Say, What Do Gen Z ClimaActivists Want Next Year?

Well, obviously, it’s not them practicing what they preach, but, anyhow, we’re all supposed to Listen to them with their vast worldly experience

Here’s What Gen Z Climate Activists Are Prioritizing This Coming Year

Gathering at a rooftop venue in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, in late October, a group of Gen Z influencers and activists hosted ZCON, a two-day meeting that aims to “channel Gen Z values into action” and reinvent the conference experience. The idea is to bring together like-minded individuals, connecting nonprofit and private sector businesses with Gen Z activists, influencers, and thought leaders. Following its debut in Los Angeles in 2023, ZCON’s goal is to highlight the ways that Gen Z is particularly affected by issues impacting the younger generation, and how they are working towards solutions.

“Reinvent the conference experience”. They always think they are doing things no one else has ever done, that they are the first to do something.

“I see ZCON as a creative classroom where different people come together to express their forms of art, whether that’s through lifestyle, education, or activism,” Isaias Hernandez, a climate activist who spoke at ZCON in 2023, tells TIME. “And to me, it also does not just bring all these young people together, it brings brands, philanthropists, different people from the private sector, to understand the ways in which stories can be molded.”

See? No one’s ever done that.

Within panels and breakout groups, ZCON creates space for young activists to commiserate and come together  For the 2024 session, the ongoing climate crisis was understandably at the center of the impact discussions, which also held a particular focus on social impact work, such as climate education and communication, as well as fundraising tactics for nonprofits. The Gen Z climate activists are aware  that they do not speak for the entire climate activist space—and admit that they may not agree on everything. Yet, they still see ZCON as a space to imagine what comes next for their community, and what might be achieved in the future.

I wonder how many took fossil fueled trips to ZCON? How many are pledging to stop using fossil fuels and reduce their carbon footprints…oh, who am I kidding, these kiddies travel a lot just to take some photos and videos.

They’re obviously very interested in “environmental justice,” meaning they think that black people aren’t capable of taking care of themselves without massive government intervention and control of their lives. Oh, and that government should spend tons of money on this stuff, because the Gen Z folks sure won’t.

And they totally want education and green jobs. Seriously, don’t they have enough access to information? And

Jorge Alvarez, a mental health advocate who recently has been working more towards addressing climate anxiety, also focused on how hard it is for Gen Z to enter into the working force right now. He’s hearing from his peers that they need more opportunities for green jobs specifically.

“We need to fund pipeline programs, specifically for young people when it comes to green jobs, and also more people of color engagement work—period,” Alvarez says.

What’s this we? If they want green jobs, they can fund them themselves. Take out loans from the bank. Solicit funds from the big green folks like Al Gore and George Clooney. But, then, we’re are talk True Gen Z living up to their reputation of being lazy and wanting everything handed to them.

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