Here’s How to Support Youth Leaders Like Me Right Now
Provided by: Asian Pacific Environmental Network|Published on: March 12, 2026
Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12
Type: Articles/Websites
Subjects: Civics
Authors: Asian Pacific Environmental Network
Region: California
Languages: English
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- In this article, youth activist Ally Putthongvilai writes about overcoming her fear to speak out about an oil spill on the waterfront in Richmond, California.
- Students will learn about the importance of speaking out to affect change and ensure big companies stop polluting the environment.
Teaching Materials
Positives
- Students will be inspired by this youth activist and her courage to speak out.
- This article is brief and manageable for students of varying reading levels.
Prerequisites
- Students should understand the harm that an oil spill can cause.
- Teachers may want to give students some background information on APEN and what their organization does.
Differentiation & Implementation
- After reading, students can complete an exit ticket to explain the importance of young people speaking up.
- Teachers can highlight the paragraph where Ally talks about feeling angry and explain how feeling angry is normal, and it can help to channel that anger into something like civic action. Teachers can also work this into a bigger conversation about climate emotions.
- Speech teachers can use this resource to talk about fear associated with public speaking and point to how this speaker overcame their fear by talking about something important to them.
- For another example of how the oil and gas industry has had environmental impacts, teachers can check out this article.
This resource is the personal testimonial of a youth leader who spoke out after a 2021 spill at Chevron’s Richmond Refinery. The narrative is empowering and could serve as a model for youth climate activism. This resource is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
Learn about our review process →
