We have two reflections from current and former IOF students who recently returned from the Local Conference of Youth, a UN-endorsed national youth climate conference in the United States. Katie brings us insights as a veteran of both a previous LCOY, as well as COP28, the global UN Climate Summit that took place in Dubai. You’ll also hear from Aditi, a current IOF student who’s bringing a fresh perspective as a first-time LCOY attendee.
LCOY Reflection By Katie Stabb, It’s Our Future alum
Hi! My name is Katie, and I’m a summer intern for Seven Generations Ahead, mostly working with the It’s Our Future (IOF) program, in which I participated in high school.
I recently attended the Local Conference of Youth USA (LCOY) in Miami, FL. LCOY is the UN-endorsed national youth climate conference, where young people craft demands that comprise the National Youth Statement, ultimately feeding into the Global Youth Statement presented at the UN Climate Conference, also known as COP. I attended COP28 in Dubai with It’s Our Future and last year’s LCOY in Tempe, AZ. This time around, I led a group of five IOF students on the LCOY journey.
LCOY 2025 felt very different than LCOY 2024- and not just that it was hot and humid instead of hot and dry. For the first time, state and local action were at the forefront, where previously, only federal and international policies were drafted for the National Youth Statement. While those kinds of demands will still be included, the Trump administration’s complete reversal of US climate policies and withdrawal from the Paris Agreement have prompted a more “think global, act local” approach.
To me, this is a positive change regardless of who’s in the White House. I’ve seen a lot of delegates who may not be familiar with UN processes or specific jargon light up when talking about policies that have been implemented in their cities or states. In one of the new breakout sessions, we split up by region to discuss what climate-friendly policies or programs existed in our area, and where work was still needed.
I got excited when a couple other Midwest delegates pitched a climate education idea, which we ultimately combined with a demand for renewable energy jobs and workforce development à la CEJA. We could only have so many demands, so we had to get a little creative! But to me, this connection made sense. As I’ve said multiple times as part of Climate Education for Illinois, in order to fulfill CEJA’s goals we need to teach about both the history and present of the environment, and the future: that is, green solutions and careers. Other demands from the Midwest crew ran the gamut from zoning reform and better building codes to recycling initiatives and carbon sequestration on farms.
In addition to the National Youth Statement, this year we worked on a new output, an Advocacy Toolkit to help get our demands implemented. While last year’s conference was exciting, the followup was limited. Even in a favorable administration, there’s only so much that individuals or small groups can do to influence federal policy, especially if they don’t yet have the connections or experience. Having a Toolkit with case studies of what our demands can look like on a local level, along with the strategies that got them implemented, can really empower delegates to continue to take action in their communities post-conference. I’m looking forward to seeing what is accomplished locally this year!
LCOY Reflection by Aditi Gusain, current IOF student
Hi, I’m Aditi Gusain. I’m a high school junior passionate about climate justice who was accepted to go to my first ever UN-endorsed Local Conference of Youth USA 2025, or LCOY as a part of It’s Our Future, the community I recently joined.
I was inspired to apply by my years-long interest in climate change and climate policies, and was glad to be given this opportunity, which was my first time traveling nationally to attend a program on climate change. LCOY is a national youth climate conference where youth, ages 16-35 from all over the country are able to meet and create policies and relay ideas to make a real impact on climate change. This year, LCOY was in Miami, Florida, a location relevant to climate change, as the lands of the indigenous people of the area are in danger of their area being submerged in the water.
My favorite part of LCOY was hearing from the indigenous people of southern Florida. On our first night, during the welcoming party, a lady from a tribe from southern Florida spoke about her experiences and view on climate change. It was refreshing, in a way, to see someone whose people are being directly impacted so soon by climate change be so adamant to actually do something. That night, I decided I would do more research on the native people living in my hometown in Illinois to see what their perspectives are.
Another thing I loved about LCOY was how you really didn’t have to know every policy, every country, or every agreement the UN has established to contribute to the conversation. I was nervous to not be able to say anything because I was one of the youngest and one of the least experienced, but I found myself able to say things when questions I was passionate about were asked, and I was also able to ask questions to people myself. I was able to meet all sorts of people with different experiences and ideas.
This year, LCOY decided to focus on regional problems. I found myself liking the conversations that happened during the regional working groups. It’s hard to think of policies that could work with every state when every section of the country has its own climate, culture, and economy. Another thing that this conference emphasized was how the current administration is going to impact the way we work on climate change for the next four years, and how we need to work to keep climate change at the forefront of the country’s priorities.
While I was definitely nervous for my first ever national conference, I found myself making new friends and learning a lot from people just as passionate about climate change as I am. I am excited to take these experiences to make a difference in my local community.
