Maggie Somers, Program and Outreach Manager at Maine Conservation Voters, discusses recognizing and respecting tribal rights, the connection between sovereignty and environmental justice, and the critical role of youth activism in uplifting Indigenous voices.

Nick Janzen, Partnerships Director at Maine Conservation Voters joins us for "What's at Stake?: Climate Justice and the Presidential Election." Learn about what potential presidential election scenarios will mean for climate justice nationally and locally.

At this event, we explore the vital role each vote plays in shaping our communities and future. Hear from Rose Dubois and Phoebe Dolan at Maine Youth Power (https://www.maineyouthpower.org) as they share insights on civic engagement and the importance of participation in our democratic process.

For our September Teach-In for Youth, we'll be joined by Izzy Bailey, a Rehabilitation Counselor at the Division for the Blind & Visually Impaired in the Maine Department of Labor. Izzy will help us dig into the intersection of disability and climate justice. Discover how climate change disproportionately affects people with disabilities and how their voices and experiences are crucial in crafting inclusive, equitable environmental solutions.

In this first installment of MYCJ’s Fall Teach-Ins for Youth, we learn about water sovereignty issues and the state of water justice in Maine. We’re excited to be joined by the co-founder of Community Water Justice Luke Sekera-Flanders.

For our April Teach-In for Youth we were joined by Abigail Hayne, Youth Climate Engagement Fellow with the Governor's Office of Policy Innovation and the Future, and some of the Maine Climate Council Youth Representatives to break down how Maine's Climate Action Plan is created and discuss the process as experienced by the Youth Reps!

This teach-in covered two of MYCJ’s 2024 Legislative Priorities: Wabanaki Self-Determination (LD 2007) and Wabanaki Studies in Maine Public Schools (LD 1642). We were joined by Amara Ifeji, Policy Director with Maine Environmental Education Association, and Jasmine Lamb, PhD student at the University of Maine and Passamaquoddy citizen. Scroll down for calls to action!

In November 2023 we were joined by Atlantic Black Box to learn about the Place Justice Project and the Listening Sessions that they are hosting with Wabanaki Youth Councils on the importance of place names & place justice.

We gained a better understanding of the significance of place names, Maine's shameful history of racist place names, and how the Place Justice Project is working towards understanding place name impacts & how this work relates to climate justice.

We returned this fall with our second annual Speaker Series focusing on the Pine Tree Power campaign: November Referendum Election ballot question 3, an Act to Create the Pine Tree Power Company, a Non-profit, Consumer-Owned Utility.

We learned more about the history & context surrounding the erasure of a critical part of Maine’s Constitution. Ballot Question 6 on Maine's November Referendum Election would require that the entirety of Maine's Constitution be printed, including sections 1, 2 and 5 of Article 10, which mandate the state’s obligations to the Wabanaki Nations. These sections of the Constitution ceased to be included in printed versions of Maine's Constitution (and later, online versions) in 1875.

View MYCJ’s past events and specific policy demands!

In the fall of 2022, MYCJ hosted a six part series on the topic of offshore wind in the Gulf of Maine. The goal of this series was to educate ourselves & others on the various aspects of the floating offshore wind turbine projects that have been proposed for the Gulf of Maine. Watch the recording from the series here! Stay tuned for our podcast, set to be released by the end of 2023

MYCJ Stands with Wabanaki Nations - Urge Gov. Mills to Pass LD 1626

Youth activists hold rally at the Maine State House - April 2022

We stand in opposition to energy projects that do not reflect a holistic understanding of a clean energy transition and do not center justice as a critical principle. The CMP Corridor is not a climate justice solution and it will not help us attain the clean energy future we imagine and deserve.