Youth Climate Change Summit
On September 24-25, 2010, Chugach Children’s Forest and partners convened a Youth Climate Change Summit in Anchorage Alaska. The goal of this summit was to highlight youth work in understanding climate change in Alaska while also facilitating youth leadership in Alaska in developing local and regional solutions to the impacts of climate change. The summit was heavily youth-focused, with agency and other science and educational professionals involved as advisors and in a listening role. Components of the summit included youth presentations, break-out work sessions, and presentations and conversations with climate scientists. Approximately 50 youth participants came from a variety of programs and communities, including high school participants in Chugach Children’s Forest climate expeditions, and students collaborating on climate research with National Wildlife Refuges including the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Kenai National Wildlife Refuge and the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge.