Katerina Gaines
(she/her)

Katerina (she/her) is 17 years old and lives on the Peninsula in the Bay Area, occupied Ohlone land. She has been a campaign co-coordinator and is currently a Lead Circle member and Community Education Organizer. She deals with her anxiety about the crises in the world through climate justice work because of its intersectional nature. She thinks about how stopping fossil fuel corporations on a local level ultimately lead to benefits across the world through better air quality, defunding wars, fighting environmental racism etc. Climate justice stands for justice for all of life including animals and trees. The way she sees it the Earth is our mother, the one who gave us life and she provides us everything we have ever needed and the least we can do is protect her from harm and try to give back. She believes that systems such as capitalism are rooted in exploitation of people and the earth and that collectively in community united, we can change our current reality to a future with more justice, sustainability and thriving life.