2012:  The Year the Youth Fought Back

A Look Back and A Charge Forward

To those who matter,

It was nearly a year ago when we launched the “iMatter March.” On Mother’s Day, thousands of us marched at 160 different events in the streets and town centers in 43 countries. In Pakistan, Canada, China, Kuwait, Gambia, Arkansas, Virginia, Idaho, California, Colorado and even from Mt. Everest, youth from around the world stated in one clear voice, with one simple message: “Our future matters.”

Grassroots action is a critical tool to apply pressure from the bottom-up. In conjunction with the marches, iMatter applied pressure from the top-down by filing legal actions against the United States government and eleven states. With support from “Our Children’s Trust,” youth plaintiffs sued the government for failing to protect the atmosphere as a public trust—which means that the atmosphere belongs to the public—and therefore not the property of corporations and people to dump their emissions as they wish. To tell the story about the lawsuits from the outside-in, iMatter partnered with Witness.org who produced short documentary films about the youth plaintiffs to pressure lawmakers to produce emission reduction plans. The films tell the dynamic story of plaintiffs in states throughout the US who are currently impacted by, or doing something about, the climate crisis.

And here we are almost a year later.  We are psyched to be launching the next iMatter March on Earth Day, April 22, 2012.  In partnership with the non-profit, Earth Day Network, and the international climate action umbrella group “tcktcktck,” iMatter will rally youth to participate in Earth Day events around the world to mobilize aware people to join the movement.  Through sarcastic marches, a poignant flash mob, and a unified message, the voice of the youth will expose the dangers and absurdity of resisting climate change action any longer.

This Earth Day, iMatter will demonstrate to world leaders that we demand and support a transition to a just and sustainable world; a world where the atmosphere is not an entity to be polluted at the will or whim of the fossil-fuel corporations, but is an entity that belongs to the public, to be protected for the youngest and future generations.

Earth Day will serve as the launch for the “Summer of Action” where iMatter will organize and encourage an action each month throughout the summer that exposes the real losers in the fight against global warming:  the youngest generation.  The June action will target world leaders at the Rio+20 summit; in July, a “Declaration of Independence from Fossil Fuels” focus; and in August, working on a reality series starring YOU, highlighting the connection between extreme weather events, our addiction to fossil fuels, and the deniers who care more about their own profits and power than they do about our future. 

Can’t wait to reconnect!

In solidarity,

The iMatter team