JOSÉ
Hey! My name is José Leonardo, and I am a young climate activist, participant in the Evergreen Youth Lab. I come from Venezuela, a country where nature and the climate are incredibly heavenly, which makes me want to protect them at all costs. Other things that made me want to become a climate activist are my passions, such as biking and gardening, causes I care and fight for, like climate change, endangered species, and food insecurity, and last but not least I want to preserve a beautiful environment for my family and close ones.
Out of all the passions that pushed me to become a climate activist, I believe the most important one is gardening. Ever since I was a young kid in Venezuela, my dad had a garden behind the house where he used to grow a lot of fruits and vegetables. Sometimes, I would go help him in the garden, either by watering the plants, fertilizing, or harvesting. In more recent years, I’ve worked in community gardens all around the neighbourhood.
Out of the numerous discoveries I made during my participation at the Evergreen Youth Lab, I think the most impactful one to me is learning that there are limitless ways of fighting for a cause and getting to others. Before I started participating in this project, I wasn’t much of an activist. I knew there were issues to be solved, and I made changes to my lifestyle accordingly, but I rarely spread the word to get others to join in as well because I didn’t have the confidence to go up to people and convince them that there’s an issue and they must do their part. Thanks to the Evergreen Youth Lab, I learnt that I don’t necessarily have to go up to people and confront them. There are other ways to spread the message, such as music, paintings, poems and all kinds of arts, petitions, fundraisers, etc. On top of that, this project also helped me boost my confidence to talk about the issues I care about and fight for.
To conclude, the climate community can support us (the youth minority) by supporting and sharing our work and our message with others, whether it be a painting, a poem, a speech, a petition, a fundraiser, etc.