Youth VS Government Plaintiffs

https://www.youthvgovfilm.com/plaintiffs

"Climate change is the greatest threat to human rights in the 21st century." — Mary Robinson, Former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights #YOUTHvGOV Plaintiffs The stories of the 21 young plaintiffs in Juliana v. United States are diverse and represent what other people around the world say they are experiencing due to the impacts of climate change. Here, the plaintiffs share in their own words why they decided to participate in this landmark case. To learn more about the Juliana case, visit the legal non-profit Our Children's Trust. Carrie Roach watched the movie in the early morning hour of Saturday, July 2, 2022 after I made note to email: on vacation... need time to redress my shame, guilt, gratitude, that my climate justice journey since the first Earth Day in 1972 is carrying on... hope fills my heart, passed the anger, understanding since we have so little time left, called to channel and keep begging the Holy Spirit for her power of gifts and fruits. Come, Holy Spirit, fill us with your presence.

Procedure for Hearing a Bill

1. Bill or Resolution Laid Out 2. Authors Opening Remarks 3. Authors Question and Answer Period 4. Proponent/Opponent Debate Period 5. Amendment Period 6. Authors Summation Period 7. Bill Dispostion 8. Chairperson calls for a vote 9. The Clerk completes a bill report 10. The Chairperson lays out the next bill. (Repeats steps 1-9) 11. Committee will be adjourned once all bills have been read.

Motions/Seconds Chart

1. Expulsion of a member of the body: 2/3 membership, one second and a debatable motion. 2. Suspend floor privileges of a member: 2/3 present, One second and a debatable motion. 3. Favorable Recommendation for House or Senate Action: Majority present, one second and none debatable motion. 4. Unfavorable Recommendation for House or Senate Action: Majority present, one second and none debatable motion.

Procedures for Opening a Hearing Committe

1. The Chairperson calls the Committee to Order. 2. Chairperson will introduce himself/herself, the clerk and any adult resource person or advisor. 3. Chairperson will call on the clerk to read the docket. 4. Roll will be taken of the authors of the bills that are to be heard in that Committee. 5. The Committee Clerk should send each bill to the Chamber Clerk immediately upon disposition. Passed Senate bills should be sent with greatest urgency. 6. The Committee may not adjourn nor should any members leave until all the bills whose authors are present have been heard. 7. At the preference of the Chairperson, a warm up period may be held at the beginning of the meeting using a practice bill to help members become familiar with the procedure and become comfortable.

Bill

A draft of a proposed law presented to parliament for discussion.

Effective Date

A simple statement that states "this act shall take effect on...." You have to decide how long is necessary before the law is enforced.

Caption

A statement, at the beginning of the bill that states the subject of the bill.

Sophie Kivlehan

Allentown, Pennsylvania "I know climate change is going to have the biggest impact on my generation and generations to come. Our government isn't taking action and we have a very small window to turn this around. I feel a sense of responsibility to take action."

Voice voting on a Bill or Amendment

Aye: Agree with Bill or Amendment Nay: Disagree with Bill or Amendment

Miko Vergun

Beaverton, Oregon "As a teen, I can tell you this is our future we're talking about. We have to stop going about our lives as if nothing is happening."

Isaac Vergun

Beaverton, Oregon "The courts have the ability to impact the lives of future generations and our lives in the future. I am speaking for the future generations, and they would want to have a livable planet as they grow up."

Tia Hatton

Bend, Oregon Climate change is a pressing issue that is causing noticeable changes around us. There is a lack of awareness that the benefits of preventing and slowing the change will highly exceed any present costs."

Xiuhtezcatl Martinez

Boulder, Colorado "Climate change is the defining issue our time. The actions those in power take, and decisions they make today, will determine the kind of world future generations will inherit.."

https://www.youthvgovfilm.com/team

CHRISTI COOPER DIRECTOR, PRODUCER, WRITER An Emmy-award winning cinematographer with a PhD in Neuroscience and an MS in Microbiology, Christi focuses her storytelling and visual narratives on issues of justice and impact by creating human connections to the most pressing issues of our time. She left a successful academic and research career in Europe to obtain an MFA in Science & Natural History Filmmaking (graduate thesis: Contemporary Advocacy Filmmaking: Campaigns for Change). In 2011, Christi co-created Stories of TRUST: Calling for Climate Recovery, a 10-part documentary series featuring youth plaintiffs suing their state governments over climate change, with WITNESS, a social justice/human rights organization focused on using film for social change. The campaign was used to reach decision-makers and judges who were ruling on climate litigation brought to the courts by young people. Her film awards include Wildscreen's Panda Award for Best Campaign Film, Best Environmental Film from Backcountry Film Festival, Best Youth Film from Colorado Environmental Film Festival, and Best Made in Montana from the International Wildlife Film Festival, among others. Christi is the inaugural SFFilm/Vulcan Productions Environmental Film Fellow and the first Jacob Burns Film Center Focus on Nature Artist-in-Resident. OLIVIA AHNEMANN PRODUCER Olivia Ahnemann has been producing and directing documentary films for over 20 years. Most recently, she produced The Human Element featuring James Balog, which premiered at the San Francisco International Film Festival in 2018 and was distributed by The Orchard. Previously she produced Under the Gun with director Stephanie Soechtig, which premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, and was distributed by EPIX/Lionsgate; and Racing Extinction with director Louie Psihoyos, which premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, and was distributed by Discovery. In 2016, Olivia was nominated for an Emmy Award for Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking. Olivia was co-producer of The Cove, which has garnered over 70 awards globally, including the 2009 Academy Award for best documentary and the Producers Guild of America documentary award. LIZ SMITH CO-PRODUCER Liz Smith is a producer, writer, and strategist with a focus on using media to create measurable impact and systemic change. She has screened films at festivals around the world, including winning Best of Category at the International Wildlife Film Festival as a TV producer at NASA. Most recently, she was nominated for a Suncoast Emmy for producing and writing the South Florida PBS Changing Seas series episode, A Decade After Deepwater. As the former Director & COO of Conservation Media Group, a non-profit funder of impact-driven media, she designed the Catalyst Workshops to train filmmakers and non-profits in impact filmmaking. She's also spent more than a cumulative year at sea producing media aboard research vessels in the Pacific, Caribbean, Mediterranean, and Gulf of Mexico; and has explored 2,000-year-old shipwrecks, searched for Amelia Earhart, and joined Dr. Robert Ballard for search and recovery operations off the Syrian coast. She's been a Fulbright Specialist and holds an MFA in Science and Natural History Filmmaking. DENNIS AIG CO-PRODUCER Dennis Aig has produced and/or directed productions in many genres for more than thirty years. He produced the award-winning independent feature documentaries Unbranded and Charged: The Eduardo Garcia Story, which streamed on Netflix and Hulu, respectively. He has worked with The Walt Disney Company, Columbia Pictures, National Geographic, PBS, many independent production companies, equity investment funders, sponsors, and several major grant agencies including the National Endowment for the Arts, NASA, ITVS, the MacArthur Foundation, and the National Science Foundation. The productions with which he has been associated have won over 100 honors including a Gold Hugo, Audience Awards at the HotDocs, Banff Mountain and Telluride MountainFilm Festivals. He earned his PhD at The Ohio State University. A Montana State University Professor of Film and Photography since 1989, he has been the head of the University's much-praised MFA in Science and Natural History Filmmaking since 2007 and served as Director of the School of Film and Photography from 2013 to 2016. LYMAN SMITH EDITOR, ADDITIONAL WRITING Lyman's work has appeared in festivals across the globe from Sundance to Tribeca to Telluride as well as Cannes, Paris, and Frankfurt. The efficacy of his approach to the craft has also helped to launch successful documentary programs on a variety of television networks including IFC, BBC, CNN, National Geographic Channel and The Discovery Channel, and his work has appeared before the UN General Assembly. With a particular interest in environmental issues and social justice, Lyman views every film as an opportunity to inspire audiences for the sake of a greater good. TONY HALE EDITOR Tony Hale is a documentary editor and filmmaker based in Brooklyn. As a kid, Tony first discovered a joy for editing while recording and mixing music. Years later, while pursuing a Mathematics degree at Boston College, he rediscovered that passion in film editing. Having worked as a documentary film editor since 2005, he is motivated by the ways cinema can shed light on critical issues and champion untold and under-told stories, and he is passionate about how the power of editing can bring these stories to life. Tony's feature-length documentary work includes A Will for the Woods (which he also co-directed), Charged, Afghan Cycles, and The Story of Plastic. He has also edited dozens of short films, media for organizations such as 350.org, Avaaz, and the Schomburg Center, and pieces for The New York Times and The New Yorker. His work has screened at festivals around the world, has been broadcast on PBS, Discovery, and Al-Jazeera, and has received awards from numerous festivals (including two for best editing), an Emmy, and a Grierson nomination. JOHN JENNINGS-BOYD COMPOSER American composer, John Jennings Boyd, represents the vanguard of a new generation of composers equally adept at scoring with live orchestra, producing ambient soundscapes, and creating commercially-minded music across all forms of modern media. With a passion for multiple genres, he has worked with major studios and indie filmmakers alike. In addition to scoring film and TV, John co-founded Soundcat Productions, a boutique music company with studios in NYC and LA. As creative director of Soundcat, he has written and produced music for various national and international ad campaigns including MasterCard, Canon, Facebook, Kate Spade, Apple, Ford, Verizon, and Google. John currently resides in Los Angeles. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Music from The Florida State University School of Music, and a Masters Degree in Film Scoring from New York University. STEVE HOGGARD STORY CONSULTANT Steve Hoggard has gathered stories with impact from across the planet. His work has taken him from the mass graves of Srebrenica to hacker conventions in Vegas. Along the way, he's chronicled everything from combat in Afghanistan to kids in post-Katrina New Orleans struggling to reach their dreams. Alongside partner Daphna Rubin, Steve has spent the past two decades honing his craft to tackle every new story with the unflinching honesty and creativity each deserves. Whether crafting blue chip programming or gritty, verité tales, Steve and Daphna embrace one, overriding mission: To tell smart stories that matter. In all, Brave Planet Films has created more than 100 full-length documentaries & nonfiction series. Clients range from National Geographic, PBS, NBC & Discovery Networks to BBC, UKChannel 4, Rockefeller Foundation, American Cancer Society and the White House National Security Council. Productions we've overseen have earned numerous awards, including two Emmy® nominations and one Emmy® win.

Phil Gregory

Co-Counsel Since 2010, Phil Gregory has served as Of Counsel with Our Children's Trust on a pro bono basis, all while maintaining his litigation practice with the Gregory Law Group. Phil's representative cases litigated issues like title to real property on the California coast and decades-long groundwater contamination, while his pro bono trial work has addressed flooding during Hurricane Katrina, preserving old growth redwoods in Richardson Grove, and saving Coho salmon in the Smith River.

Kelsey Rose Cascadia Juliana

Eugene, Oregon "I believe that climate change is the most pressing issue my generation will ever face, indeed that the world has ever faced. This is an environmental issue and it is also a human rights issue."

Avery McRae

Eugene, Oregon "I want my government to understand that climate change is real, changes are happening right now, and things aren't going to get better on their own. Climate change should be the government's first priority."

Sahara Valentine

Eugene, Oregon "We need to take action because our government isn't protecting our future. I want my children and future generations to be able to live safely on our planet."

Zealand Bell

Eugene, Oregon It's important to spread awareness about climate impacts. I'm suing the federal government, because they need to be doing a lot more to protect our futures."

Kiran Oommen

Eugene, Oregon Our government refuses to protect our basic rights to life. If those we have put in power aren't protecting our necessities, what purpose are they serving?"

Nathan Baring

Fairbanks, Alaska "Our government continues making today's profit a priority over protecting our right to a sustainable future. My generation, without voting rights, hasn't been fairly represented in making decisions that will affect our lives."

Motion

First you must stand and say "Madam Chair/Sir Chair", if the call on you and ask why you rise, you state your name and delegation and then " I rise to make a motion" then state your motion once asked to give it.

To Ask a Question of the Bill Author

First you must stand, if chosen you say your name and delegation. (EX:John Smith, McKinney YMCA) Then you must say " I rise to question the bill author" If you want to ask more than one question you must say " I rise to ask the bill author a series of questions"

Jaime Lynn Butler

Flagstaff, Arizona "I'm disappointed in my government. Things are continuing to get worse, with more and more people being impacted by climate change. When will the U.S. government pay attention and stand up for our lives?"

Parts of a Bill

Heading, Caption, Enacting Clause, Body of the Bill, Effective Date, Repealer Clause, Severability Clause, Emergency Clause, Definition Section and Penalty Section

Standing Vote

If a vote can't be reached by Ayes or Nays a standing vote will be done.

Point of Order

If someone does something against the rules and it is not caught by or ignored by the chairperson, you rise and say "Point of Order" then when asked you state your point. Such as the committee member didn't state their name and delegation.

Do I hear a Second?

If the Chairperson asks if he or she hears a second and you agree with what the motion is you say "second"

Repealer Clause

If the bill is intended on repealing or replacing an existing bill this section is needed.

Division

If the voice vote is unclear and the chairperson makes a declaration on the vote you must stand and say "division" before the chair is finished speaking. The chair will decide if there should be a standing vote or not.

When to stand and when to sit.

If you are the bill author, you must stand for the entire procedure. If you are an proponent or opponent speaker or amendment author you must stand until your complete with your task.

Levi Draheim

Indialantic, Florida "I work hard to protect the environment and animals near my home. I want my government to work hard to protect my future and the future of the animals and ecosystems in our country."

Emergency Clause

It states that no law can take effect sooner than 90 days and that the bill must be read on three different legislative days.

Journey Mani Wanji Zephier

Kauai'i, Hawaii'i "I am suing the Federal Government because it's the right thing to do. Our future survival depends on our leaders taking dramatic action on climate change NOW, for the sake of future generations and all life on Earth."

Nick Venner

Lakewood, Colorado "Climate impacts in the U.S. are real and getting worse. We're running out of water, we're faced with record-setting heat waves, and wildfires and superstorms are becoming common. We must act now to protect our planet and our civilization."

Amendments

Offered during committee debate, it cannot conflict with the caption of the bill. It is used to add, change or delete portions of the bill. Must include Section, Line Number and the exact change to be made.

Yielding your Time

Once you are done with your opening remarks, closing summations or proponent/opponent speech you must say, "I yield the remainder of my time to the chair".

Julia Olson

Our Children's Trust, Chief Legal Counsel Julia founded Our Children's Trust in 2010 to lead this strategic legal campaign on behalf of the world's youth against governments everywhere. Julia leads Juliana v. the United States, the constitutional climate change case brought by 21 youth against the U.S. government for violating their Fifth Amendment rights to life, liberty, property, and public trust resources.

Jayden Foytlin

Rayne, Louisiana "Our government seems to care more about money for the fossil fuel industry than our futures. But money isn't going to matter if we can't fix our planet."

Opening Statement

Remarks made concerning the need and feasibility of a proposed law. Five minutes will be given.

Enacting Clause

Required to be in your bill "Enacted by the YMCA Youth Legislature of the State of Texas.

Jacob Lebel

Roseburg, Oregon "I am telling my government to stop aiding and turning a blind eye to corporations who profit off destroying our resources, climate, and environment and start acting in the interest of its people. Our lives may depend on it."

Alex Loznak

Roseburg, Oregon "We need to reduce carbon emissions now in order to avoid the worst impacts of global warming. Building new fossil fuel infrastructure is fundamentally inconsistent with that goal."

Aji Piper

Seattle, Washington "Our federal government has not been held accountable for their gross failure to protect life and the future of life on this earth, forcing us children to take drastic actions to procure the needed motivation in order to save life on this planet."

Opponent Speaker

Someone who wants to speak against a bill. A slip must be completed before the time is up.

Proponent Speaker

Someone who wants to speak for the bill. A slip must be completed before the time is up.

Special thanks to Our Children's Trust and Robin Loznak for the use of some of his beautiful still images.

Thank you, Robin and all of you.

Clerk

The clerk will read the bill summary, keep time, announce proponent/opponent speakers and amendment authors.

Chairperson

The person who is in charge of a Committee room, the control the procedures of the bill hearing.

Bill Author

The person who wrote the bill.

Heading

The type of measure; house bill, senate bill, resolution. Also includes the bill authors name, bill number and YMCA Delegation.

Closing Summations

This is a period of two minutes used to address any concerns brought up during the proponent and opponent speaking phase.

Severability Clause

This is to protect any portion of your bill that isn't unconstitutional if any of your bill is found unconstitutional in the future.

Committee

This is where bills are heard, the Chairperson is in charge of a Committee room.

Penalty Section

This section is optional as well depending on the nature of your bill. This section states how you will enforce your bill once it becomes a law.

Definition Section

This section is optional but if your bill contains unfamiliar words or you want to be specific you define the words here.

Addressing Committee Memebers

When speaking to follow delegates, not the chairperson, you may use gentlemen or ladies.

Vic Barrett

White Plains, NY "Climate change isn't just about temperatures and weather, it's about people. Our earth will be here for millenniums; it's up to us to decide if humanity will be too."

Arguments Against Your Bill

You should be aware of any argument against your bill. And be able to answer it with a counterargument.

Research on Bill Topics

Your research should come from a reputable source and should allow you to answer a number of basic questions on your topic.

Hazel van Ummersen

same statement of Avery: Eugene, Oregon "I want my government to understand that climate change is real, changes are happening right now, and things aren't going to get better on their own. Climate change should be the government's first priority."