Designed and shaped by students, the Pierce County YESS Student Climate Summit brought young people together this fall to connect across schools and take on local environmental challenges. For the first time, student planners played a central role in nearly every part of the Summit, from shaping the agenda and surveys to designing activities, facilitating discussions, and leading the land acknowledgement.
That student-informed approach created a collaborative, high-energy day at the Pierce County Skills Center, where 43 middle and high school students from five schools gathered alongside eight teachers, community climate leaders, Pierce County staff, and EarthGen.
Several of the Summit’s most engaging moments were designed and led by students. A four corners discussion encouraged dialogue across schools and perspectives, while a puzzle-piece art mural offered a creative way to reflect on the individual and collective nature of climate work.
Student planners also designed and facilitated a community climate panel focused on real-world pathways into climate work. Panelists represented local government, schools, higher education, and community organizations, including Pierce County, Franklin Pierce High School and Jane Goodall’s Roots and Shoots, the University of Puget Sound, the Asia Pacific Cultural Center, and the Pierce Climate Leadership Cohort. By shaping the questions and guiding the conversation, students ensured the panel reflected their interests in local action, careers, and next steps.
Participants left with practical ideas and renewed momentum. One teacher shared, “My students felt absolutely galvanized after the summit and wanted to continue meeting to put forward projects in the school building as soon as we had returned to campus.” A student reflected that brainstorming ideas for their school made them feel confident those ideas could become reality.
More than a third of participating students expressed interest in helping plan future Summits, signaling strong momentum to grow student leadership and collaboration in the years ahead.
