Posts from Lunarwildling: volunteering// with AYCC

Lunarwildling was my old blog. I thought to honour that time of my life, and to kickstart this blog, I've copy some of my old posts to this blog. This one is from the Sustainability category.

Originally Posted: March 21, 2017

Climate change is real. Climate change is a global issue that affects every living being on this planet. And for some silly reason people are still debating on whether or not it's real.

The question isn't if it's real or not, the question is what can we do to stop it? Or at least slow it down. The tip-toeing around the issue is over, it's time to march forward and demand change. It's time for people to say 'I value this planet I call home and I will do anything I can to help save it'.

One way I'm doing that is by volunteering with the Australian Youth Climate Coalition (AYCC)- so giving some of my spare time to help support an organisation spread the word about the climate movement and make a positive difference.

WHAT IS AYCC

The Australian Youth Climate Coalition (AYCC) began in 2007 and is a non-profit, youth led organization.  AYCC has helped thousands of young Australians to take part in campaigns that put climate change in the national spotlight. AYCC also hopes to be the bridge between ‘not knowing much’ about climate change to ‘doing something about it’. We also have a sister organisation called Seed, which is a branch specifically for the Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders.

WHAT DOES AYCC/SEED DO

AYCC run multiple campaigns on issues related to climate change and climate justice. We also do a lot of workshops, talks and events in or with schools,universities and local communities to educate young people about the issues surrounding climate change, and to empower them to make a positive difference. AYCC is about building a movement, and to encourage the young generation to take hold of our future.

HOW I GOT INVOLVED

It was simply by word of mouth. A friend of mine was (and still is) part of AYCC when I first met him, and AYCC came up in one of our early conversations. I couldn't join then because I was soon leaving for my gap year in the UK, but joined when I came back home.

WHY DID I GET INVOLVED

This is always a tricky question for me to answer, not because I don't have a reason, but because I don't have a specific answer. Was it because I've always had a desire to help (people or the planet)? Was it because this was a friend's interest therefore I might also find it interesting? Was it because I was just simply curious? Or was it because my subconscious self knew that taking this opportunity would open up so many doors for me?

At the end of the day it doesn't really matter why joined, it matters that I did. Because any action is better than no action at all. And this is my little bit of contribution.

CAN YOU GET INVOLVED?

Yes, oh yes you can.

Basically there are people out there who don't really care about climate change; they don't want to know what it is, what it involves and what they can do to stop it. Some people are aware but don't know how to prioritize it in their life.

Then there are people like you, and like me, who would like to take action- to at least minimize the damage already done. So if you'd like to get involved click here  and it will take you straight to the volunteer page on AYCC's website. Fill in your details and someone in your state will contact you and answer any questions you have. I'd be more than happy to answer any questions as well.

Just note: AYCC is an Australian organisation therefore you'd have to be living here to join. This doesn't mean you can't join the climate movement, it just means doing research for your own local organisations and joining them instead.

If you'd like to keep updated as to what AYCC gets up to we do have a national Facebook page.

The video below is to show you a little insight as to what sorts of things we get up to. This was a group of us going to a local university and speaking to students about our current campaigns: Stopping the Adani coal mine and stopping Westpac from funding Adani.

Peace and Love