Youth climate activists at Bend High School from top, left, Grace Bengtson, Kira Gilbert, Galen Genevieve "GG" Johnson, Olive Nye and bottom, from left, Scout Gesuale and Sydney Dedrick. 

The teenagers became environmental champions in different ways. Some learned about climate activism in school. Some were raised in an eco-friendly family. Others were inspired by classmates.

But the six Bend High School juniors leading a teen climate summit Saturday have the same goal: signaling the alarm about climate change, and trying to find solutions.

“Before you’re able to vote, there’s not much you can do on that side of things,” said 17-year-old Galen Genevieve “GG” Johnson. “So to have my voice heard in a different way is really important.”

The teens leading the summit, all members of Bend High School’s environmental club, have spent about half a year planning the four-hour event.

They created a short video promoting the summit and sent it to schools throughout Bend-La Pine Schools, hoping science teachers would show it in class. The group also visited local middle and elementary schools to promote the event and plastered posters in schools in the region.

The free summit will feature speeches from the teens, photographer Brown Cannon III, who is expected to talk about his nonprofit group Say No To Plastics, and Gena Goodman-Campbell, a Bend city councilor who will discuss climate-related legislation in Bend and Oregon.

There will also be a discussion among the dozens of local teens expected to attend, along with a sustainable dinner with meat-free Beyond Burgers, local produce and vegan and dairy-free Ben & Jerry’s ice cream — all served with reusable dishware and utensils.

Each of the Bend High School students who planned this event has a story of what drew them to climate activism and what they’ve done so far. (One of those students, Olive Nye, was unavailable for comment.)

Sydney Dedrick

Dedrick, 17, was born and raised in Bend. The co-president of Bend High School’s environmental club said her green views were influenced by her mother, Diane Dedrick, who serves on the board of Bend-based environmental nonprofit The Environmental Center.

Sydney Dedrick said she spent lots of time at the nonprofit as a child.

“I think being there helped me realize, ‘Wow, these people are really cool. I want to be like them; they’re making a difference,’” she said.

Dedrick’s other influences include Swedish teen activist Greta Thunberg, as well as a more local source of inspiration: Bend High School history teacher Amy Sabbadini. She said taking Sabbadini’s course last school year inspired her to get more directly involved in climate activism through learning about the power of public dissent

Along with organizing rallies and walkouts with the rest of Bend High School’s climate activists, Dedrick said she takes some personal steps to lower her carbon footprint. She doesn’t eat meat and tries not to drive to places whenever possible, she said.

Kira Gilbert

Gilbert, 17, is also a native of Bend. The Bend High School environmental club co-president said one of her main motivations for becoming a climate activist was her enthusiasm for the outdoors.

“I’ve grown up playing in the outdoors in Central Oregon: skiing and running and mountain biking,” Gilbert said. “I’ve come to love and deeply value those spaces, and I want to see them, and the rest of the planet, protected forever.”

Gilbert believes that one of the most effective ways for an individual to fight climate change is to try to buy local, sustainable and organic products.

“Probably the biggest thing is to put your money where your mouth is,” she said. “If you really want to be sustainable, support sustainable companies and products.”

Gilbert, alongside Dedrick, traveled to Salem last year to testify on behalf of the proposed cap-and-trade bill. Although that bill was doomed by a Republican walkout, Gilbert said speaking to the lawmakers was a “really cool experience.”

“A lot of the adults in the room are really impressed by the fact that there are young people there, willing to stand up,” she said. “And many of the adults, even if they don’t share your views and opinions, they’re still really supportive of youth participating in democratic practices.”

Galen Genevieve ‘GG’ Johnson

Johnson, the third co-president of Bend High School’s environmental club, moved to Bend from Portland when she was 7 years old.

She said her climate activism is partially due to the influence of locals, such as Paul Hutter, who teaches environmental systems and societies at Bend High School and serves as the environmental club’s advisor.

“I’ve been lucky enough to be surrounded by some pretty inspiring people in our community and our school,” Johnson, 17, said.

Johnson said one of her proudest accomplishments was speaking to the Bend City Council in support of a climate action plan to reduce fossil fuels citywide by evaluating the energy efficiency of homes. The Cty Council passed the plan in December.

The most effective way to fight climate change is to campaign and lobby for politicians who will take on polluting corporations, she said.

Grace Bengtson

Bengtson, 17, said she was inspired to become a climate activist from the Earth Week walkout that Bend High School’s environmental club held in 2019.

“I knew the science, but I didn’t think I could do much, until I saw them giving speeches and putting events together,” the Bend native said. “I wanted to be a part of that.”

Bengtson is a recent member of the club; she hasn’t led many events yet. But she’s been a vegetarian for years and is trying to reduce the amount of plastic she uses.

Scout Gesuale

Gesuale, 17, became interested in climate activism through projects at local magnet schools Realms Middle School and Realms High School, she said.

In particular, she learned about many other teen climate activists while studying climate change at Realms High School last school year, she said.

“A lot of them were young activists, and why can’t I do something like that?” Gesuale said.

Gesuale transferred to Bend High School this fall, and subsequently joined its environmental club.

One of her main inspirations isn’t a climate activist, but Marley Dias — a New Jersey girl who started a campaign called #1000BlackGirlBooks, which pushed for more kids books with black girls as protagonists.

This movement later led to a book deal for Dias herself, according to Forbes magazine.

“I thought, ‘Wow, this is the definition of a grassroots campaign,’” Gesuale said of Dias. “One girl said, ‘I should make this happen,’ and she did.”