Parents join Youth Climate Advocates, Lawmakers on Capitol Hill to advocate for youth mental health in a changing climate

CONTACT: Sasha Tenenbaum
Senior Manager, Media and Public Engagement
stenenbaum@momscleanairforce.org
(917) 887-0146

WHAT: On Thursday, September 22, Moms Clean Air Force’s Senior Policy Analyst, Elizabeth Bechard, will join Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-05), Chair Kathy Castor (FL-14), Rep. Mike Levin (CA-49), Rep. Troy Carter (LA-02), and Sonoma Academy students Madigan Traversi and Giselle Perez for a press conference on the impact of climate-related disasters on the mental health of youth. Speakers will emphasize that House Resolution 975 is an important catalyst for future policy around climate and mental health. The resolution is endorsed by over 80 organizations, including Moms Clean Air Force, American Psychological Association, and UNICEF USA. This press conference will be held the day before climate youth activists will be striking globally for climate as part of the Fridays for Future initiative.

WHO: The following speakers will be available for interview:

• Elizabeth Bechard, Moms Clean Air Force’s Senior Policy Analyst and author of “Parenting in a Changing Climate: Tools for Cultivating Resilience, Taking Action, and Practicing Hope in the Face of Climate Change,” found here. Elizabeth says: “The climate crisis is a mental health crisis, and youth are among the most vulnerable. This reality is core to House Resolution 975, which represents a truly critical step forward in creating the infrastructure we need to support youth mental health in a changing climate.”
• Madigan Traversi and Giselle Perez, students at Sonoma Academy and youth leaders with Schools for Climate Action. Madigan and Giselle worked with Rep. Mike Thompson to write H.Res.975. In a joint Teen Vogue op-ed, the teens describe how many of their peers struggled with mental health after their community was struck by the Tubbs fire in 2017.

WHEN: 

Thursday, September 22, 2022

9:30 – 10:00 AM ET

WHERE:

House Triangle and live on Moms Clean Air Force’s National Facebook and Twitter Pages.

NOTE TO EDITORS: Moms Clean Air Force will have professional images of press conference participants upon request.