Bow Seat Launches Voteless Not Voiceless, a Youth-Led Social Media Campaign to Get Out the Climate Vote

July 30, 2020

With time running out to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and make meaningful inroads against the climate crisis, Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Programs (Bow Seat) has launched Voteless Not Voiceless, a youth-powered campaign developed in collaboration with teens across the country that harnesses the power of social media and storytelling to encourage voters to cast their ballots with the environment in mind.

Voteless Not Voiceless provides youth—who will face the worst impacts of climate change—with a platform to share personal stories about the environmental issues that impact them. “Voteless” teens (ages 13-17) from the U.S. are invited to submit short videos or written statements about the environmental concerns facing them and their communities, their visions for a better world, and their ideas for how to build it. These stories will be shared and amplified across social networks, with the goal of inspiring adults to prioritize climate as an electoral issue this year. For each story received, Bow Seat will donate $10 to Our Climate (up to $2,020), to support its voter mobilization campaign and ongoing mission to empower youth through civic engagement.

“For nearly a decade, Bow Seat has activated youth in ocean conservation and advocacy through creative storytelling,” said Linda Cabot, President of Bow Seat. “With 2020 being a critical election year for our country to turn the tide on the climate emergency, we recognize that it is important to uplift youth voices around this issue—after all, they are leading the climate movement in cities and towns nationwide. Even though they can’t yet vote, teens can shift the hearts and minds of those who can.

“One of the top reasons why Americans don’t vote is because they believe their votes don’t matter,” continued Cabot. “Through their stories, young people are insisting that they do—that our collective future depends on electing leaders up and down the ballot who are committed to taking bold action on climate change that is informed by science and centered on justice.”

“The decisions we make over the next decade will guide the consequences for the remainder of the century, and maybe even farther,” said Steven Kirchner, National Field Coordinator of Our Climate. “2020 is the year young people set the tone on climate action. Young people have an opportunity this year to rise up and elect officials—from the president to the local school board—dedicated to prioritizing immediate, robust action to pass science-based and equitable climate policies that meet the speed and scale of the climate crisis.”

For more information or to participate in Voteless Not Voiceless, go to votelessnotvoiceless.org. The campaign webpage also includes inspiring youth stories from across the country and resources for young people and adults alike to take action around the climate crisis. Follow @votelessnotvoiceless on Instagram to stay updated on campaign news.

###

About Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Programs: Bow Seat is a Massachusetts-based nonprofit that empowers youth to connect, create, and communicate for our blue planet. Visit bowseat.org for more information about our programs, upcoming initiatives and events, and collection of student artwork and creative media.