Climate Change Maker Since 2019

COMMUNITY | Swissvale

SCHOOL | Rising 11th grader, Woodland Hills High School

HOURS OF ACTION | 35+

ACTIONS & ACHIEVEMENTS |
Successfully Passed First School District Climate Change Resolution in Pennsylvania (Woodland Hills School District)

Founding and Current Member: Woodland Hills Climate Action Team 

Lead Planner: Woodland Hills Virtual Youth Climate Action Summit, October 2020

Youth Liaison: Woodland Hills School District Climate Change Committee 

Exemplar Presenter: 2021 Seeds of Change Conference

Grant Recipient: 2021 Seeds of Change Conference

Levi is a Communitopia climate action rock star! He is a current leader and one of the founding members of the Woodland Hills Climate Action Team. He also served as a Woodland Hills Climate Change Committee Youth Liaison in the spring of 2021. Through this work, Levi attended meetings with district and community leaders to share her skills as a youth representative to propel the district’s work on the Climate Change Resolution. In July of 2019, he and his peers made history when they successfully petitioned the Woodland Hills School Board to unanimously pass a Board Resolution calling for climate action, becoming the first school district in the state of Pennsylvania to pass such a measure. Levi has also presented at numerous local conferences about the WHSD Resolution and the work he’s doing in the district to bring it to life.

Levi also served as a lead youth summiteer for the first-ever youth-led Woodland Hills Youth Virtual Climate Action Summit (WHYCAS). Having participated in a wide range of work with Communitopia and its partners, Levi has increased his skills in public speaking, meeting planning and facilitation, event organizing, written communication, goal setting, and virtual presentation. He writes about his growth in his public speaking skills saying, “Before I was a part of Communitopia's programming, I did not have the confidence to speak in front of a large, diverse group of people. However, when I was provided with the opportunity to speak at various meetings and conferences, my confidence grew, and I became better at public speaking. I was presented with the opportunity to speak at the Youth Climate Action Summit, which happened this past October, and the meetings preceding the summit, I practiced my speaking skills. I knew how to enunciate and pronounce the words, but I was just shy in front of a large audience. Being a part of the summit allowed me to get over that issue and elevated my confidence significantly whenever I needed to speak.”

Levi is a champion for climate justice for marginalized communities, and through his participation and leadership at WHYCAS he’s gained a new perspective. “Before I became involved with Communitopia, I was aware that certain groups of people and communities were subjected to greater levels of environmental risk -- groups of color or impoverished groups are disproportionately affected by the certain environmental factors that have been imposed on them by the government -- than other groups of people. However, after hearing Pennsylvania State Representative Summer Lee speak on the topic of environmental injustice and how it affects her as a woman of color at the WHYCAS, it has opened my eyes wider and allowed me to comprehend the concept on a deeper level. I was able to see this issue through the eyes of another person -- a person who deals with this issue every single day as a part of their job and life.”

Levi is active in his community outside of climate action. He volunteers at the local Swissvale Senior Towers and Swissvale Food Pantry during the summer and throughout the school year. He also plays the viola in the Woodland Hills orchestra.