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Making the [In]Visible Powerful: Leveraging Climate Visuals in Courts
This article first appeared on Open Global Rights in English and Spanish on October 30, 2020. Climate Change in the Courtroom Human rights researcher Alexa Koenig said, “Visuals are often the bridge between lived experiences on the ground and some of the greatest seats of power,” but that was not what Ashley Funk thought would happen when she received her […]
WITNESS
November 13, 2020
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YOUTH V GOV: A Beacon of Hope
YOUTH v GOV, a transformative film directed by former WITNESS partner Christi Cooper about the unparalleled work of another former partner, Our Children’s Trust, premieres at the prestigious DOC NYC Film Festival from November 11-19, 2020. Tickets can be purchased here. The next chance to watch this must-see film won’t be until 2021 so don’t […]
WITNESS
October 23, 2020
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How 21 Young People Keep Winning Against the US Gov for Climate Change
In 2010, we began working with Our Children’s Trust and iMatter supported by climate scientists, constitutional law professors and faith-based communities to bring attention to a new movement of young people calling on state and federal governments to protect the atmosphere for future generations.
WITNESS
March 18, 2019
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Help Us Secure Justice for Land Rights Activist Samir Flores Soberanes
On February 20th, Samir Flores Soberanes, popular communicator and activist, was murdered outside his house in Amilcingo, a community located at Morelos state in the eastern center of Mexico. His murder took place the day after he publicly announced, once again, his opposition to the Morelos Integral Project (PIM in Spanish) at a federal government […]
Laura Salas
March 11, 2019
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Dispatch from Rio: Part 2
Week two of the Mutirão of Independent Media has been dramatic, productive and inspiring. See some of the highlights of our work covering the social impacts of the Olympics 2016 in Rio de Janeiro.
Jackie Zammuto
August 20, 2016
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WITNESS Stands With Youth Fighting Legal Battle for Climate Justice
WITNESS joined other organizations and advocates in filing an amicus curiae (“friend of the court”) brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to support young people suing the federal government for not acting to reverse climate change.
WITNESS
November 13, 2013
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Why would adults from the Oil and Gas Industry bully 10 and 13 year old kids?
I am writing this op-ed because I want to know why the biggest, most powerful industry is picking on kids who are trying to educate their peers about an issue they are passionate about.
WITNESS
May 16, 2013
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Activists & Film Festivals: A Romance for the Ages
Effective film distribution means finding active audiences, wider recognition, and well-deserved love for your film and your issue. Romancing film festivals could be your best move.
WITNESS
May 10, 2013
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Young People Inspiring Young People Through Live Blogging
I had never read a live blog before, but that didn't stop me from giving social justice filmmaker Karly Placek the go-ahead to write on my climate change campaign. And I'm glad I did.
WITNESS
April 18, 2013
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16-year-old Climate Advocate Speaks Out on Hurricane Sandy
16-year-old Maya Faison from Queens, New York recently shared her thoughts on Hurricane Sandy and climate change in an article published by Climate Progress. Maya wrote the article on her sixth day without heat, her sixth day without power, and her sixth day with no gas in her mom’s car to escape. What troubled me most in what she shared is this: “I feel let down and disappointed that it’s taken a major storm that has taken over 40 lives and counting for my elected leaders to acknowledge the reality of climate change.”
WITNESS
November 12, 2012
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After Hurricane Sandy, Our Youth Call on Us: Be Upstanders, Not Bystanders. Vote for Climate Justice!
Over the last year, we filmed youth from across the country – literally from Boston, Massachusetts to a village just inland from the Bering Sea – whose lives have already been changed by the deterioration of our Earth’s atmosphere. These award-winning video portraits showcase how our youth are bravely taking legal action against our governments’ collective failure to take serious climate action.
WITNESS
November 1, 2012
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TRUST Oregon: Kelsey Juliana Asks Courts to Recognize her Generation’s Right to a Healthy Atmosphere
Since the world’s key decision makers and our legislature’s refuse to lead us out of our climate crisis and protect our air and water, our youth, between classes, after school and on weekends, are stepping up and asking the courts to recognize and honor their constitutional right to a healthy atmosphere. In Oregon, Kelsey Juliana’s parents taught her not to take the air and water for granted.
WITNESS
October 10, 2012
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TRUST Pennsylvania: America’s Youth Have Solutions to Climate Change, Let’s Follow Their Lead
Over the course of the last year, I have been working with a dynamic, committed and brilliant group of young Americans who don't have trouble imagining a future different from the present. They don’t block out complex problems that lack simple solutions and instead find the solutions.
WITNESS
July 25, 2012
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TRUST: Connecting Catastrophe with Climate Change
My biggest hope is that the media - and then the public - will begin connecting our weather catastrophes with climate change so we will not only hear what the climate is trying to tell us, but will also listen.
WITNESS
June 29, 2012
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TRUST Colorado: Understanding What It Means to Protect Our Atmosphere
Justinian concluded that these essential, common, natural resources belong to everyone and not just the Emperor or the privileged. Consequently, the Roman Empire protected these resources in trust, for the public. This hallowed legal principle, referred to as the Public Trust Doctrine, is perhaps most simply explained by 11-year-old Xiuhtezcatl Martinez...
WITNESS
May 8, 2012
