The Youth Are Already Leading: Meet Green Silicon Valley

What happens when a group of high schoolers turns a $5,000 competition win into a global movement?In this episode, Dr. Joseph sits down with Abhi Tenneti and Ayush Garg — the high school founders of Green Silicon Valley — an organization run entirely by students, for students, bringing free STEM and environmental education to elementary and middle school classrooms around the world.We talk about how these young leaders scaled from a single middle school in Santa Clara to over 500 volunteers across seven countries — from Tunisia to Pakistan, China to Nigeria. They share the powerful story of their partnership with an organization in Lagos, Nigeria, where environmental education is being woven into a broader fight against poverty and violence — teaching not just STEM, but real skills to help young people build a future outside of military conscription and gang violence.We get into the nitty-gritty of running a youth-led organization: the fundraising struggles, the cold-emailing strategy that landed them international partnerships, the hands-on kits that turn saltwater into electricity, and their vision for a world where peer-to-peer climate education is embedded in every school system.This episode is a testament to what happens when we trust young people to lead, teach, and organize. The climate movement needs more than seasoned experts — it needs youth power, and Green Silicon Valley is showing us exactly what that looks like.What we talk about:🌍 Youth-led climate & STEM education📚 Peer-to-peer teaching models🌱 Building an international organization from scratch🌏 Environmental justice in Nigeria & the Global South🔬 Hands-on STEM kits for environmental learning💪 The power of intergenerational climate actionVisit greensiliconvalley.com or email [email protected] to volunteer, partner, or bring their programming to your school — anywhere in the world.Volunteer sign-up: https://forms.gle/RuVJVtHcMP6aw2cZ9Teacher sign-up: https://forms.gle/aB2iHFNVpdK8c8gK9Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-environmental-justice-lab--5583745/support.Don’t forget to subscribe and rate the podcast wherever you listen! Support our work by joining the Supporters Club: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-environmental-justice-lab--5583745/supportConnect with our Environmental Justice Lab community: Instagram: @envjusticelab YouTube: @envjusticelab Email: [email protected]