Meet Chris, KCI’s First Student Ambassador
Welcome, and thank you for your interest in KCI! I am a 19-year-old born and raised in Kennebunkport, Maine. I am lucky enough to be politically engaged, a self improver, and a problem solver. Above all, it is my duty and passion to seek out the answers to the problems my generation faces and channeling my energy into the most effective solutions.
What I have come to realize is that the world is imbalanced. This is evident in nearly every discipline across the board by way of extreme wealth inequality, global climate change, massive spikes in disease and mental illness, record high numbers of addiction, and chronic stress stemming from widespread resource scarcity. My personal mission is to find the many antidotes to these imbalances and advocate for them on the biggest platform I can find for myself.
I know for a fact that I am not alone in my pursuit, and that there are many other young adults and kids out there in the world who aspire to address these issues. However, so many youth can not help but feel alone in this fight because there is very little coordination in our efforts. Some people like me find a club in their school to join, others find a nonprofit to volunteer for, and many choose to make careers out of this mission in a specific discipline. Unfortunately what we have seen even since the popular youth movements of the 1960’s is that they graduate and tend to disengage from their passions because they need money and social activism tends not to be a sustainable career path to meet the daily needs of many.
We need to think harder. Currently, climate change activism has been a very successful and galvanizing movement that has drawn support from a diverse range of youth demographics. The youth have shown time and time again that when we come together to fight for a common goal the possibilities are endless. This is why we desperately need more platforms that can empower the voices of young rising climate leaders of the next generation. We need an initiative dedicated to coordinating, facilitating, and funding these independent nationwide youth-led climate justice organizations so that we no longer feel alone. Once the youth leaders see a secure path forward, we will inspire thousands and unify their efforts, communities, and families. This will ignite a butterfly effect sweeping across the country and globe that will cause dramatic improvement to our environment, economy, government, communities, and quality of life.
This is where the Kennebunkport Conservation Initiative steps in. I am so proud to be a part of this nonprofit because our mission is to connect and empower youth climate groups in our nation by serving as a hub of resources and coordination for catalyzing a unifying nationwide youth-led grassroots climate initiative. What really excites me is how we’ll connect these youth groups with each other, environmental experts, legislators, business owners, and other stakeholders to collaborate on the best strategies to address climate change.