How does change happen?
Change happens when we organize collectively using grassroots methods against systems of oppression. We find strength in our connection with the land, our relationships with one another, and our bold visions for a more beautiful future. Below are the tenets of our theory of change:
The people have the power! We, the people, possess the power to create deep-rooted change by organizing and building community together while acting based on our shared values for justice. Whether it is building mass movements or healing within ourselves, we each have the ability to create the world we want to live in.
Address issues at their root! We dismantle injustices at the sources of the climate crisis: capitalism, racism, colonialism, heteropatriarchy, ableism. We uproot these systems of oppression within ourselves, and our communities.
Embody the future we imagine! We engage in prefigurative politics, creating the world we envision within ourselves and our organizing spaces. This includes the way we make decisions, treat one another, and resolve conflicts. By simultaneously creating just systems while resisting injustice, we have solutions ready once systems of oppression topple.
Center frontline leadership! Communities directly impacted by climate justice should be the ones leading our movement. In our organizing, we must center young people, elders, frontline communities, poor people, people of color, disabled people, queer people, trans and nonbinary people, and other systemically marginalized identities. We advocate for redistribution of wealth and power, reparations for the historically oppressed, and return land to Indigenous people.
Solidarity is key! Our liberation is tied to one another, so we fight for collective liberation. We find power at the intersections of our many identities, positionalities, and struggles for justice. We support a diversity of tactics and a culture of collaboration across varying theories of change.
Our movement is relational! Strong communities require deep, trustful, resilient relationships. Our relationships sustain, nurture, and inspire us, and they form the veins of our movements. We work towards a powerful movement by deepening our affinity and relationships with one another.
Self and community care is transformational! We take care of ourselves and each other because everyone has an inherent right to wellness, and we strive to sustain our work for the long haul in order to do this work for the long haul. We are accountable to healing relationships with ourselves, others, and the earth, for we believe this is at the core of transformative movements for justice. We imagine a future in which all people have access to joy, pleasure, and healing.