High school youth and their adult leaders from NC Triangle faith communities are invited to participate in the Youth Leaders Initiative (YLI) sponsored by ICCT and NC Interfaith Power & Light. For more information, please contact Liz Becker at ICCTliasons@gmail.com.
Twenty-two youth and their adult leaders participated in listening and planning sessions during the summer of 2023 so the youths’ interests and ideas about Creation care could help determine the direction of the YLI.
Rishi Ranabothu (pictured below) has joined YLI leaders Ren Martin and Liz Becker. He is serving as a leader and mentor to YLI youth. A Hindu from Cary, NC, Rishi is 18 years old and a rising sophomore majoring in Biostatistics at UNC-Chapel Hill. He has always been an advocate for Creation Care, but realized he needed to do more after a 2016 visit to India where he traveled through a mix of wondrous natural beauty and heavily polluted regions. Back in the US, he started with small steps at his local temple and worked with NCIPL to involve other youth and congregations in bigger projects. The group evolved into the Youth Leadership Initiative and he led it for 5 years before attending college. Upon learning about the renewal of the YLI, he reached out to ICCT and NCIPL to offer his help.
At the first Youth Listening Session held in June, 2023 at Watts Street Baptist Church, a group of youth and their adult leaders met to discuss ways youth can get involved in the Creation Care movement! They were from Beth El Synagogue, Watts Street Baptist Church, and Binkley Memorial Baptist Church.
Liz Becker, Youth Engagement Leader for ICCT, said the youth seemed very interested and ready for next steps. She also noted strong leadership qualities demonstrated in the group. Liz, Ian McPherson, who is youth and outreach minister at Pullen Baptist Church, and Ren Martin from NC Interfaith Power & Light along with the other adult leaders listened as the youth reported on their ideas for the vision and activities for future events.
Here’s what the Durham group came up with; it sounds fun and challenging:
The Vision
- Energy
- Food
- Democracy
- Extinction
- Carbon Footprint/Awareness
- Trees and Amazon forests
- Theology
- Addressing and overcoming toxic
Suggested Events
- Movie night
- Celebrations
- Speakers
- Involve Youth in All Faith Communities in Combined Action to Make Ourselves More Sustainable
- Creek cleanup – trash dash
- Tree planting
To get involved contact Liz Becker at ICCTliaisons@gmail.com.
