Attending the annual United Nations COP Conference will always be a journey and significant investment of resources for individuals, but there is a strong argument that Climate Generation continues to support cohorts of individuals on this platform, and scale to include youth aged fifteen and up. The two-week cohort is a great idea, but I see value in attendees being present for the 2^nd half of week 1 and first half of week 2, as the momentum and attendance seemed to vary from one week to the next.

Every bit and portion of our individual climate work contributes to the global response, and unfortunately, we are consumed by our local and national work, we become removed from the global impacts and responses to climate change.

Attendance at COP provides this knowledge, reminder and a life-long network.

Collective action and reinforcement was a theme of course, but we also learned that just as the antiracism movement requires a stand up, stand down approach when it comes to action, so too does our climate mitigation and climate justice work.

Redistribution and sharing of power must occur over the lifetime and landscape of this work and our Indigenous brothers and sisters at COP also led us to understand climate action requires large industries and businesses investment in the grassroots, foundational and historical investment of Indigenous and BIPOC communities, as they harness the knowledge and spiritual connection to land and thus repair.

Lastly, I rediscovered, and not from COP alone: that the climate justice movement is an antiracist movement. In particular, these actions in the United States have been led and achieved by the expertise, sweat and sacrifice of Black people. It requires then that Black American youth and adults be intentionally engaged, fully supported and represented in this global arena, just as they continue to fight for environmental, climate justice and education in the states.

Markeeta Keyes is the Workforce Director for the Minneapolis Health Department and leads the Department’s Green Careers Exploration Program. The program advances equitable and inclusive education and training opportunities that lead to Green sector careers.

With the aim to reduce inequities, Markeeta leads a Green Career program that centers BIPOC representation and participation by reducing barriers to access, elevating local industry representatives of color and enlisting a framework that mitigates trauma.

Markeeta believes experiential learning opportunities and investment in strong, collaborative relationship building ensures this program is instrumental in gaining ground for environmental justice across our communities. The GCEP endeavors to collaborate and strengthen relationships with those leading the environmental justice movement through education, awareness and career readiness, offering students experiences that prepare them for a just and sustainable future.

Markeeta is a Climate Generation Window Into COP delegate for COP28. To learn more, we encourage you to meet the full delegation and subscribe to the Window Into COP digest.

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COP – Worth the time, trip and investment