Climate Action United States Project #60277

Earth Voice: Inspiring Shift

by Earth Guardians, Inc.

Project Report | Oct 21, 2025
Earth Voices & Speakers Bureau 2025 Update

By Tyler Massias | Spears Bureau Director

Earth Voices event in Chicago

In 2025, despite the growing challenges and contention surrounding truth-telling and advocacy, Earth Guardians’ Speakers Bureau continued to make a profound impact across the U.S. and globally, amplifying youth voices on some of the most pressing issues of our time.

Through our traditional Speakers Bureau programming, we engaged audiences at events nationwide, directly reaching more than 3,000 individuals and inspiring collective action rooted in ecological awareness and climate justice.

Our newer Earth Voices program also continued to evolve and expand. This year, we brought our youth Speakers to schools across the U.S., where they delivered climate and science-based curriculum modules that empowered 1,100 students to turn their world-changing ideas into tangible projects.

A couple of examples include:

•Speakers Tony and Tyler traveled to Chicago to collaborate with the Urban Growers Collective, providing agricultural and communications training for local youth leaders, expanding the program’s experiential and scientific dimensions.

•Speaker Vic led a session at the Packer Institute, advancing our new strategic focus on Montessori and private school engagement. This effort lays the foundation for a broader outreach strategy to reach educators and students within these learning environments.

Beyond these in-person engagements, our voices continue to resonate through the Earth Voices Podcast and digital education series, including the Science, Policy, and Traditional Knowledge Series and the Speakers Series, all of which strengthen public understanding and advocacy on climate and social justice issues around the globe.

This year’s achievements establish a strong foundation for the next phase of programming — one that will continue to uplift, educate, and mobilize youth worldwide.

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Jun 26, 2025
2025 Earth Voices Update

By Tyler Massias | Speakers Bureau Director

Earth Voices Program Mid-Year Update – 2025

The Earth Voices program has reached a strong halfway point in 2025, continuing to thrive despite national-level challenges that have impacted environmental justice programs across the country. We’re proud to report several key successes so far this year:

We sent one of our inspiring youth speakers, Vic B., to the Packer Institute in New York City, where he engaged dozens of students on the climate crisis and the vital role young people play in driving change. Educators were deeply impressed by Vic’s ability to translate complex climate issues into clear, empowering messages for students.
Our Executive Director delivered a keynote at the Sun Valley Forum, highlighting the Earth Voices program's effectiveness and demonstrating to funders the critical impact and unique value of supporting youth-led environmental storytelling and education.
We’ve doubled our outreach efforts for the Earth Voices program in 2025, expanding our reach and visibility across regions and audiences.

Looking ahead, we’re excited about the remainder of the year. In July, SB Director Tyler M. and speaker Tony P. will travel to Chicago to lead three agriculturally focused workshops rooted in Earth Voices themes. We’re also preparing for upcoming events in Phoenix, Arizona and Cambridge, Massachusetts—with additional opportunities emerging throughout the Western Hemisphere.

We’re grateful for the support that has helped make all of this possible—and we’re just getting started. With your continued help, we can bring Earth Voices to even more communities in need of climate education and youth empowerment.

Help us expand the reach of Earth Voices. Please consider making a donation today to support the next generation of environmental leaders. Thank you!

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Learn more about Earth Voices here!

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Mar 3, 2025
Earth Voices: A Year of Impact

By Tyler Massias | Speakers Bureau Director

Welcome to the new Earth Voices Podcast!

Through the support from GlobalGiving funds and supporters, Earth Guardians’ Speakers Bureau launched the Earth Voices: Inspiring Shift (EVIS) Initiative, empowering youth leaders to visit and speak at eight school events across major cities such as New York City, Chicago, St. Paul, Newark, and Denver. These engagements reached approximately 1,400 students, providing climate justice education, strategic action planning, and mentorship in establishing Earth Guardians Crews for long-term engagement.

The EVIS program successfully introduced alternative climate and science-based curriculum to students, particularly those from underserved and frontline communities. By offering an accessible introduction to activism and organizing, the program inspired students to take direct action in their local environments.

Beyond these school visits, EVIS speakers participated in 17 high-profile events, including New York Climate Week, the Sustainable Brands Annual Conference, and the University of Chicago. This extended engagement led to the creation of the Earth Voices Podcast, ensuring that the voices of our youth leaders continue to resonate beyond in-person events.

Beneficiaries and Impact

EVIS primarily targeted BIPOC youth aged 12-18 from underserved communities, ensuring that its educational programming was accessible to those most impacted by climate and environmental injustice. The program particularly benefited Black and Indigenous youth and young women, who comprised the majority of both the audience and the speakers themselves.

By prioritizing representation, EVIS ensured that students saw themselves reflected in the speakers leading workshops and discussions. The initiative fostered mentorship, strengthened community connections, and created an inclusive space where young leaders could grow in their advocacy roles.

Significant Outcomes

1. Expanding Our Reach and Engagement: Earth Guardians youth leaders, including Emmy, Tony, and Tyler, were invited to the Children and Nature Network International Conference in Madison, Wisconsin. Their presentations on corporate responsibility, Indigenous activism, and climate justice reached a wider audience of students and educators. At this conference, EVIS leaders organized a storytelling-focused networking session, where participants practiced sharing personal climate narratives. The activity transformed the room’s energy, fostering community resilience and stronger peer connections.

2. Growing the Earth Guardians Crews Network: A notable achievement was the EVIS presentation at Pingry School in New Jersey, where speakers led a government letter-writing and action-planning workshop. The event was so impactful that Pingry School invited Earth Guardians back and initiated steps to establish an official EG Crew on campus. This partnership with Pingry underscores the effectiveness of EVIS in fostering long-term youth engagement and leadership development.

3. Multilingual Accessibility and Intercultural Communication: In St. Paul, speaker Tony adapted the EVIS program for Spanish-speaking students, ensuring that language was not a barrier to participation. By prioritizing accessibility, Earth Guardians expanded its reach, making climate activism more inclusive and culturally relevant.

Environmental and Organizational Strengthening

1. Direct Environmental Action: At Pingry School’s 2024 Climate Summit, EVIS participants engaged students in hands-on agricultural projects, leading to the creation of a school garden that now supplements cafeteria meals. Workshops on composting and sustainability practices encouraged students to implement actionable solutions within their communities.

2. Strengthening Earth Guardians’ Capacity: Funding enabled the Speakers Bureau to double its operational capacity, allowing staff to expand EVIS programming nationwide. The growth of the Crews Network resulted in increased youth engagement, direct action opportunities, and mentorship for young climate leaders.

Media and Policy Impact

1. Expanding Digital Engagement and Advocacy: EVIS contributed to the launch of Earth Guardians’ Earth Voices Podcast, providing a digital platform to highlight youth perspectives on climate justice. our Social media engagement campaigns, including video features on Instagram and TikTok, increased public awareness of the EVIS mission and its impact.

2. Policy Influence and Advocacy: EVIS speakers participated in high-level discussions with UNESCO’s Global Education Monitoring (GEM) team, advocating for stronger climate education policies. The program’s partnership with PolicyLink’s Water Equity & Climate Resilience Caucus positioned youth leaders at the forefront of national environmental policy discussions.

Lessons Learned and Future Directions

Building Stronger Educational Networks: Establishing long-term partnerships with schools is critical for sustaining EVIS programming. Moving forward, Earth Guardians has developed a database of educators and administrators to streamline outreach and follow-ups.
Diversifying Speaker Representation: The program successfully compensated and supported multiple speakers per event, ensuring a variety of perspectives in climate advocacy and preventing the sensationalization of a single youth advocate.
Expanding Access through Digital Media: The Earth Voices Podcast and the EG Science & Policy Series will continue to evolve, making climate justice education accessible to broader audiences through digital storytelling.

Thanks to the support of GlobalGiving funds and supporters, EVIS has been instrumental in empowering young people, strengthening environmental education, and fostering long-term climate activism. Looking ahead, Earth Guardians aims to increase the number of EVIS school visits from eight to 14 events per year, expanding our reach and impact within youth climate advocacy.

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