The Fall Youth-quake

Starting this Fall we will be building the youth climate movement like never before. We are building a 1 million person youth voting bloc, raising the climate issue with candidates, connecting the dots between issues youth care about like health care, wars, and the economy with our country's energy choices, holding public events, and days of action.

We need you to make this a historic election and build the youth climate movement.

1. Download our Power Vote Primer today to get a jumpstart on organizing Power Vote in your community.

Click to download it now.

2. Apply for an action grant

Energy Action Coalition partner Campus Progress is offering action grants to ambitious students who want to run big Power Vote campaigns. Apply for an action grant today at http://campusprogress.org/page/s/actiongrant

3. Arrange to organize Power Vote for credit

Are classes getting in the way of your organizing? Most schools have programs in place to enable you to do Power Vote through an internship or independent study! Now is the perfect time to find a faculty member to “sponsor” or “supervise” you. Some tips:

Talk to your advisor first. They may know of places to look or departments to contact about getting credit for your work.

Be real, and be honest! When you talk to your professor or advisor, discuss how and why your involvement in this campaign is important to your education and your life, and what you expect or would like to learn from your experience.

Do your research. Find out if there are independent study or special interest courses available. Some suggested places to look are the political science, environmental studies, journalism and honors thesis departments.

4. Start fundraising.

The fossil fuel industry spends millions to block real action on global warming. We rely on people power first and foremost, but a little cash helps too. Whether you’re taking time off this fall and you need to pay rent and buy groceries, or you want to help ensure Power Vote is as big as possible all over this nation, now is the time to start fundraising and helping us all to own our movement. Here are the steps to take:

Create a budget so that you can ask for a specific amount and make it seem credible.
Build a list of all possible funding sources, including family, friends, faculty, alumni, student groups, and academic departments, and administrative offices;
Write a letter you can send to potential funders.
Send your letter, and follow up with phone calls. Don’t be afraid to be persistent!