By Susan Messer:

I recently attended the year-end wrap-up webinar from Our Children’s Trust (OCT), and there’s a lot going on! For those who don’t know, OCT is a nonprofit public interest law firm in Eugene, Oregon, dedicated to securing a healthy atmosphere and safe climate for young people.

Their federal, state, and international lawsuits push governmental bodies to recognize environmental harms, especially as they affect the health and lives of young people. Every case, win or lose, strengthens the next, empowering the young people who have stepped up to be plaintiffs and building a body of testimony from those plaintiffs and expert witnesses, including public health professionals and climate scientists. An overarching goal of OCT cases is to clarify the government’s constitutional obligation to protect the environment, thereby ensuring the right to life—yes, right to life (and to liberty and the pursuit of happiness)--of our earth’s young people.

In past newsletters, I have reported on OCT’s lawsuits, but in this year-end update, I focus on the many ways that OCT extends its reach outside the courtroom. Via education and partnerships, it gives young people a platform to raise their voices and develop lifelong skills, and it gives educators the tools they need to talk confidently about climate.

To explore the full array of educational materials offered on the OCT website—on climate science and more—check the “Learn” tab on their homepage. And to learn about only a few of the organizations OCT has created, partnered with, and/or shares inspiration with, check this list:

OCT’s Climate Rights Corps is an intergenerational collective of students, organizational leaders, former interns and law clerks, scientists, teachers, and elders who have come together to amplify the voices of the youth plaintiffs represented by OCT. The Corps has created an action toolkit for emailing or calling legislators about key issues, posting on social media, or being a plaintiff in a climate-rights lawsuit: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Y2KgxfWfVqdbn4jp2iQaGgBRo683ZDmnrfoQHIrzqws/edit?tab=t.0

OCT’s Youth Advisory Council is a group of young climate leaders from across the country who will serve as an advisory body that guides OCT priorities, co-develops strategies, and informs program designs. To be considered for a position on the council, please check the OCT website for application details.
Midwest Environmental Advocates collaborates with individuals and organizations around Wisconsin that are working to protect people’s rights to a clean and healthy environment. They have partnered with OCT in Dunn v. Wisconsin Public Service Commission, in which 15 young climate leaders are challenging unconstitutional Wisconsin laws that exacerbate the climate crisis and violate their rights to a safe and stable climate.
Great Lakes Indigenous Law Center was established by the law school of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, to improve the practical legal skills of all students interested in federal Indian law while providing a legal resource for Native Nations and an opportunity for law students to study federal, state, and Native Nation laws affecting Native Nations and their citizens.
Families for a livable climate brings together Montana families of all kinds to work together in addressing the climate crisis, and to create solutions through climate events, educational opportunities, advocacy, and leadership.
One Earth Youth Voices, connected in spirit if not in practice with OCT, this Illinois-based collective builds young people’s leadership skills around environmental issues in several ways. One way is the annual One Earth Filmmakers Contest, open to young filmmakers worldwide, ages 8-25, to advance environmental justice and protection of our planet through the art of storytelling. Deadline for submissions: June 25. 2026. Another way is for Chicago-area youth to join One Earth’s Youth Advisory Council; stipends are available and inquiries can be directed to [email protected].

Let’s keep adding to this list! Let us know of other organizations like these that are supporting the healthy, happy right to life of our young people.