatives such as community gardens, renewable energy projects and environmental education programs.

In 2020, during COVID-19, we distributed $10 million worth of PPE to Native American tribes, safeguarding vulnerable communities. Our voter registration campaign successfully registered 25,000 young voters, ensuring their participation in decisions that impact their future. We have also guided youth across the U.S. in resisting fossil fuel pipelines and supported numerous climate-related lawsuits, empowering youth to take legal action against environmental injustices.

Since 2015, our youth leaders have participated in key events including the Conference of the Parties (COP), the United Nations National Assembly and U.S. Senate hearings, amplifying their voices on critical platforms and advocating for meaningful climate action. During COP27, we initiated our Choose Action Now Campaign with 76 global actions, mostly led by women of color and directly benefiting 40,000 individuals.

Achievements in the past year

In the past year, we’ve achieved significant progress. Our Crew in Togo planted 14,000 trees, restoring a 37-hectare community forest in Tagba and training 250 locals in sustainable agriculture. Our EG Cameroon Crew planted 5,000 trees in community forests and our Crews in India planted 12,000 mangroves. On Sherbro Island, in Sierra Leone, we established 10 mangrove nurseries with 10,000 seedlings each, installed 200 honeybee hives, trained 234 people in beekeeping and are on track to plant 100,000 mangroves to combat climate change.

This spring, we hosted the fourth annual Indigenous Youth Leadership Development Training outside of Washington, D.C., for Native American climate leaders. We also continue to provide virtual live masterclasses and one-on-one mentorship to our Crews throughout the year. Additionally, we’re in the process of allocating $30,000 to support 60 grassroots sustainable-development projects led by EG Crews worldwide.

Our programs at a glance

Central to our efforts is our Crew network made up of youth-led chapters that address local environmental challenges while contributing to the global climate movement. EG Crews are actively engaged in climate and environmental protection projects across six continents, including large-scale restoration projects in Sierra Leone, Cameroon, Togo, Odisha, Mexico City and São Paulo. Our Crews’ work, guided by EG’s leadership team, encompasses sustainable agriculture, ecosystem management, forest restoration, water preservation and wildlife protection.

To support these initiatives, we offer EG Crews Resources like Project Grants. These grants fund our Crews’ projects, providing monetary resources to underserved communities to support those most affected by climate chaos. Additionally, we offer online and in-person training, educational resources, partnerships and global campaigns to support the work of our Crews network. We also provide targeted mentorship to all our Crews through our Regional Crew Council, comprising seven members who offer personal guidance to Crews in their respective global regions.

Our Indigenous Youth Leadership Initiative supports Native youth in North and Central America through leadership training focused on environmental justice and Indigenous rights. Like Crews, this program provides education, mentorship and a robust support network, helping Indigenous youth build sovereignty and tackle climate and environmental injustices affecting their communities.

Lastly, our Speakers’ Bureau program amplifies the voices of inspiring Earth Guardians youth speakers at major events, conferences and educational institutions, driving urgent climate action. This year, through our Speakers’ Bureau, we launched Earth Voices: Inspiring Shift to target underserved youth in U.S. inner cities and engage them in climate justice efforts. This initiative features EG public speakers who address the climate crisis by involving students in direct-action activities and supporting the creation of school-based Crews to combat the adverse physical and mental health impacts of climate change on youth.

Your vote matters

Join us in our mission to empower youth and protect our planet by voting for Earth Guardians and supporting our transformative climate justice programs—your vote makes a difference for future generations. Thank you.

To learn more about Earth Guardians, go to EarthGuardians.org.