Creative Climate Futures: Youth Writing Contest Submissions

Since its beginning, The Changing Times magazine has worked to highlight an intergenerational array of voices in climate activism and to share climate perspectives from people of all ages and backgrounds.

We chose to center youth voices in our Spring/Summer 2023 issue. Although our children will disproportionately bear the brunt of climate impacts and are touted as a major source of hope for many adults, their voices, ideas, fears, hopes, and dreams are often excluded from climate conversations.

In the lead up to the nation’s first youth-led climate trial, Held v. State of Montana, we were motivated to create space for youth voices, emotions, and visions. We launched our first ever youth writing contest this past winter, through which we invited Montanans 18 years old and under to envision what our communities will look like and how they've responded to climate change in the year 2070. The winning submissions were published in our Spring/Summer 2023 issue. We were truly blown away by the responses and wanted to share all of them with our community.

We hope this contest, the Held v. Montana trial, and other powerful climate actions from youth around the world inspire and encourage ALL of us to step up and do whatever we can to protect our youth's future and ensure a livable climate for all.