What is the SVYCA Youth Climate Summit Really Like?

What is the SVYCA Youth Climate Summit all about? Or being an SVYCA member? Hear directly from three youth climate leaders:

Charlotte

Charlotte:

This was my third year being involved with SVYCA’s Youth Climate Summit and my second year with the Academy, so getting to lead the General Operations team this year and finally seeing months of planning come together was really rewarding. Since I was juggling different responsibilities throughout the day, I didn’t get to fully sit in on every panel, but in a way that also let me experience the Summit from a lot of different angles. There was a lot of thinking on the spot, adapting, and figuring out how to connect what I was hearing from different people with what we were already working on. Moving between the student panel, community breakout room, speakers, and everything happening behind the scenes also gave me so many chances to meet people and learn about their work. I especially loved seeing our Youth Leadership Academy students join us at the Summit, including students from past years who came back more involved and are now even stepping into leadership roles. It was also really nice getting to catch up and bond with everyone at the end, while meeting new students interested in joining the Climate x Health Collaborative team I co-lead and hopefully giving them another space to bring their own ideas and voices into our work.

One session I was fully able to participate in was the policy workshop led by Dashiell Leeds from the Sierra Club and SVYCA member Natalie Dias, which I got to co-facilitate the Air District Rules Letter Writings. I really liked being able to talk directly with elected officials about what effective advocacy actually looks like from their side, especially hearing how much personalization can matter. Sometimes explaining why you personally care about an issue can stay with someone much more than a letter that sounds perfectly formal. I also found it interesting to learn what happens after people reach out and how youth voices can actually shape the way elected officials think through an issue. Through moderating that conversation and helping throughout the rest of the Summit, I think I came away appreciating how much this work depends on being able to listen, synthesize what you’re hearing, and build connections from it conceptually as well as with different community breakers, whether that means finding a new opportunity to collaborate or helping another student feel comfortable speaking up in the first place.

Nova at SVYCA’s 2026 Youth Climate Summit

Nova:

During the Summit, I had the opportunity of seeing our youth navigate conversations with decision makers about what future-oriented policies could look like. I had the opportunity to be a part of making these conversations happen which was very rewarding, and I myself learned a lot about specific climate solutions such as regenerative agriculture and some of the nuances involved in air quality regulation. One of the main struggles was planning the Summit in a way that would keep the entire event engaging, which is where we introduce interactive workshops and a large tabling network for people to feel like they're a part of the event and not just an attendee! Through this, I saw a lot of people come away feeling empowered and relevant to creating a climate resilient future

Emily Ma

Emily:

After having a lovely time organizing the 2025 IMPACT Summit, I was eager to jump back into Summit planning this past summer. While my experience was amazing overall, I struggled with coordination across our team amidst our busy summer schedules---it seemed like every week there were people traveling, attending camps or activities, or occupied by SVYCA's own Youth Summer Leadership Academy! When these conflicts made it difficult for us to stay on the same page and ensure that action items were completed on time, I found comfort in the support of my fellow Summit organizers. Together we fretted over fast-approaching deadlines during prolonged Zoom calls and texted each other about upcoming action items until late into the night. The experience helped me realize how lucky I am to work with the rest of the SVYCA team: they're not only brilliant event co-organizers, but also trustworthy friends that I can lean on in times of need!