YES! (Youth for Environmental Sustainability), founded by two teenagers in California in 1990, connects, inspires, and collaborates with changemakers to build thriving, just, and regenerative ways of life for all. The organization provides co-creative brave spaces for people gifted with compassion and a desire to make a difference—people looking for healing, learning, and connecting at the personal, interpersonal, and systemic level. YES! facilitates growth and positive change on three interconnected levels: the internal (nurturing self-awareness, spiritual, emotional, and physical wellbeing), the interpersonal (building beloved community and trust), and the systemic (co-creating possibilities for families, work, and communities). Working primarily with people ages 20-40 while offering multigenerational programs, YES! ignites the power of self-awareness and beloved community, recognizing how inner work and relational shifts lead to healing and liberation.
Why It Matters: Often, the greatest saboteur of movements is the internalized oppression and unresolved traumas of personal and collective histories—sustainability activists burning out, peace activists acting incongruently with their values, social justice activists caught in power struggles. YES! fosters means-to-ends consistency, believing that congruence between goals and methods generates more lasting positive impact. By supporting connections between diverse allies who might otherwise operate in fragments, YES! applies the principle that if divide and conquer destroys, then connecting and self-organizing heals. The organization opens space for love and spirit to guide individuals, organizations, and movements with deeper wisdom, making extraordinary things possible and changing the way we do change.
