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This year, the Park High Green Initiative and PCEC are hosting the first-ever Montana Youth Climate Summit for 50 students from around the state of Montana. The two-day event in Livingston will take place on October 12 and 13.
By investing in passionate young leaders, we are building the capacity and community expertise needed to proactively address climate change issues by helping students feel empowered and a part of this place. This two-day conference will bring together like-minded youth to learn from each other, various climate professionals, and storytellers of all kinds.
The Green Initiative’s inception started as a recycling program in the high school which gained state-wide recognition when they received a SMART Schools Challenge award through the office of the Governor. Over the past seven years, they have hosted a myriad of community events surrounding Earth Day, climate change, and community resilience. Their biggest achievement came with the development, implementation, and management of a strategic fundraising plan to put a 50-kilowatt photovoltaic system on our local high school – they raised over $120,000 and it was installed during the summer of 2020.
Each year, the students with the Green Initiative identify one overarching project to work on. This year, the students declared that their goal was to attend a youth climate summit, but the closest to be found was 1,000-plus miles away. So, they made it their goal to host a summit – the first ever in the state of Montana. Students are a key part of planning this event and have helped to build a coalition of partners and planners from across Montana. By involving these diverse groups, we ensure a well-rounded perspective that will incorporate a range of expertise and ideas into the summit.