Vic Barrett
Alliance for Climate Education
Madison, WI USA
"Now is a really good time to think about your community and what it needs, and work to make that happen. If there is as good a time as any, it’s right now."
Career Roadmap
Vic's work combines: Environment & Nature, Politics, and Problem Solving
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
I recommend volunteering with environmental justice organizations as soon as you can. I started getting involved and volunteering my time in high school, which really helped me gain the experience needed to get a full-time organizing role in this sector. Check out local chapters of organizations that already exist. If you're specifically wanting to organize, it's a good idea to start by educating your own community. That way you're building something yourself that you can organize around.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life has been direct
1.
I grew up in New York.
2.
In high school, I started getting involved in afterschool programs and learning more about justice issues.
3.
At 15 years old, I joined 20 other young people across the country as a plaintiff in the Juliana v. United States constitutional climate-related lawsuit.
4.
After becoming a plaintiff, I got to travel and meet with other activists who are dedicating their lives to climate justice.
5.
I also served a fellowship as a youth representative for the Alliance for Climate Education—my role was to educate other youth on climate impacts.
6.
I enrolled at the University of Wisconsin–Madison with a double major in environmental studies and political science.
7.
After spending some time in college, I decided that I needed to take a break and apply myself in other areas of my life instead for a while.
8.
A few years after my fellowship with the Alliance for Climate Education, I earned a full-time position with the organization as a democracy organizer, empowering youth to fight the climate crisis.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Society in general:
Climate change isn't real.
How I responded:
Some people don't accept that the climate crisis is real whereas my work is completely dedicated to it. My dad also didn't accept that the climate crisis was an issue. It's something we had to talk about. That first-hand experience helped me better understand and cope with the fact that others also have their doubts. Cognitive dissonance can be strong. I remind myself that this isn't the only thing people miss the mark on. That reminder helps me cope and keep working to get people to understand.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
Having ADHD, I would struggle in school. It was never really my strong suit. In college, I eventually decided that I needed to take a break from school and apply myself in other areas. I plan to go back, but it just wasn't right for me at the time.
As a young person, I struggled to get on board with networking and making one-on-one connections. Being socially anxious and not wanting to impose on others were difficult feelings to overcome, but practice makes it easier.