A young leader speaks into a bullhorn with their back turned to the camera. Protestors can be seen in the background.

Youth Climate Justice Spokesperson Bureau

Youth leaders on the frontlines of climate change are stepping up to share their stories! Their authentic and bold narratives are critical in telling the story of our struggles and building support for our campaigns. When individuals or communities develop their own narrative and share their own story, it can move people to take positive action. However, we know that young people and communities on the frontlines of climate change and environmental destruction -- communities of color and low income communities -- often do not get to tell their own story or are manipulated by the media. That's why Power Shift Network created the Youth Climate Justice Spokesperson Bureau -- to increase visibility and support for these awesome change-makers!

Read more about some of the inspiring leaders of color and frontline youth in Power Shift Network and how you can uplift their stories.

If you would like to contact anyone from the Spokesperson Bureau for a speaking engagement or media opportunity OR you are from a PSN member organization and would like to join the bureau, you can email media@powershift.org with “Spokesperson Bureau” in the subject line. You can also find some of the spokespeople's direct contact information in their profiles below. For general media inquiries about PSN, email us at media@powershift.org. 

Tianna Arredondo

  • Home: Fresno, CA
  • Organizations: SustainUS, PSN Frontlines to Power
  • Areas of Expertise: Strategic Communications in Communities of Color, Environmental Justice, Black Culture, Community Building, Diversity/Equity/Inclusion

I am a storyteller, strategist and social entrepreneur currently working on the Frontlines to Power initiative in partnership with Power Shift Network. Having experienced first hand the impacts of environmental pollution in Fresno, CA, I have a passion for changing the systems that perpetuate environmental injustice and all forms of oppression. I work to keep teams together while reaching goals through facilitating, strategic planning and creating content that will best resonate with frontline and impacted communities. I strive to create lasting change through organizing and storytelling in national and international activist spaces.

JI Cruz

  • Home: Puerto Rico
  • Contact: ji@jicruz.com
  • Areas of Expertise: Climate science, Renewable Energy Technology, Puerto Rico, Territorial Politics, High School Activism, Green New Deal, Latino Identities

I am an environmental activist, strategist, and social entrepreneur from Puerto Rico. I am passionate about implementing solutions that simultaneously address the climate crisis and bring forth economic justice. Currently, I work alongside faith-based communities in Puerto Rico to help create community resilience centers across the island. I am also the co-founder and strategist for ACEPR.org, a social enterprise that helps Puerto Rican communities establish decentralized, community-owned electric cooperatives.

Dania DeRamon

I am a rising high school senior at Jurupa Valley High School and I am planning on majoring in Communication and Journalism. I have lived in Jurupa Valley for the past three years and I really love it.

Currently, I am working alongside others at CCAEJ on two major environmental justice initiatives. We are working to stop a proposed truck stop close to my school that would exacerbate pollution levels in the area. I am raising awareness about the health impacts of the project through writing op-eds and outreach to youth in my region.

Kristy Drutman

I am a digital strategist and the host of Brown Girl Green, a podcast and media series dedicated to critical conversations around building an environmentally just society. I interview environmental rights leaders and advocates who want to share their stories and talk about why workplace and member diversity and inclusiveness is critical for environmental advocacy groups - especially if they want to create a sustainable world for future generations. As a Filipina American, I am inspired to change the image of what it means to be an environmentalist in the 21st century.

Tasnim Meloulli

  • Home: Orlando, FL
  • Organization: Organize Florida Education Fund
  • Contact: tmellouli1@gmail.com
  • Areas of Expertise: Islam and Environmental Justice, Immigrant and Refugee Justice, Environmental Racism

I am Tasnim Mellouli, an Environmental Studies student at the University of Central Florida. At the moment I work around issues centering the struggles of the Muslim community and encouraging them to practice the faith by protecting nature. I’m also an undergrad research assistant with the Aquatic Biogeochemistry Laboratory at UCF.

I am a Sierra Club Fellow, a graduate of Power Shift Network's Frontlines to Power Spokesperson Program, and a member of Organize Florida’s Climate Justice Committee. My goal is to conduct professional and academic research in the field of ecosystem adaptation in impoverished communities.

Michaela Mujica-Steiner

  • Home: Boulder, CO
  • Organization: SustainUS
  • Areas of Expertise: Self-Care and Self-Love in the Climate Justice Movement, Building Healthy Activist Cultures, Fracking, Youth Activism at the UN, Art and Activism, Local/Statewide Ballot Initiatives As a Strategy for Movement Building

I am a performance artist and activist living in my hometown of Boulder, Colorado. Currently, I am working with Boulder Democratic Socialists of America, and other local groups to stop fracking happening directly in my community. I am an avid artist. I focus on direct action campaigns and and multi-medium body-based performance art - exploring different ways in which our bodies can be tools for resistance or submission. I have also been a youth delegate with SustainUS at the 23rd and 24th UN Climate Talks (COP23 & 24). Much of my current work involves exploring and working at the intersections of gender and climate change through political education trainings and discussions with activist groups in my community.

My personal experiences of sexual assault and mental health challenges are a part of my commitment to collective liberation. I bring this perspective into my work through supporting groups in building healthy cultures that intentionally promote self-care and break down oppression.