The Next Generation of Developing dedicated, well-informed and civically engaged youth is integral for the success of Food & Water Watch’s long-term vision for a just, equitable and sustainable future. Thanks to you, Food & Water Watch is able to support the next generation of activists in their desire to make a difference. Through volunteering, internships and community actions, these future leaders build skills while working for a better world.

Michaela NeeDenver, Colorado

My summer internship with Food & Water Watch was nothing short of life-changing. As someone who has social anxiety, I’ve always been fearful to take action on the injustices I see in the world. I can’t begin to describe how much I’ve learned about myself, how much braver I’ve become, and how

amazing it is to make moves on something I care about. I talked to over 6,000 people while petitioning for fracking regulations in Colorado, collected the second-most signatures in the state, became deeply integrated in my community, and became aware of local and national issues. Change starts with individuals who organize, and being a part of that here has been indescribable. I’ve gained courage and experience in community organizing and now have the skills to move forward to continue changing this world for the better.

Faith MyhraLos Angeles, California

The Aliso Canyon Gas Blowout happened while I was finishing a Masters in Urban Sustainability. A friend was posting about the injustice that the community faced. It became impossible to ignore, so I got involved. I’ve knocked on doors, made phone calls and marched. When a local state senator authored a bill to help protect the community, I joined the team at Food & Water Watch as an intern. I regularly drove up to Sacramento, setting up meetings between state senators’ offices and residents from the affected area. I later learned that Aliso Canyon was not the only gas storage facility in Los Angeles. Another was right next to where I live! Now I campaign against the threat right next door. I will continue to fight the fossil fuel industry in L.A. and to push our city to adopt 100% renewable energy.

Taylor AveryWashington, D.C.

After the 2016 election I decided I wanted to get involved in politics. Before joining Food & Water Watch as a communications intern for the summer of 2017, I had extensive knowledge of social justice issues and some environmental issues, but I hadn’t yet joined “the fight.” At Food & Water Watch I learned different methods of bringing awareness to the environmental crisis our world is facing in the hands of corporations, and how that impacts everyone. I had many opportunities to follow issues such as fracking and the effort to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline, and my time at Food & Water Watch put fire under my desire to make the world a better place.

Patricia AmarillaRutgers University, New Jersey

Seeing health, social and economic disparities so close to home, I have wanted to help reduce these gaps to ensure everyone’s well-being and future. As an intern with Food & Water Watch I’ve had the opportunity to do this. Through community organizing projects focused on environmental protection I’ve spoken directly with affected communities while canvassing — educating people about what is happening in their backyard, how their health will be affected and who can champion protecting clean water, food and air. I never imagined getting to speak with so many individuals about the outcomes of environmental issues. I feel so fortunate to be a part of such an important movement. My experience has given me the tools and empowerment to pursue progress, equity and better opportunities for all.

Mackenzie Feldman & Bridget Gustafson University of California, Berkeley

Our involvement with Food & Water Watch came about after we learned that a carcinogenic herbicide was being sprayed all around the beach volleyball courts at the University of California, Berkeley, where our team spends more than 20 hours a week practicing. Shocked, concerned and angered, we knew we had to put an end to this, yet getting our voices heard at an institution of our university’s size was a daunting task. We successfully got herbicides banned from our courts, but we knew that our responsibility did not end there; Roundup and other toxic herbicides are frequently applied to the grounds of the entire campus. So we reached out to Food & Water Watch to help us develop a campaign that could make an Herbicide-Free UC Berkeley a reality.

We’ve been met with an abundance of resources, shared passions and a community of students from across the country all building support on their campuses to influence decision makers for the benefit of our beautiful Earth. We’ve learned skills such as power mapping, brand development and effective organizing to generate support. As a result, we have acquired a team of students from the Student Association, specifically the Environmental Council, to work on our campaign.

An Herbicide-Free UC Berkeley not only would be fulfilling the responsibility that the university has for the health of campus members, but would be calling attention to the perilous reality of conventional agriculture using an abundance of chemicals that poisons farm workers and destroys the environment. The UC Berkeley campus is a big one, yet with the support of Food & Water Watch and our peers, we feel confident that our Earth will get this victory.

Sarah BrousseauWoodstock, Vermont

Caring for the environment is a narrative that has been with me since I was born. In high school, I imagined starting a recycled paper goods company and my vision developed into yearly advocacy and fundraising for climate change awareness. Through Climate Ride, a Montana- based nonprofit

that organizes fundraising events for groups like Food & Water Watch, I’ve found my voice as a young woman fighting against the horrors of natural resource usage and lack of healthy food growth. Now working at a 60-acre vegetable farm in the Upper Valley of Vermont, I encourage the consumption of healthy food and provide education on local, seasonal produce that is good for the environment and our bodies! Through this career, as well as participating in two Climate Ride events with Food & Water Watch, I aspire to spread more knowledge, awareness and advocacy among my local community and beyond.

Gabe Jimenez-EkmanKenyon College, Ohio

I find that because we learn so much from our peers, grassroots organizing and everyday civic engagement are crucial methods of spreading ideas and working toward a fairer world. By working with Kenyon College’s Divest movement, as well as with Food & Water Watch, I hope to show my peers that their actions can

influence others and that their voice can bring about change. One of my main goals is to help people realize the influence they have simply by contacting their representatives, whether these are Kenyon’s trustees or government officials. I also engage with my community through my job at the Kenyon Farm, where we practice and spread knowledge about sustainable agriculture. As a firsthand example of the benefits of sustainable farming practices, the Kenyon Farm helps promote values I hold dear.

Mel WhitehouseChicago, Illinois

As a 13-year-old, I read an article that opened my eyes to how oil and gas drilling harms local communities’ public health and land rights. Until then my understanding of environmentalism was all conservation-oriented — planting trees, pictures of polar bears on ice caps — which is necessary work, but not justice work. From that one article, it all clicked and I started on a path of fighting for justice and a sustainable future. Freshman orientation week at Oberlin College, I sought out the anti-fracking group Students for Energy Justice, where I had the opportunity to work with frontline communities. Now in Chicago, as a founding member of the Illinois Coalition Against Fracking, I work alongside Food & Water Watch and continue this fight for the right to clean air, water and self-determination.

Mykelle RichburgHoward University

As a research assistant at Food & Water Watch, I focused on water affordability and infrastructure to inform public officials and citizens about the economic, social and environmental benefits of local control of water and wastewater systems. Using some of the research I conducted on water privatization’s impacts to communities, I helped influence the La Center city council in Washington, D.C. to void the sale of its water and sewer system. Because of a letter I drafted that expressed Food & Water Watch’s opposition to the sale and why, the city council was persuaded to remain with their public water system. Making this happen was a thrilling and empowering experience — where research that I did influenced deliberation about something so vital to the well-being of a community. In the future I hope to influence more legislation at the municipal level.

Annie WillisQueens, New York

On October 29, 2012, Superstorm Sandy struck New York. I personally experienced devastating, long-term impacts when the water rushed to the doorstop of my home in the Rockaways, Queens. I witnessed the water breaking windows and

heard it gushing into my basement. At age 15 I felt helpless. Five years later we have been unable to return home. My family has struggled with mental health issues, and I suffer from flashbacks of that dreadful night. Climate change disproportionately impacts low-income and minority communities such as my own. Because I believe climate change is the most pressing human rights issue today, I want to change the face of the environmental movement! As a Food & Water Watch intern I spoke at a rally on the five-year anniversary of Sandy, encouraging people to actively participate in government and to commit the nation to getting off fossil fuels and moving to 100 percent renewable energy. Sandy changed my family’s lives. Ever since, I have devoted my activism to opposing climate change, and I no longer feel helpless.

Kelsey MartinNew Mexico

My youth was defined by an overwhelming love of nature. When I entered high school I began participating in my community and solidifying this love. My passion really manifested itself when I got the opportunity to intern at Food & Water Watch. There, I overcame the anxiety and insecurity I once had,

and I single-handedly led a protest against the Bureau of Land Management at its Gas and Oil Lease sale in Roswell, New Mexico. Planning for this required mobilizing community members and months of preparation. Nothing has been more rewarding than working within my home state to enact change. This grassroots-style environmentalism has informed how I both work on and see environmental issues. Now at the University of New Mexico, I am eager to continue impacting change in my home state.

Antoine T.Brussels, Belgium My internship with Food & Water Europe has been my first professional experience after graduating with a degree in European Politics from a university in Strasbourg, France. I already was involved in environmental and social movements, so it was important for me to find an internship where I knew I could make a difference. My supervisors trusted me and gave me responsibilities as soon as I started. I’ve been working on fighting factory farming and fracking, contributing mostly to organizing meetings between grassroots activists, communications and lobbying campaigns. Working with Food & Water Europe has been an inspiring and informative experience that will help me a lot as I pursue my upcoming professional career: fighting for a greener world!

Cecille de LaurentisNew Brunswick, New Jersey

After living in Japan for three years post-college graduation, I returned to the United States because I wanted to make a difference at home. Community organizing around environmental justice interested me most because this is an urgent local and global issue with the potential to unite many different social justice movements. Although I thought that finding my ideal job immediately was unlikely, Food & Water Watch proved me wrong! I started as a canvasser and became an intern organizer. Both positions have taught me invaluable lessons about communicating with different people, and — in my home state of New Jersey — the power of working together to create political change. It’s work that I’m proud to take part in and that has solidified my commitment to the movement.

Alyssa Claire MartinecUniversity of Pittsburgh

The University of Pittsburgh’s current chapter of Take Back the Tap was founded in the spring of 2016. It originally began as a project for a class that required students to make a sustainable impact on campus. Since establishing Take Back the Tap at “Pitt” with the help and guidance of Food & Water Watch, the experience has truly made students aware of the importance of publicly owned municipal drinking water.

The city of Pittsburgh has a major lead contamination problem, which was a serious wake-up call to me and our Take Back the Tap members. Prior to this revelation, students were focused mostly on “banning the bottle” and raising money for hydration stations. However, after the news got around that our city’s water wasn’t safe, we realized that we were not looking at the bigger picture.

You can’t tell people to drink tap water if the tap water isn’t safe. That’s when our Take Back the Tap club began working with the city’s “Our Water Campaign,” a coalition of local organizations who are fighting for safe, affordable, public drinking water in the face of Pittsburgh’s lead crisis.

University of Pittsburgh Take Back the Tap members have attended the mayor’s Blue Ribbon Panel meetings and town halls to help advocate for this goal. Working with the community has really opened our eyes to how privatizing water, both by bottling it and selling it and owning and operating water systems as a for-profit enterprise, is not just an environmental issue but really a matter of social justice.

Emilio JimenezLos Angeles, California

Toward the end of 2015 I started to become aware of the environmental problems that humans are causing to our planet. The more research I did, the more I wanted to get involved. Five months later I met a Food & Water Watch organizer. For over a year and a half I’ve been a volunteer. I’ve learned so much that can’t be learned in school in the same amount of time. I’ve learned that determined people can make a huge impact! Community, media, organizing, safety, meetings, calling our political representatives, emails and phone outreach, activism and persistence are very important. I now believe we can change the world in a positive way. Getting involved has been an amazing experience, especially because most of my time has been helping my community of Porter Ranch in the aftermath of the Aliso Canyon gas storage blowout.

...Spreading for a Better World

Food & Water Watch is working every day to support these and all of our young activists in bringing about a brighter future.foodandwaterwatch.org

Allison LaPlatt & Sara McAuliffeCentral Michigan University

ALLISON: Take Back the Tap has made me a better leader, and a better person. This experience has encouraged me to sign on to Nonprofit Administration as a second major, because I now know I want to continue building upon everything that I have learned and accomplished participating in this program.

Take Back the Tap has surrounded me with an amazing group of dedicated social justice activists and mentors, including Sara McAuliffe, pictured with me here. Organizing campaigns, volunteer coordinating, strategic planning, public speaking, event management and so much more are skills that I, and Sara, would never have learned in the classroom, and that I have learned by developing leadership skills as a campus coordinator.

The growth of our campaign to end bottled water use on our campus and to install water stations just during my time as a leader has pushed me to continue fighting harder and stronger. I am going to change the world, and it is all thanks to my time working with Food & Water Watch to Take Back the Tap!

SARA: For me, Take Back the Tap means being a part of making a difference in our own community that will have a lasting impact on everyone who is reached through the campaign. Take Back the Tap has inspired me to set higher goals for myself and to not get discouraged when things don’t always go as planned.

For Allison LaPlatt (right, in the water bottle suit), being a Campus Coordinator

for Food & Water Watch has been the most influential and inspiring part of

her time at college. Sara McAuliffe (with the Take Back the Tap sign) is poised

to become Food & Water Watch’s next Campus Coordinator at Central

Michigan University.

PHOTO © HANNAH BENET

(L to R) Cecille de Laurentis with Food & Water Watch New Jersey Organizer Matt Smith.