Youth Climate Collaborative (YCCo) This funding will help us purchase necessary applications such as Canva and Zoom to run our virtual programming, and provide much needed funds to pay session speakers who cannot speak pro bono, as well as essential staff who will manage this project.

Storytelling, such as journalism and public speaking, plays a crucial role in democracy by serving as a watchdog that holds those in power accountable. It provides the public with reliable information, promotes transparency, and facilitates informed decision-making. Without storytelling, the public's ability to access diverse perspectives, uncover corruption, and participate effectively in democratic processes, such as voting, would be significantly compromised. Further, storytelling is a fundamental pillar of democracy because it allows individuals to share their experiences, perspectives, and values, fostering empathy and understanding within a diverse society.Through storytelling, marginalized voices can be amplified and narratives can be reclaimed, building respect for identities and creating a more inclusive and representative democratic process. Additionally, storytelling helps create a shared narrative and collective memory that strengthens social cohesion and informs public discourse and policy-making.
The Truth Tellers Fellowship is a comprehensive media training providing youth a network, education, and media connections so they can communicate effectivelyabout climate change topics impacting their communities through a climate justice and truth telling lens, in written and oral forms, and get theirmedia out there!
The Truth Tellers Fellowship will provide:
1) Comprehensive media training to youth on the frontlines of climate change. This includes training for on-the-spot speaking, public speaking, writing op-eds,pitching op-eds, identifying and combatting disinformation and misinformation, storytelling anonymously, and other aspects of storytelling.
2) Mental health support to those experiencing climate anxiety and the like because of what they are experiencing, what they are reading and seeing in the media,and theemotional process of storytelling.
3) A network of storytellers to learn from and with.
4) Media opportunities to share their stories that reclaim their narratives and uncover truths
This is our first year designing and running this program, so we hope to learn what works and what can be improved through consistent program evaluation, withthe aim of offering this program annually for the next5 years.
The Truth Tellers Fellowship hopes to achieve the following key objectives:
1. Empowerment of Voices on the Frontlines of Climate Change: The fellowship would provide training and a platform for frontline individuals and communities toshare their storiesand experiences effectively, amplifying their voices in public discourse and promoting inclusivity in journalism and media at large.
2. Promotion of Truth and Accountability: Through training in ethical journalism practices and storytelling techniques, fellows would contribute to the production ofaccurate and reliable information, promoting transparency, accountability, and the dissemination of factual news.
3. Cultivation of Empathy and Understanding: By sharing diverse narratives and perspectives, the fellowship would foster empathy and understanding amongaudiences, bridging divides and promoting a more cohesive society.
4. Enhancement of DemocraticProcesses: Fellows would contribute to a more vibrant and informed democratic process by providing the public with diverse andreliable information, facilitating informed decision-making, and holding those in power accountable through investigative reporting and critical analysis.
5. Building a Network of Storytellers: The fellowship would create a network of skilled storytellers committed to truth-telling and ethical reporting, fosteringcollaboration, mentorship, and collective action in addressing climate justice challenges and advancing democratic values.

We will have 30 fellows in this program, but almost all of the fellowship materials and sessions will be shared publicly, so we hope to reach another 500 youth with those resources this year. We plan to have at least 30 partners for the training component, and at least 30 media partners to share the stories of these youth fellows. We do not yet know what the reach of the stories will be, or the definitive impact of the stories, but we will have a better idea once we secure our media partners.

From the implementation of the Truth Tellers Fellowship, we hope to learn about the...
1. Effectiveness of Media Training: What is the impact of media training on fellows' ability to effectively communicate climate justice topics, combat disinformation,and engage with diverse audiences? Have they improved their skills? Have they been able to apply their skills effectively? What are the most valuable aspects of thetraining and areas for improvement?
2. Impact of Mental Health Support: What is the impact of the mental health support provided to fellows? Does it help with their emotional wellbeing, resilience,storytelling and advocacy efforts, and program experience?
3. Outcomes of Engagement and Community-Building: What are the outcomes of community building, networking opportunities, and collaborations within thefellowship? To what extent do participants share experiences, mentor each other, engage in peer learning, and collaborate on projects?
4. Impact of Media Exposure and Narrative Reclamation: What is the impact of media opportunities provided to fellows? Have fellows been successful in theirability to reclaim their narratives, amplify their and other frontline voices, uncover truths, and contribute to public discourse on climate justice? What is the reachand influence of the media contributions?
5. Effectiveness of the Overall Program: How is program participation? Would the fellows recommend this program to others? How effective is the overall programin reaching the objectives outlined above? What are strengths, challenges, limitations, and areas for improvement? We plan to collect feedback from the fellows,partners, and other key stakeholders to inform future iterations of the fellowship and ensure its ongoing relevance and impact.
6. Long-Term Impact: What is the long-term impact of the fellowship onfellows' lives and careers? We hope to establish an alumni community and monitor fellows'continued engagement in storytelling on climate justice, as well as measure the broader impact of their storytelling work on society and the communities they haveshared about.
Bysystematically evaluating these aspects of the Truth Tellers Fellowship, we will gain valuable insights into what works well, what can be enhanced, and how tocontinually improve the program to better serve the needs of young climate justice leaders and achieveour overarching goals.