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Case Study: iMatter Kids vs. Global Warming

Summary

iMatter Kids vs. Global Warming began as a simplepresentation by a 12-year old boy, Alec Loorz, whowanted to take on climate change denial and engageother young people in demanding action. iMatterquickly grew fromschool presentations and communityprojects to a national campaign, global youth marchesand groundbreaking judicial and legal action. Themovement has inspired thousands of youngpeople in 43

countries to become involved. In partnership with OurChildren’s Trust, lawsuits have been brought by youngactivists, at the federal and state level, requiring the USgovernment to reduce carbon emissions. iMatter isentering a new phase in 2015, with plans to engagechildren across the country in holding theircommunities accountable for reducing carbonemissions.

iMatter Kids vs. Global Warming has been highlightedby Equity for Children as an exceptional initiative, bothfor the degree to which it has been driven and led byyoung people, and for the ambition of the movement’sgoals. While there are a large number of organizationsthat educate and engage children and youth on climatechange, there are few that have been established bychildren for children – with a sustained commitment to

empowering young leaders. Likewise, few climatemovements mobilize young people as activists with theurgency and focus that iMatter brings to the globaldebate.

Actions and Impact

“The youngest generation cannot afford to waituntil they are old enough to run for office, leadmultinational corporations or otherwise hold thepower to force the significant changes needed. Inorder to influence the powers that be, their storiesare urgently needed today. And despite the rise ofmany young passionate leaders, their voices areglaringly missing. " (5)

St. Louis, St. Louis People’s Climate March, 2014 (Credit: iMatter)

“iMatter’s Mission empowers youth to become thevoice of the climate crisis so that our society wakes upand actually begins to Live as if Our Future Matters.

We believe that the revolution that is needed begins inthe hearts, actions and voices of thosemost impacted bythe crisis: the youth.” (1)

iMatter Kids vs. Global Warming is a youth-ledmovement calling for urgent action on climate change.Based on evidence from social changemovements, theorganization assumes that this will not happen untilpeople have a strong personal and emotionalconnection to the issue, and from experience, believethat it is through young people that this connection canbest be forged. For iMatter, the value of child andyouth-led communication is based on three principles.The first, love of and concern for children is somethingeveryone shares, regardless of politics. Two, whenchildren and young people discuss climate change itbrings an emotional appeal to ‘do the right thing’.Children can urge behavior change in the lives ofgrown-upswho care for them in away that other adultscannot. And third, themoral argument that the voice ofthe generation most impacted by the climate crisismust be heard.1) Raising awareness

The original purpose of iMatter was and remains tocommunicate the urgency of climate change, “tomakethe climate crisis real and relevant to every member ofsociety. (2)" The organization began withpresentations given by Alec Loorz at schools; over aperiod of six years he spoke to almost 1 millionpeople. Other young activists have also taken on thechallenge of communicating about the climate crisis,through presentations, but also through street actions.iMatter youth have organized and leadmarches in theircommunities across the country to raise awareness andsupport for sustainable and just climate policies.Over200 marches have been organized in 43 countriesinvolving 50,000 young people (3).

2) Youth leadership training and empowerment

Young people active with iMatter are given tools andtrainings to address the climate crisis at all levels.iMatter’s Youth Council members are expected to‘walk the talk’ by living in a way that reflectsawareness of their impact on the planet and initiatinggrassroots actions. iMatter provides training andmentoring so that young people can serve as effectivespeakers and organizers, and connects young people toopportunities and platforms, so that they can “tell theirown stories and

ignite a shift in thinking in their own communities” .iMatter youth activists have been encouraged to meetwith local and national leaders to educate and advocateon the need for urgent legislative action (4).

3) Judicial action; Taking climate change to thecourts

Working on the principle that social change happenswhen public protests and actions are coordinated withlegal action the iMatter campaign has broughtlandmark lawsuits with Our Children's Trust (6) atfederal and state level. Young activists havechallenged the government to own up to its legalresponsibility “to protect the atmosphere as a legaltrust, for all generations." (7). At the heart of thelawsuits, is a request that government “look at thescience" (8) behind global warming and implementplans that will reduce carbon emissions by at least sixpercent a year.

Telling the story

At its heart, iMatter Kids vs. Global Warming is acommunication campaign enabling the youngestgeneration to tell how theyare impactedbyclimatechange and to highlight the need for urgent action.Young activists joining iMatter are encouraged tostart with their own story, and from there receiveguidance on how to reach out to and connectthrough presentations and media. The iMattercampaign has been covered bymajor news outletsin the US and abroad including CNN, MSNBC,The New York Times, The Guardian (UK) andUSAToday. In partnership with the global humanrights organization, WITNESS, Our Children’sTrust and Montana State University, an awardwinning series of documentaries s was produced,telling the story of nine of the young plaintiffs andbringing their campaign to new audiences.

History

SLAP pole, Ventura, CA (Credit: iMatter)

The lawsuits have been put forward by children withthe support of pro-bono lawyers in all 50 states and atthe federal level in 2011. It has not been an easy road;the majority of lawsuits were dismissed by judges,including the federal case brought by Alec Loorz. InJune 2015, the young plaintiffs had their first legalvictory when a judge in Washington State ordered theDepartment of Ecology to consider the most currentscience on climate change when regulating carbondioxide emissions. The department was given twoweeks to consider the petition submitted by the youngpeople a year earlier and report back on their plans (9).The landmark decision sets a legal precedent for otherstates and for protecting the planet for futuregenerations.

Just twomonths later, 21youngpeople fromaround thecountry, together with Dr. James Hansen, filed alawsuit against the US government, claiming theirrights had been violated by the promotion of fossilfuels. The young plaintiffs are asking for a court orderrequiring President Obama to immediately put intoaction a national plan to decrease CO2 in theatmosphere to a safe level. Plaintiffs include 15 yearold Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, indigenous activist andyouth director of Earth Guardians (10). The youngest,Levi Draheim, is just eight years old (11).

Kids vs.GlobalWarming began as a personal quest for12-year old Alec Loorz after watching ‘AnInconvenient Truth’. Following a deep dive into theevidence and debates, Alec became committed tocommunicating the problems andmotivating his peersand adults to take action. He applied to betrained by Vice President Al Gore and the ClimateReality Project ( 12), but was turned down due to hisage. Instead, through a school project, he was able toshadow a scientist at Scripps Institute ofOceanography, who provided mentoring to the youngclimate activist.

iMatter Founder, Alec Loorz (Credit: iMatter)

Alec’s first public presentation took on climatedeniers, and eventually evolved into a simple slidedeck illustrating the causes, consequences andsolutions to global warming. With the support of hismother, Victoria Loorz, he took the message to localschools. But it was when the keynote speaker at a localhigh school couldn’t make it, and Alex stepped in totake his place that his public engagements took off. Hewas often on the road two weeks out of each month,giving his presentation to communities around thecountry. By the time hewas 14, he had been trained bythe Climate Reality Project, but kept his originalpresentation as it resonated with young people.

“I've been given lots of opportunities, but when I gotstarted, I didn't have anything. I had no money, noconnections, no idea how to do this. I just felt thispassion to reach people with a message that I feltneeded to get out. And the doors opened." (13).

Together Alec and Victoria started Kids vs. GlobalWarmingwith the aim of stopping climate change andproviding a platform for the many young people whowanted to get involved. At the time, they could find noother organization working with children that sharedthis ambitious vision. Other groups providededucation but did not substantively engage children inadvocacy. And mainstream advocacy groups did notengage children as activists. The organization’s firstinitiative was the Sea Level Awareness Project(SLAP), which brought together 50 middle-schoolstudents in Alec’s hometown of Ventura, California toraise awarenessof local sea level rise. Aseries of hand-made poles simply but dramatically illustratedportions of the town that would be submerged due torising sea levels.

Alec continued to speak with people around thecountry, andparticipated in the creationof theAllianceforClimateEducation (14), helping theorganization todevelop their first assemblies at schools. Along withmany other young people, he participated inCOP15 inCopenhagen. While the political results of theconference were a disappointment, the youth forumprovided a new generation of climate activists withopportunities tomeet andnetwork. InCopenhagen, theidea was hatched to organize a march by kids onWashington, DC. With seed money from Ted Turnerand the support of Avaaz,(15), the single march on the

capitol became 200 marches in 42 countries.

Over time, Alec began to become discouraged giventhe intense political challenges to limiting greenhouseemissions. This changed after a meeting with JuliaOlson, head of Our Children’s Trust. Alec became thelead plaintiff for a federal lawsuit, while youthaffiliated with iMatter across the US filed suits in theirstates. The lawsuits ask federal and state agencies toapply current science when developing climatepolicies and plans, and in doing so, realistically andurgently address climate change. The filing of thefederal suit was coordinated with the 2011 march onthe capitol.

The legal path to ending climate change has not beenfast or easy. Along theway, youth plaintiffs have beendismissedout of hand; oneyoungplaintiffwasmockedby the chair of her state’s environmental committee forbeingavegetarian. It has beenassumed from theoutsetthat winning would be difficult, requiring a radicalshift in mindset. While it has taken four years to reachthe first legal victory in Washington State, there hasbeen progress in other states. Young plaintiffs havebeen invited to open the conversation on climatechange when it was politically impossible for electedofficials to do so. Throughout, the young climateactivists have been able to make climate changepersonal and about their futures.

current research, which informs all of iMatter’sactions. A fundamental principle is that the Earth is ata tipping point, and action is needed now. In line withthe recommendations of Dr. James Hansen, a leadingclimate scientist, iMatter advocates for immediateglobal cuts in carbon emissions, without whichmassive and catastrophic climate change is expected(17).With this urgencycomesa commitment togettingon a winning path to end the climate crisis; keepingfocused onwhat needs to be done, and to not be limitedto what others think is possible.

Management Structure

AYouthCouncil provides the coregoverning structurefor iMatter, and is involved in all steps of themovement. Currently, 20 young people from acrossthe US, 11 to 18 years old, are on the council. Theexpected commitment is for oneyear but canbe longer.In addition to taking part in the leadership of iMatter,council members organize projects in their owncommunities and coordinate local advocacy. Youngclimate activists can join by applying throughiMatter’s website. Current council members screen,interview and approve all new members. As CouncilMembers reach adulthood, most graduate to otherclimate and environmental organizations. In this way,iMatter serves as a training ground and talent pipelinefor the broader climate change network.

iMatter has recently introduced a ‘holacracy’ approachto governance, putting planning and decision-makingin the hands of self-organizing teams. Within thisapproach, each team has a clear purpose, but alsoconsiderable autonomy to decide actions and innovate(18). Youth and adults collaborate on the teams, withone representative from each team providingconnection with the Advisory Council and iMatterleadership.While still being developedwithin iMatter,holocracy should enable the organization to involveyouth on an egalitarian basis and nimbly adapt toemerging opportunities, critical for advocacy andsocial change movements.

Essential to managing a youth-led organization isproviding mentoring and hands-on support. Incomparing experiences with mainstreamenvironmental groups, iMatter goes beyond simply

A new campaign is being piloted in 2015 that will shiftthe focusof advocacy to thecommunity level. A lessonlearned from the federal and state lawsuits is thatmuchof the legal footwork has been done by adults, withinvolvement of a relatively small group of youngpeople. The new campaign will continue to ask forclimateplans andpolicies that arebasedon science, butby shifting the focus to schools and cities, and byoperating at the local level, the campaign is expected toengage and empower more young people. OurChildren’s Trust continues to file suit and supportyoung plaintiffs in the US and globally.

Shifts have also been made in the organization’sleadership. Over the years, a number of young peoplebecame involved as speakers and leaders withiniMatter’s governing Youth Council. This happenedwithout a systematic approach to leadership roles orsuccession planning. When Alec and the movement’sfirst generation of young leaders went to a college, aturning point was faced; let the movement fade out asits founders’ moved on - or empower a new generationof young activists to take the helm. Following a lull inactivities, a more formalized management structurewith more clearly defined roles for young leaders, hasbeen put in place with the aim of sustaining andgrowing the movement.

Management and YoungLeadershipCore values

Values are central to themanagement and leadershipofiMatter. Young voices are taken seriously, reflectingthemission of empowering children and youth.Whereadults are involved in the movement, it is explicitly assupporters to the youth leaders. Throughout iMatter,“Listening with the intent to understand” is a pillar oftheir work, facilitating respectful communicationacross generations. Authenticity is valued, and youngpeople’s ‘authentic passion’ is seen as the basis foreffective advocacy. And as an organization of youngpeople, having fun is central to keeping adolescentactivists energized and engaged (16).

Alongside the commitment to youth empowerment isthe core purpose of ending the climate crisis. Theurgency of taking action is underlined by science and

Originally, mentoring and management was done byVictoria Loorz, who continues to serve as CampaignDirector, along with mentors from Scripps Institute ofOceanography, the Climate Reality Project, OurChildren’s Trust and other partners. However, it wasrecognized that in order to grow and sustain themovement, new leadership was needed to mobilizeresources, represent theorganization, andguideoutreachand expansion. Recently, LarryKraft becameExecutiveDirector, inspired by his own children quit his job inmarketing and commit to tackling climate change.

iMatter does not have a fiduciary board or operationsstaff. Instead, it is sponsored by the Earth Island Institute(20), a non-profit, public interest organization thatprovides catalytic support to “environmental start-ups” (21). The institute hasprovided iMatterwith fiscaladministration, program management and otherumbrella support. Consequently, iMatter does not have atraditional Board of Directors or other governingstructures in place; the support from Earth IslandInstitute enables the movement to grow and developthese over time. This allows for a more non- traditionaladvisory board that consists of youth leaders and adultprofessionals and experts.AnAdvisoryCouncil has beenreconstructed that consists of young adults (includingAlec Loorz)who have graduated from iMatter, and otheradult volunteers.

Sustainability and Fundraising

A significant reason for bringing a newExecutiveDirectoron board is to put the organization on amore solid financialfooting. In the beginning, most of the funding emergedfromAlec’s speaking engagements, with donors providingresources to facilitate his public engagement and localinitiatives such as SLAP and the iMatter Marches. As themovement’s network and prominence grew, other donors,includingTedTurner, have stepped forwardwith increasedfinancial support.However, thesewere often serendipitouscontributions, growing organically from iMatter’sadvocacy. And frequently support has come in the form ofin-kind resources, from the pro bono legal work facilitatedby Our Children’s Trust to the documentaries created byWitness.

Raising money in ‘the regular way’ of non-profitorganizations, through grants and steady donations, hasproved to be challenging. Being a youth-led organizationhas been an asset at times, with potential donors andfoundations specifically interested in maintaining a youthvoice in proposals. At other times, a more professionalapproach and the use of grant writers has been necessary.Throughexperience, iMatter has found that it is ofteneasierfor young people to raise funds at the local level forimmediate initiatives. The new strategy will continue toencourage the young people to create their own localorganizations while engaging in the broader iMatternetwork.

“The changeneededwill takemore than ridingbikesand changing light bulbs. We know what reallyneeds to change is our way of thinking.” Alec Loorz(22).

educating children and youth to providing theadditional guidance that will enable them to initiateactions and advocate with and alongside adults. Asnoted by Victoria Loorz, “We don’t want kids’ tablessetupas sideevents. Wewantchildren tobeat themainevent. Education has to happen, but what can happen(if young people are empowered) is even moreinteresting. (19)" This requires investment of timeandcoaching by adults who are committed to andexperienced inboth climate change issues andworkingwith young people.

Youth Council Member (Credit: iMatter)

PartnershipsActive partnerships within the climate changenetwork have been vital since iMatter’s inception.From the initial mentoring provided by scientists atthe Scripps Institute of Oceanography to the probono legal representation for youth plaintiffsfacilitated by Our Children’s Trust, iMatter hascollaboratedwith a range of actors, large and small.At times, technical support has been provided bywell-established organizations, such as EarthIsland Institute and Avaaz, as part of umbrellasupport for social justice and environmental start-ups. In turn, iMatter has helped fledgling groups toget started, including the Alliance for ClimateEducation, which has reached 2 million students inthe US through assemblies (26) developed withAlec Loorz’s input.

Future PlansiMatter is kicking off a new campaign in 2015,iMatterNow, with a renewed focus on the urgency ofclimate change. The target age range is young people,aged 10 to 18. Young people will be empowered tospeak out on the urgency of action on climate change,inspire parents and relatives, hold communitiesaccountable and develop leadership skills. A pilot ofthe new approach will be carried out starting this fallin Des Moines, Iowa, both to test the model and toengage young people in advance of the USPresidential primaries. With the pilot, iMatter needs toprove that the model can be taken up by entire schools,jump to other schools, and eventually between cities.

The new campaign reflects and incorporates lessonslearned since the inception of iMatter. The focus ofadvocacy is at the local level, where children and youthcan most effectively take action, lead change, andgenerate support. Young activists, new to both climatechange and social action, require mentoring andguidance. The new campaign will provide this throughonline networks and portals. Given the need todemonstrate ’value for money’ to new donors, each stepof the campaign will be measurable, though still flexibleenough for young people to adapt to local contexts andpriorities.

The campaign is organized around specific actions thatyoung people can take. A first action, is to sign a‘Declaration of Independence from Fossil Fuels’, andencourage friends and fellow school students to sign aswell. TheDeclarationwas first used byAlec Loorz, whodelivered a scrollwith 10,000handwrittennames to theUS Senate Environment and Public Works Committee(23). Subsequent signatures, hand-written and online,have reached 50,000 signatures. Young people will alsobe able to survey young people and adults in theircommunities, before and after their campaigns begin, tocapture the impact of their advocacy.

Thesecondkeypart of the strategy is communityClimateReport Cards, whichwill provide a tool for youth to holdtheir communities accountable and a roadmap foreffective action.An interactive, online platformwill helpyouth leaders find data on their owncommunity’s impacton climate change.Once completed, the report cardswillbe presented at press events tomayors and councils, whowill be requested to commit to improving the scores.Grades will be based on local i) climate action plan

ii) use of renewable energy, iii) waste management andiv) carbon removed from the atmosphere. The reportcards were developed with input from ICLEI (24), andenergy analysts from around the country. Technicalsupport and mentoring will be provided by iMatter toyoungpeople creatingandusing theseReportCards (25).

iMatterNow Report Card Examplefor XYZ City

Waste (Generated/Recycled/Composted) B 20%

Renewable Energy % B 20%

Overall grade C+

Emissions Reduction Plan C 50%

Carbon removed from atmosphere D 10%

Grade Weighting

End Notes(1) http://www.imatteryouth.org/our-founder/

(2) iMatter unpublished presentation. Kraft, Larry. Phone interview, June 16, 2015

(3) iMatter unpublished presentation

(4) Loorz, Victoria. Phone interview, June 26, 2015

(5) http://www.imatteryouth.org/#!imatter-youth-council/cc1u

(6) http://ourchildrenstrust.org

(7) http://www.imatteryouth.org/#!the-courts/c1354

(8) Kraft, Larry. Phone interview, June 16, 2015

(9) Press Release: Washington State Youth Win Unprecedented Decision in their Climate Change Lawsuit,6/23/2015, http://ourchildrenstrust.org/event/677/press-release-washington-state-youth-win-unprecedented-decision-their-climate-change-lawsu

(10) http://www.earthguardians.org/xiuhtezcatl/

(11) http://ourchildrenstrust.org/sites/default/files/15.08.12HuffingtonPost.pdf

(12) https://www.climaterealityproject.org

(13) http://www.imatteryouth.org/#!alec-loorz/c8c1

(14) https://acespace.org

(15) http://avaaz.org/en/

(16) iMatter unpublished presentation. Kraft, Larry. Phone interview, June 16, 2015

(17) Source: Hansen J, Kharecha P, Sato M, Masson-Delmotte V, Ackerman F, et al. (2013) Assessing“Dangerous Climate Change”: Required Reduction of Carbon Emissions to Protect Young People, FutureGenerations and Nature. PLoS ONE 8(12): e81648. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0081648, From iMatter internalpresentation

This case study would not have been possible without the support of Victoria Loorz, Campaign Director, and Larry Kraft, whogenerously shared their time and experiences. Thank you.

About Equity for Children:

Equity for Children (EFC) operates in theUnited States, Argentina,Mexico andBrazil, and exists to improve the living conditionsof poor, marginalized and underserved children around the world. Its knowledge portal is delivered in English, Spanish andPortuguese. EFC advances an agenda of social justice for children and strengthens the impact of programs and policies connectedto child wellbeing, creating and disseminating knowledge to stimulate critical and innovative thinking about child poverty andinequality. It is housed at the Studley Graduate Program in International Affairs at The New School in New York City.

About the author:

Samantha Cocco-Klein is Equity for Children’s Senior Advisor. Samantha is an advocate for children and an internationaldevelopment specialist. For over 15 years, she hasworkedwithUNICEF, theUN and civil society organizations around theworldto improve the lives of children. She is currently a PhD student in Public and Urban Policy at theMilano School for InternationalAffairs, Managment, and Urban Policy.

Bibliography

Hansen J, Kharecha P, Sato M, Masson-Delmotte V, Ackerman F, et al. (2013) Assessing “Dangerous ClimateChange”: Required Reduction of Carbon Emissions to Protect Young People, Future Generations and Nature.PLoS ONE 8(12): e81648. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0081648, From iMatter unpublished presentation

Loorz, Victoria. Phone interview, June 26, 2015

iMatter unpublished presentation

iMatterNow Community Report Card, unpublished document

Kraft, Larry. Phone interview, June 16, 2015

Press Release: Washington State Youth Win Unprecedented Decision in their Climate Change Lawsuit, OurChildren’s Trust, June23, 2015 http://ourchildrenstrust.org/event/677/press-release-washington-state-youth-win-unprecedented-decision-their-climate-change-lawsuit

Websites

Alliance for Climate Change Education, https://acespace.org

Earth Guardians, http://www.earthguardians.org

Earth Island Institute, http://www.earthisland.org

Holacracy, http://www.holacracy.org

iMatter Youth Movement, http://www.imatteryouth.org

Our Children’s Trust, http://ourchildrenstrust.org

All photos courtesy of iMatter Kids Vs. Global Warming

Link to iMatter video on YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YR7AwbXim-k

(18) http://www.holacracy.org/how-it-works/

(19) Loorz, Victoria. Phone interview, June 26, 2015

(20) http://www.earthisland.org

(21) http://www.earthisland.org/index.php/aboutUs/

(22) http://www.imatteryouth.org/#!imatter-youth-council/cc1u

(23) http://www.imatteryouth.org/#!declaration-of-independence/c1kln

(25) http://www.iclei.org

(25) https://acespace.org/what-we-do

(26) iMatterNow Community Report Card

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