Young Voices for the Planet: Words Have Power

Videos

Grades6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12Civics, Health

This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
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What it is

  • This video presents the story of Jaysa Hunter-Mellers, a young activist from Bridgeport, Connecticut whose testimony helped shut down a coal-fired power plant.
  • Students will see that children can fight for environmental justice and address environmental threats through civic actions and words.

Teaching tips

Positives
  • This video and the additional links in the description can inspire students to take action to protect the environment.
  • This video has a powerful message related to environmental justice, environmental racism, and one person's ability to make change.
Prerequisites
  • Students should be familiar with the following concepts: air pollution, environmental racism, activism, and burning fossil fuels.
  • Teachers can check out the various articles and videos on Jaysa's awards, projects, and press releases.
Differentiation & Implementation
  • In ELA classes, teachers can show students the video and ask them to write a paragraph about the impact of words to make a positive change.
  • In art classes, teachers can ask students to make a piece of art that depicts the powerful words Jaysa Hunter-Mellers.
  • This video can be used for a class discussion about environmental racism.
  • It can be used as a starting point for a lesson on actions to restore the environment or on air pollution and its impacts on human health.

From the scientist review

This resource is a story of climate activism. Additional links are also recommended to inspire students to lead in climate conversations and take urgent action to restore their environment.
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