Hello, PSI Family -
I wanted to share the experience that we had during the Youth Justice Summit in Sacramento August 28 – 31. After a long drive the four of us representing the southern California cohort arrived at the Sacramento congregation. On the Friday night we spent some time playing ice breakers and getting to know the group of about 50 participants.
On Saturday we heard from multiple groups doing work on environmental justice. There were three different session times, and we learned a lot about the many ways that environmental justice is tied to social justice and what some strategies are for working toward betterment. We learned about lobbying, protesting, gardening, and the effects of invasive species and how to manage them.
Sunday was spent enjoying the blessing of community and sacredness of creation at a lake where we had a church service, grilled out for lunch, and enjoyed time on the lake with paddle boards and kayaks! That evening was spent preparing for our time at the capitol with writing out our questions and preparing to share our position on the given issues that were up for legislation.
On Monday morning we went to the capitol with a message to share. There were signs, poems, and songs shared in front of the capitol building, afterward we entered the offices of our different representatives to share our point of view through the lens of our enduring principles. I have to say that I was so proud of our youth who mustered the courage to speak. I, myself, was very intimidated by this whole process, and I knew our kids were too. After we spoke with them, we were surprised at how we felt heard and how encouraging the staff we spoke with was. Regardless of how they responded to our actual point of view, they were very encouraging to our young people to get involved and share their voice. Reflecting on the long ride home we found all felt like it was a transformative trip and we all learned how simple it can be to enact our civic voice.
To those that helped make it possible I want to share a great gratitude as I really believe this experience is helping to engage the next generation to stand up for what they believe in.
Clayton Troxell
Youth Minister
Community of Christ Pacific SW Int'l Mission Center
