California 100 Futures Fellows from community college, CSU and University of California campuses across the state released “Our Dreams, Our California: A Youth Manifesto for the Future” outlining a vision for the future that is inclusive, resilient and sustainable for the next century. The Manifesto was released at the inaugural Youth Futures Summit in Sacramento which brought together more than 500 intergenerational organizers to the State Capitol’s West Lawn on Sunday, March 12. California 100 also published its new Youth.California100.Org site which presents visions, solutions, strategies and commitments from the Futures Manifesto in an interactive, shareable format to help advance futures work throughout the state and country.
Explore the Youth Futures Manifesto here.
Read the Sacramento Bee recap of the California 100 Youth Futures Summit here.
The Summit opened with a land acknowledgement by Sacramento Native American Health Center (SNAHC) Chief Traditional Health Officer Nathan Blacksmith and an opening ceremony by Red Hoop drummers and powwow dancers, a mindfulness moment led by Blackfullness co-founders Sonia Raye and David Lee, and featured an inspiring lineup of speakers, including:
- University of California Student Association (UCSA) President Alex Niles,
- CALPIRG State Board Chair Clara Castronovo,
- MILPA Collective Leadership & Program Assistant Noely Loeza,
- GENup Executive team reps Fiona Lu and Ria Babaria,
- Young Invincibles Engagement Coordinator Ruth Sosa Martinez and
- Eleven California 100 Futures Fellows: Alex Edgar (UC Berkeley, ASUC), Alyssa Jaipersaud (USC), Arlene Nagtalon (UC San Diego), Chantelle Miller (UC Riverside), Chloe Colley-Hiller (Cal Lutheran University), Diego Sevillano (UCLA), Donald Zarate (UC Riverside), Genesis Guerra (USC), Genna Weinstein (UC Davis), Jason Ogilve (UC Santa Barbara), and Sabra Carman (UC Santa Barbara).
These visionary young leaders shared their dreams and visions for the future of California and highlighted calls to action that we can take today to make our dream of tomorrow a reality.
The visions and activities celebrated throughout the day, echoed and uplifted the “Our Dreams, Our California: A Youth Manifesto for the Future ” a comprehensive document that included vision statements, solutions, strategies, and commitments. Their 8-10 point platforms detailed visions for what young people want to see in the next 10, 30, or 100 years. The dreams were powerful and declarative, and covered every public policy issue in California and included the following responses:
“Our collective actions for the future need to include supporting education on regenerative agricultural practices for farmers so that we can have healthy soil and stabilize our food systems. My dream is for youth in California to feel empowered to take action towards mitigating climate change and be leaders in their communities.” – Alyssa Jaipersaud, California 100 Futures Fellow
“Our communities are the heart and soul of our state and it is so important that we come together to support one another. It is through our collective identity that we have the power to strive for a better future and that is exactly what we have done with our Futures manifesto; strive for a better future.” – Genesis Guerra, California 100 Futures Fellow
“As a proud Filipina-American, it’s necessary that we break down barriers preventing those from historically marginalized communities from receiving the healthcare products and services they need. I dream of a California that not only dismantles systemic issues within healthcare, but teaches students in K-12 schools the 8 Dimensions of Well-Being, including physical, social, emotional, environmental, intellectual, financial, occupational, and spiritual well-being.” – Arlene Nagtalon, California 100 Futures Fellow
“I dream that the UC will return to being a tuition free institution…I dream that the UC will take student voices and concerns into consideration before deciding on a tuition increase. I dream that the UC will be an affordable option for education and eliminates the concern of any financial hardship on the student.” – UC Students Association
“We envision a California powered by 100% clean, renewable energy. We all know that burning oil, gas, and coal has polluted our air, water, and land for decades – and now it’s changing the climate, resulting in extreme weather, sea level rise, drought, and wildfires. We know we can have healthier communities right now and a livable future for ourselves and generations to come. But to get there we must transform the way we produce and consume energy. We need our entire energy and trans-portation system to be powered by 100% clean, renewable energy.” – CALPIRG Students
Read Youth Futures Manifesto on our newly launched website: Youth.California100.org or download here.
All Summit attendees were encouraged to partake in the youth-led visioning movement and had the opportunity to share their visions and dreams for California’s future on postcards to California’s most influential elected officials and leaders. These responses were compiled and hand-delivered by California 100 Futures Fellows to Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon and Senior Advisor to Governor Gavin Newsom.
“I went to the Capitol carrying the vision of California’s youth alongside other Futures Fellows. I left and brought with me an overwhelming amount of gratitude for the remarkable human beings who work behind-the-scenes and after-hours to serve our State, be it in times of crisis or during calls for change. ” – Liv Oliveros, California 100 Futures Fellow
In addition to the manifesto, hundreds of Summit attendees participated in programming, creative visioning workshops, and interactive artwork from over twenty nonprofits and advocacy organizations. Among the organizations and artists represented were:
- CALPIRG Students
- GENup
- Young Invincibles
- EPIC (Empowering Pacific Islander Communities)
- MILPA Collective
- HOPE (Hispanas Organized for Political Equality)
- California Native Vote Project
- The Center for Social Innovation (CSI)
- RISE Free
- YR Media
- CA FWD
- Music Changing Lives
- When Black and Brown go Green
- The Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern California
- Power CA
- Movement Strategy Center
- AfroRithm Futures Group
- Contributing artist, Sorren Richards
- Contributing artist, Dadara (Creator of the Transformoney Tree)
- Contributing artist, Valerie Mallory (Creator of the Woman Tree)