RIEEA is excited to announce that our upcoming Rhode Island Youth Climate Conference on November 7, 2026 will feature a presentation and workshop with SJ Jennings.
SJ Jennings (she/they) is an educator, facilitator, and community connector who spent a decade teaching in DC public schools. That classroom experience still shapes her favorite question: What becomes possible when young people have real power to shape what happens next?
Through Halcyon Education LLC, SJ designs learning experiences that bring youth and adults together, locally including workshops with RIEEA and current work with Farm Fresh Rhode Island. She teaches program design and evaluation at the University of Rhode Island’s new Environmental Education undergraduate program and, as District Strategy Lead at Earth Force, works nationally with school leaders to weave Environmental Applied Civics into everyday learning.
SJ organizes and participates in bike adventures with Radical Adventure Riders, Bikepacking Roots, Pvd Bike Jam, and the New Bedford Starchasers. She lives in a very tiny house on a farm outside Providence with her very large dog, Zazu, where life is a daily reminder to stay curious, care for your community, and get outside.
PRESENTATION DESCRIPTION:
Beyond Youth Voice: Building Climate Leadership Through Youth–Adult Partnership
Young people are already leading; the question is whether adults and institutions create the conditions for their leadership to matter. In this interactive workshop, participants will use a youth–adult partnership framework to examine where power and decision-making live, experience practical tools for sharing leadership, and identify one shift they can make to build more authentic, equitable partnerships in their own climate and community work, alongside young people.
2026 RHODE ISLAND YOUTH CLIMATE CONFERENCE
Calling all Rhode Island youth and their adult mentors!
Are you ready to take climate action in your community?
Registration is now open for the Rhode Island Youth Climate Conference! This event is for teams of 3-6 high school aged students and an adult mentor and will take place on Saturday, November 7, 2026, at the Roger Williams Park Zoo’s new Conservation Education Center. This is a free event; lunch will be provided and transportation costs will be covered.
Registration closes Thursday, October 29.
MORE INFORMATION & REGISTRATION HERE