Written by Grace Heaton - Social Media Intern

On April 1, 2023, students from 23 schools across Allegheny County (including CAPA, Allderdice, Winchester Thurston, Shaler, and more) gathered at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center for another successful Youth Climate Action Summit. Communitopia hosted this annual event with support from sponsors Epic Metals, Duolingo, and Pittsburgh Regional Transport. Our 2023 Summit promoted climate education in the Pittsburgh area and inspired youth leaders to take climate action.

The Summit kicked off bright and early with a welcoming presentation from Summit organizers Rebecca Carter, Vanessa Gonzales-Rychener, Claire Bertolet, and Keliyah Washington who presented an overview of climate change. The four introduced keynote speaker, Alexis Walker, newly appointed as the Education Coordinator in Mayor Ed Gainey’s office and former Director of GirlGov Programs.

Walker shared an empowering speech on the importance of youth activism and the education system’s ability to help promote such activism, not just in the field of climate action, but for all social justice issues. She then introduced students she worked with in GirlGov to answer questions about their experiences in youth activism and why it is so important.

After Alexis Walker and GirlGov representatives spoke, attendees split into their morning breakout sessions. Everyone chose between two powerful sessions: the Phipps YCAC’s presentation on air quality and Pittsburgh’s legacy, and the Summit organizers’ presentation on how to begin climate projects at your school. Later in the day, participants heard from a panel of youth activists from a variety of high schools in the area. They answered students’ questions about the best ways to begin their youth activism journey and how to get involved. The second breakout session featured Sunrise’s presentation on making youth voices powerful in climate policy decisions and Heinz College graduate students’ presentation on environmental justice and culture-based sustainability practices.

The summit ended with a student work session on their climate action plans, an announcement from lead Event Sponsor Epic Metals about a scholarship award, and prizes awarded from a scavenger hunt that happened during lunch.

All of us at Communitopia want to extend a big thank you to the students who attended the Summit, our volunteers who helped to set up and make the event run smoothly, our generous sponsors, and our hardworking Summit organizers who we could not do this event without. We are so happy with the results of this event, and look forward to welcoming everyone back again next year!