In exactly one week, I’ll be heading off for three months on a whirlwind adventure with Anna Rose on a tour across the country. Anna’s new book Madlands and her ABC documentary I Can Change Your Mind About Climate will be generating a tidal wave of publicity, and we’ll be surfing it all the way from Cairns down to Hobart. Cowabunga. Dude.

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My role will be helping Anna to organise trainings for local groups, book launches, public forums, schools talks and one-on-ones with community big-wigs.

I come from a small town south of Adelaide, called Yankalilla. It’s not unlike many rural towns: cosy, picturesque and full of cows. However, for a young aspiring activist, there’s not a lot to do, other then… Plant trees. So. Many. Trees.

But, one day in 2010, I heard about a youth climate conference. Powershift was coming to Adelaide. No sooner had I heard, I slopped off my muddy wellies, slapped on my slightly less muddy ones and headed into town. Little did I know, I’d just made a decision that would change my life.

During a workshop about how to call my local politician, I had a phone shoved in one hand, and the number of my local pollie in the other…

“Wow. Ring them? Right now? Here? …In two minutes? Oh, now? Yep. Okay. “

…And I did! And after having a VERYEXCITEDCONVERSATION with the secretary, I slammed that phone down and was changed for life. I was hooked. Everyone around me was calling their pollie too…That sweet, sweet rush of movement building, it had me. Now I follow that rush wherever it takes me.

That’s why I applied for this tour. Because I knew I’d be an opportunity to communicate the urgency of climate action like it’s never been communicated before. After Powershift 2010, that rush led me to start a group back in Yankalilla, last year it took me all the way to the UN Climate Talks in Africa, and now… I’m following that movement building rush all around Australia.

And I hope you’ll follow it with me. See ya soon, amigos.

Written by Isaac Astill, AYCC SA Volunteer

On Thursday, I’m co-starring in a climate change documentary aiming to reach those Australians who still have questions about the science of climate change.

On Friday, Melbourne University Press is releasing my first full-length book. It answers all the questions a soft sceptic would have about climate change science and impacts, in an easily digestible way.

And on Monday, I’m embarking on a 100 day book tour with a group of up-and-coming AYCC leaders to change hearts and minds in person as we travel to outer suburban, regional and rural Australia.

How did I get to this point?

Wind back the clock six and a half years ago to December 2005, in the middle of a snow-filled winter in Montreal.

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I wake up in a small loft filled with young climate activists from around the world. To my left is Fawzia, an environmental journalist from Bangladesh. To my right is Ben, an environmental educator from Micronesia. I can smell coffee coming from our kitchen downstairs. As I walk down in my pyjamas, I see a group huddled around their laptops, writing media releases, blogging, reading the day’s agenda and preparing policy responses. We are the youth delegation at the Kyoto Protocol negotiations, and we’re there to make an impact.

I will always remember those mornings in Montreal, because they helped shape the course of my life up to this point.

It was the end of 2005. I’d spent the year travelling from University to University – all over Australia – working with other students to organise and win campus clean energy victories. We campaigned and won major new initiatives for energy efficiency, climate and sustainability programs.

At my campus, Sydney University, a 2-year campaign convinced the Vice Chancellor to invest $1 million in renewable energy research & development. Monash, Melbourne, ANU and Newcastle University also had important victories. I’d dropped out of my law degree that year, to work as National Environment Officer for the National Union of Students. And I was supposed to go back and finish the last year of my degree.

But in Montreal, I met young people like Ben and Fawzia feeling severe impacts of climate change on their countries. For them, climate change was a matter of survival for their people. I realised I needed to do more – much more – than what I’d been doing up to this point.

I knew that we needed to take the youth climate movement beyond small groups of students on University campuses, and onto the national political stage. We needed to turn young Australians from a demographic into a constituency who would make decisions on the basis of climate change.

We needed young Australians to make it harder for our political and business leaders to continue the status quo, which was harming our futures, than to give in to our simple demand for a safe climate with enough clean air, water and soil for everyone.

The idea for the Australian Youth Climate Coalition was born.

And with a lot of hard work by the small group of young people who organised the founding summit in 2006 and the first few campaigns in 2007 (one of whom is now my husband!) the idea took off and became a fully-fledged movement of which you, reading this, are now a part.

I left AYCC as Co-Director in 2010, but remained Chair of the Board. And I embarked on a number of different projects, including completing a Churchill fellowship on peer-to-peer environmental education in China, the UK and the USA. I also worked as Senior campaigns Director at the strategy and communications consultancy Make Believe.

But I left Make Believe at the end of last year to work on the next stage of my original vision of ‘making green mainstream’. I decided to make a concerted effort to reach out to climate sceptics. My aim? To re-establish the foundational case for the science and the need to act. In the heat of the debate about the carbon price, many Australians have forgetten why we needed to cut carbon pollution in the first place.

Through a mutual friend, I was approached by a TV producer called Simon Nasht. He wanted to create a TV program to be aired on the ABC that reached beyond the sound bites on climate change science. His vision was to send a film crew to capture the journey of a climate activist and a climate sceptic as they took each other around the world trying to change each other’s minds.

Simon Nasht had secured one of the remaining few high-profile climate sceptics in Australia, Nick Minchin, to be part of the project. (I say remaining because many other former sceptics in business and government, even the former head of Exxon Mobil, John Schubert, have now accepted the science.) Now, Simon required someone willing to go head to head with Nick to argue the case for the science and the need to act on climate change.

After a lot of reflection (which you can read about in my book!) I decided to say yes. And so began an extrardinary journey, of which the documentary is the first, not the last, step. Along the way I wrote a 90,000 word book in two months, and decided to take a group of AYCC volunteers with me on the road to travel around the country reaching out to people who still have questions about the science and the need to act.

I’m so proud to be part of the AYCC and the youth climate movement in Australia. Ellen, Kirsty and the team of staff and volunteers and state coordinators and local group members inspire me every single day. I look forward to the Repower campaign update emails as the highlight of my week and I get so excited to read about what’s been happening with the grassroots.

If anyone can change a sceptic’s mind, it’s the young people in their lives. So if you have a climate sceptic uncle or grandfather or friend of a friend, make sure you sit down with them to watch the documentary on Thursday night – and then order them a copy of Madlands: A Journey to Change the Mind of a Climate Sceptic.

Written by AYCC co-founder and Chair of the Board, Anna Rose

We’ve been sharing our stories here in the AYCC office this week – from telling AGL to disassociate themselves from EnergyWatch, stopping Rob Oakeshott’s motion for the burning of native forests to count in the renewable energy target, and fighting for the carbon price.  What huge wins!

But what makes this so spectacular is that it involves all of us – a movement of young people taking action.

And who is this “us” that I speak of? It’s you.

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It’s all young people who stand up and say “Hey, that’s not right! That’s our future you’re talking about, and we will not sit by and let you ruin it. We’re part of a movement of young people. We’re making the change that needs to happen.”

To get others to join us, we need to share our stories about why we’re part of this movement. To get you started here’s a few stories from AYCC members all over the country.

Josh Creaser, ACT Member

Like so many I grew up fascinated by the natural world and enjoyed spending time outdoors. While appreciating these natural values and the lifestyle they afford me, I was troubled by the many environmental and social issues which plague our time. The climate crisis overshadows so much of my thinking about the world we live in and our future. In the face of such an all-encompassing problem, how do I harbour a strong and growing sense of hope for the future? I’m a part of a movement that unites people across the country and connects with activists the world over to fight for a more equitable future. I joined the AYCC in 2011 – it sounded like a fun and engaging group to be involved with. I quickly discovered that it was a place to meet young people who have a burning passion to create change, the skills to create the future they dream of, and I was not alone in my many concerns and hopes.

Jaden Harris, NSW Member

As someone who lives on the coast and loves surfing, I want future generations to be able to do the same and not experience the negative effects of sea level rise and ocean acidification. Young people have been the catalyst in every social movement, we have more to contribute and can influence society more. I became involved in AYCC in 2010 since then I’ve built a cardboard solar plant at Parliament House, met Tony Abbott, and am now repowering a local Manly business. The AYCC gives me immense hope and inspiration for the future. We are fun, exciting and take a fresh approach.

Jill Beale, VIC Member

I don’t normally devote myself to social movements, Powershift 2011 changed that. I found myself in Brisbane, engulfed by the smartest, funniest people I’d ever met. They had a vision for a better future. Politicians celebrities, scientists and staying in bad hostels that housed climate skeptics inspired me to act. Being surrounded by 1000 young people that were bursting with enthusiasm and energy was contagious and led me to believe that change is possible. I shared the vision of change on a large scale. The flashmob was the initial plunge into sacrificing a little, to be part of something huge.

CJ Fraser-Bell, NT Member

I live in Darwin. The NT was the last State or Territory in Australia to have an AYCC group, in 2011 we started one. Two of us went to Powershift, two voices calling out in a sea of 1000 “We are here, we exist and we care!” It’s hard, being a young person who cares. We scream out and no-one answers. That’s why standing up and calling out pollies’ and corporations’ wrongdoings is so vital. Building a movement is important; a movement that includes every young person – regardless of race, religion, language, or geography. Young people are waiting to be called to action. So we’re bringing them the microphone – That’s why I’m part of the movement.

What’s your story?

Tuesday April the 3rd was the day when we, along with Quit Coal Australia, took to Mr Baillieu’s office. Dressed up as coal fighting zombies with baby powder in our hair and delicious syrupy blood dripping down our faces, we ‘zombied’ our way from the steps of Parliament House to Mr Baillieu’s office.

After a few zombie chants we were overwhelmed by the amount of carbon in the air that was emitted from Mr Baillieu’s office. As a result, we all ‘died’!

However, we were awakened from our momentary slumber by the devastating consequences of Mr Baillieu’s actions. We were simply not at peace, so we felt it was necessary for us to start a zombie conga line – as you do.

Meanwhile there were six members of Quit Coal who locked themselves together with bike locks and remained stationary in the foyer of the building.

Throughout the entire event there was fantastic media coverage from all the big networks, creating awareness and provoking discussions about vital issues that need to be addressed. Furthermore, there was an excessive police force present with the number of officers almost outnumbering the protesters.

After we finished ‘zombieing,’ around six committed protestors continued their lockdown for another eight hours, until they were finally offered a meeting with Mr Baillieu and immunity from all charges, which they accepted.

A big thank you to Quit Coal for organising the protest and for all those who took part in the lock down!

All in all it was a fantastic to kick start my week of work experience.

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Written by AYCC volunteer – Gawesha Weeratunga, AYCC Victoria