Society & Culture
Why is youth organizing important, and what are the unique qualities of youth organizing? In this episode, we talked with Jennifer Phung, a community organizer working with Youth Environmental Justice Alliance (YEJA) and OPAL Environmental Justice Oregon. Jennifer Phung is a community organizer born and raised in Oakland, California, and leads OPAL’s multi-racial youth organizing program, Youth Environmental Justice Alliance (YEJA). Jennifer’s organizing background comes from a range of experiences in labor, tenant organizing, and youth organizing. YEJA develops youth leaders through political education, campaign organizing, and skill-building to address issues of Environmental Justice. Jennifer works with YEJA to create a space for youth to gain skills to take collective action on issues affecting their communities. Vivian Satterfield is second-generation bilingual Chinese American, born and raised in inner city Chicago. She believes in the power of organizing, the efficacy of people-centered public policy, and the therapeutic benefits of a long bike ride. Vivian is currently the Deputy Director at OPAL Environmental Justice Oregon, where she's helped bring grassroots-led campaigns and coalition efforts around issues such as lifting Oregon's 17-year long ban on inclusionary zoning, and the extensions of transfer times on TriMet, to success.