By Jacquie Linden, SGA Intern

As Chicagoland is waking up from a mild winter, IOF youth gathered at the offices of the Illinois Environmental Council to welcome a few new faces, share our joys and fears about the environment with each other, and become more convincing climate communicators.

Spinning our hopes or anxieties, like the infamous spoonful of microplastics in our brains, into stories that can build a personal and emotional connection with a stakeholder is not easy, as these feelings can often be quite heavy and complex, and can stop us from taking action. 

However, fear not! Climate Generation’s curriculum on crafting your own climate story transforms these heavy feelings into a valuable testimony and driver of hope and change. After blinging out our rescued notebooks (courtesy of The Wasteshed) and eating vegan tacos, veteran IOFers who also formed the Mixer Planning Committee, Mahima, Rakshita, Shreshta, and Gabi led breakout groups through the workshop. We concluded by listening to stories by IOF students that have been to the UN Climate Conference (COP29) and heard how they were able to use them to lobby for good at the international level. 

Whatever your age or experience, your climate story matters. Though they are individual perspectives, it is our collective stories that have the power to shift the narrative. Sharing climate stories personalizes climate change in a way that connects our communities, rather than dividing us from one another, something so deeply needed in this day and age. Listening, compassion, and personal storytelling nurture a common ground where true change can begin.

So what are you waiting for? Click the link to the curriculum above and craft your own! Or even better, make it a fun activity for your friend group, school class, or college student org. And don’t be shy to reach out to IOF (iof@sevengenerationsahead.org) for help with polishing or even publishing it. You can use it in a letter to an elected official, record a short video for social media, or even join us on the new IOF podcast! Or, to reference Joy Harjo, you might just want to share at the kitchen table.

Stay tuned as we share IOFer’s Climate Stories to get inspired!