Captain Planet Foundation’s new initiative is bridging the geographic gap between young change-makers and providing them even more tools for action.

Planeteer Alliance Ambassador Chante Davis

Never has it been more evident that this next generation is about action— the now famous Greta Thunberg has amassed only 19 years on this earth and has already changed our environmental trajectory. After over 30 years of empowering and educating young people to be problem-solvers for the planet, Captain Planet Foundation is launching the Planeteer Alliance (http://captainplanetfoundation.org/planeteer-alliance), an expansion and evolution of its Ocean Heroes Bootcamp program (co-founded by Lonely Whale in 2018). This alliance will function as a global network of young persons with like-minded passions for a sustainable and equitable future, those who are taking action to reverse the negative trends around climate change and biodiversity loss. The Planeteer Alliance will provide the training and amplification for young individuals to be able to advocate for a broad range of issues, including ocean and freshwater health, climate change, soil and food systems, biodiversity loss, air quality and more.

Captain Planet Foundation’s mission has always been to empower young people to change their thinking from “How does the world need to change” to “How can I change the world.” Now, with its new initiative, CPF is introducing an action-centric way of thinking on a larger global scale, the planet being the common thread that connects us all as human beings, no matter our age, culture, ethnicity or identity. “Coming from an island in the Caribbean, I never thought that I would be able to reach international recognition with any environmental action I was willing to take,” says Kaitlyn Gayle, a 17-year-old Planeteer Ambassador from Jamaica. The Planeteer Alliance has made those goals possible by providing a platform for Kaitlyn’s efforts to be seen and joined by other young activists. As ambassadors, young leaders receive special access to press opportunities amplifying their cause, high-level training opportunities, exclusive Q&As with experts, scholarships to events, invites to conferences as a representative and more. “If CPF’s past work is anything to go off of, the Planeteer Alliance is going to be an immense wave of change that is purely there to support youth and environmental movements,” says Planeteer Stephanie Evans, an 18-year-old from Australia.

The Planeteer Alliance helps young activists expand their emphasis on the development and implementation of action plans that allow young people to effect system-level change in order to address the root causes of environmental injustice. “I’m more than pumped to be an ambassador for the Planeteer Alliance!” says Lakshika, a 17-year-old from India. “Social activism is a field where age is not indicative of experience, and TPA’s formation of a platform for young people to have a say in ‘adult matters’ is beautifully rebellious.” Youth efforts are not to go unnoticed with the aid of one another, our diversity and the Planeteer Alliance, which all work together for a better tomorrow.