A hot yva summer
So, what’s YVA been up to this summer? We’re so glad you asked and so excited to be restarting our newsletter updates :) We’ve been continuing our commitments to relationship building and fighting for environmental justice. While our school clubs take a well-earned rest, our core youth members work throughout the summer leading our campaigns. In this update we’ll hear from the members who lead Reclaim Our Power, one of our newer campaigns, new team members, and upcoming events!
Before we get into our spotlight, there’s some organizational news we’re excited to share with you! We’ve brought on four new members to the team.
Ashia Ajani, Director of Development.
Ashia Ajani is are a writer, educator and futurist. Ashia is the author of one collection of poems, Heirloom (Write Bloody Publishing, 2023) and a forthcoming nonfiction book, Tending the Vines (Timber Press, 2026).
ashia@youthvsapocalypse.org
Jennifer Marley, Director of Programs and Community Engagement
They are a San Ildefonso tribal member, activist, and scholar. She has a B.A. with a double major in Native American Studies and American Studies and a Peace and Justice Studies certificate from the University of New Mexico (2019). Jennifer has been a community organizer and activist since 2011, most known for her leadership roles in UNM's Kiva Club and Native liberation organization The Red Nation. In February of 2025, Jennifer co-founded the Total Sovereignty Working Group. Jennifer's activism and scholarship have focused on articulating a Pueblo feminist analysis of nuclear colonialism.
Jen@youthvsapocalypse.org
Ashley Jahja, Lead Campaigns Manager
A jack of all trades and master of one, they received a B.S. in Society and Environment from UC Berkeley and an MPH in Environmental Health Sciences from UCLA. They've been involved in environmental and community organizing since a young age.
ajahja@youthvsapocalypse.org
Reclaim our Power
Today, it is common for schools to hold wildfire drills, or to have canceled school days from smoke, but things haven’t always been this way! Each year we see more and more disastrous life-ending wildfires take over our Golden state. In 2018, 85 people lost their lives during what is today considered California’s worst wildfire known as Camp Fire in Butte County. In 2021, the Dixie Fire burned for over 100 days destroying over 900,000 acres of land North of Sacramento. For both of these devasting fires, PG&E was found responsible, even pleading guilty to manslaughter as part of Camp Fire lawsuits. Additionally, residents are forced to pick between putting groceries on the table and paying for necessary electricity. In 2024 alone, PG&E increased their rates six times. Why is it so expensive? When PG&E causes fires because they used cheap materials, they are held fiscally responsible through lawsuits. Except they aren’t, because PG&E pays these costs by hiking up prices on their customers! To add, without warning PG&E is liable to shut off anyone's power, not just those who can't afford to pay their bills. Through a practice known as rolling blackouts, the outcome of a power shut off can attack anyone's livelihood. From food insecure people's groceries spoiling, to people overheating without an AC, the effects of their rate hikes and power shut off is disastrous to working class communities. Finally, minority communities are often the closest to PG&E’s polluting natural gas facilities and wildfires due to electrical wire mismanagement.
Despite all this, we have yet to fix the broken energy system that underscores so many environmental injustices.
However, through Reclaim Our Power! (ROP) we are working through a coalition to create an electricity provider responsive to the needs of people and the planet, not shareholders! We are currently building support and mobilizing for SB-332 which will:
1. Collect utility shut-off data for greater transparency
2. Require proposed executive compensation be contingent on safety and affordability metrics.
3. Fund a feasibility study to determine what form of utility best serves ratepayers.
On July 15th, we attended a rally urging Oakland’s City Council to pass a resolution in support of SB-332. Community members and organizers were mobilized to call on the city to help us establish an energy system rooted in just principles. Although the city council members moved to postpone the resolution, we are optimistic that as we continue to build people power we will secure an energy system reflective of the needs of our community. We are excited to continue mobilizing our community to Reclaim Our Power!
Are you interested in supporting Reclaim Our Power? We invite you to take an action step below!
“Concerning Violence”
This summer Youth Vs Apocalypse is fundraising to meet our goal of 20k! All resources go to our pivotal work of supporting and building power in frontline communities, particularly developing the leadership of frontline youth, to fight the climate crisis. As part of our efforts we hosted a film fundraiser where we screened the 2014 documentary Concerning Violence. We gathered to watch, discuss, and commune! Thank you to East Side Arts Alliance for hosting us! Stay tuned for more events as we prepare for the school year.
Iran Statement
The following statement comes directly from our membership.
On Jun 22, 2025, the US bombed 3 nuclear facilities in Iran, weeks before that, ICE began unprecedented raids in public places targeting families and workers throughout the country, but most notably in LA.
Why does this matter to us in the Bay?
The Bay Area is a known hub for historic anti-war activism; organizers know that bombs there mean cops here. On July 8th, an ICE van ran through a group of protesters condemning the unconstitutional kidnappings by ICE, injuring several and leaving one person fighting for their life. As we make the connections between imperialism abroad and fascism here, we must stand firm as anti-war activists if we consider ourselves to be environmentalists.
How is this affecting the environment?
We understand the pain of having the environmental well-being of our communities discarded for profit. The bombings in Iran targeted nuclear facilities and could have been an environmental catastrophe had Iran not relocated radioactive materials in time. We know that the biggest polluter in the world is the US military; their production of CO2 emissions and ecological devastation caused by mass bombing campaigns is not rivaled by any other institution in history. On July 1st, 170 million dollars was allocated to ICE and CBP. Imagine if this money could be reinvested in cleaning up our communities.
What can we do when we feel helpless?
Organize: Join an organization wherever you are! Look for organizations that do work aligned with your values and issues that impact you
Trust in the people: We save ourselves! Only by building up people power in our communities can we stand together to speak for ourselves with one voice and demand the dignity we deserve.
Believe another world is possible: We are not alone in our fight! We are in the company of powerful anti-imperialist movements around the world led by those who have been most affected by environmental destruction due to extraction.
