By Jaidon Santos-Volpe, Evanston Township High School senior, YCJS Committee Member and Climate Action Planning session co-lead
On October 10, 2025, It’s Our Future (IOF) and Seven Generations Ahead hosted Illinois’ first Youth Climate Justice Summit (YCJS). With the help of the Wild Center in New York, the Chicago Youth Climate Justice Summit aimed to assist participating Chicagoland schools in bringing Climate Action Plans to their schools and communities. Nearly 100 hundred students from 26 Chicago area schools participated in the youth-led summit, which was organized by 20 IOF students.
The morning took an interesting turn of events when the summit planners were informed that a fire drill would be taking place at the exact time the keynote speech was supposed to begin. While many thought it would throw a wrench in the day, it ended up being a blessing in disguise. “The fire drill was definitely a surprise, but it ended up being a great chance for everyone who attended to get to know each other as we all came from different schools and backgrounds,” said Lillia Gregg, a member of the Vibes Committee for the summit.
While the delay set the timing of the summit off, the day continued smoothly, moving into the keynote speech. Keynote speakers Kyra Woods (Sustainability Consultant Director, of Sustain Our Future) and Daniel Horton (Associate Professor in the Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences at Northwestern University) kicked off the event with an excellent presentation on the importance of environmental work and what individuals can do to make a difference.Together, they packed many important lessons on climate change and activism into one 45-minute presentation, showcasing the trends of global warming and ways that students can get involved. Hearing different perspectives and solutions on what you can do yourself gave students an important message they can carry throughout the rest of the summit.
The day featured several breakout sessions on various climate action topics. From sessions on climate storytelling to climate education with The Peggy Notebaert Museum, students were able to attend a vast variety of educational workshops. Students enjoyed the opportunity to explore environmental issues more in depth, with the only complaint being the desire to attend more sessions.
Following the first breakout sessions, students were able to visit different organizations at the Opportunity Fair while enjoying their lunch. The fair helped interested students get involved in a variety of activities such as climate policy, gardening, and student-made sustainability projects. Students were able to meet with passionate climate activists like themselves, giving them a glimpse into what a future in climate work could look like for them.
After a packed day of climate education, students were able to bring all of what they learned together during the Climate Action Planning (CAP) section of the summit. After being introduced to the workbook in which they’d create their plans, each student split into their respective school to create their very own climate action plan. Each school shared their own creative plans, with each group putting as much care and effort into it as they could. It’s clear that every school would be returning home with a project they’re proud of.
To conclude a successful summit, there was nothing better than enjoying a cup of vegan ice cream looking out at the Chicago skyline. While the summit and planning a CAP project was an important first step for the over 100 attendees, it’s still a long road ahead- one that’ll take dedication and hard work to bring these plans to life.
