Every year, leaders and experts from around the world convene at the Conference of Parties, or COP, the United Nations annual climate conference, to discuss global solutions to the worsening climate crisis. Young climate advocates from across the globe, including right here in Chicagoland, also attend COP to advocate for themselves and a better future.
It’s Our Future (IOF), a youth climate advocacy program of Seven Generations Ahead (SGA), sends Chicago area high school students to be part of these historic events. This year, we’re proud to introduce the five dynamic IOF delegates who will be traveling to Baku, Azerbaijan to participate in COP29 this fall. They’ll engage with other youth activists, Indigenous leaders, and other delegates from the frontlines of the climate crisis.
These students bring incredibly diverse backgrounds and experiences to their climate advocacy. They each followed their own paths to get to IOF and climate activism, and they’ll be inspiring us with updates from this transformative experience at the UN climate conference. Keep an eye out for their thoughts and dispatches from COP29 in November, where they’ll bring their unique perspectives to the biggest climate event of the year.
Carissa
I’m Carissa Chen, a senior at the Illinois Math and Science Academy. I’m looking forward to learning more about climate policies at COP and bringing back what I learned from this conference to my school and hometown communities. My sustainability journey started in 2020 when I watched a documentary called “A Plastic Ocean.” This film opened my eyes to the issues of plastic pollution and kick-started my journey in environmental justice and climate activism. From organizing strikes with Fridays for Future Chicago to attending the USA Local Conference of Youth as a delegate, I’m committed to amplifying youth’s voices in the climate action sphere. My interests also include promoting sustainable fashion and reducing overconsumption in the fast fashion industry. I love thrifting, running, and reading in my free time.
Elora
My name is Elora Cianciolo and I am a rising senior at Oak Park and River Forest High School. Ever since I was young, I’ve been concerned about climate change and the state of the environment. I frequently felt like I couldn’t change anything as an individual, especially due to my age and gender. Becoming involved with It’s Our Future (IOF) has taught me that this is untrue, and that by continually focusing and discussing climate policies and issues, just a handful of people can have a big impact. Attending COP grants me the amazing opportunity to converse with and learn from people fighting this same issue around the world. It is a priceless opportunity that I am grateful for, and I hope to make the most of my time there by learning all that I can about global climate justice action. My love for animals is my biggest motivation, be it in my art or in my work. With 5 pet birds, I am aware of how the smallest changes in an animal’s environment can cause the biggest changes. At the end of the day, I hope to share what I learn. Everyone should know how and where they can make a difference.
Chloe
I’m Chloe Zhu, a senior at Glenbrook North High School. I’ve always had a love of nature that started with watching animal documentaries and playing outside when I was younger, but I became invested in the climate crisis when doing research for my debate team. I had always felt powerless in stopping global warming, but reading about the climate policies and plans created at forums like COP showed me that progress was possible. Now, attending COP myself will allow me to interact with the individuals responsible for action on the world’s biggest climate stage. I hope to learn about the important issues of the climate crisis today and better understand the current state of global values towards climate justice. I also look to use what I’ve learned in my own local community to implement positive changes.
Kolagbade (Kola)
I’m Kolagbade Kolawole, and I’m a rising Junior at Thornwood High School. I love music, gardening, psychology, and cooking. When I was younger I had my first “climate scare” . I remember panicking as I searched up different climate related problems and feeling more anxious the more I read. But I didn’t get this scary information in my classroom, I got it off of a YouTube video. I went year by year without hearing a single teacher of mine go in depth about anything climate change related, leaving me feeling helpless and alone in the face of this crisis. This is what inspired me to attend COP29. I hope to leverage my COP29 experience to encourage not only my school district but the school districts around me to prioritize climate education to people my age and younger. It’s really important to empower my generation to understand the causes, effects and especially the solutions of climate change so then we can work towards the betterment of our world.
Poppy
Hi, my name is Poppy Booth. I am a senior at Oak Park and River Forest High School, in Oak Park, Illinois. Growing up, I spent a lot of time outside in nature. That was when I first learned about issues like pollution and extinction of plants and animals. As I got older, I learned more about other environmental issues such as climate change. These issues were very concerning to me, because of their impacts on nature and because of their impacts on people. I am excited to go to COP to learn from people from all over the world how climate change affects them and what they are doing about it. I think it will be an amazing opportunity to connect my community to so many other communities that we otherwise would not have a chance to connect with. I am hoping to study civil engineering beginning next year and I am very interested in how engineering can help combat climate change and help people be resilient in the face of climate impacts. Sustainable construction is an important issue now and will only become more so as the climate crisis progresses, which is why I want to go into this field. I hope that attending COP will give me valuable insights to apply to my future work.the