Los Angeles Zoo holds youth symposium on sustainability – Daily News


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LA Zoo Teen Environmental Council Youth Environmental Symposium breakout session. (Photo courtesy of the LA Zoo)

The Los Angeles Zoo Teen Environmental Council recently held its annual Youth Environmental Symposium with the theme, “Speaking Up: Amplifying Teen Voices for a Just and Sustainable Los Angeles.”

The zoo’s nine-month program focuses on equipping young people in Los Angeles with leadership, conservation skills and community-building skills, and the goal is to “inspire these young people to make a difference in themselves, the zoo and their community,” the zoo said in a statement.

The high school students came from Los Angeles City Council District 14, which includes Boyle Heights and parts of Northeast Los Angeles and Downtown, and Los Angeles City Council District 15, which includes South Los Angeles, Harbor Gateway, Wilmington and San Pedro.

LA Zoo Youth Environmental Symposium Expert Panel – Kevin Patel (Youth Climate Activist), Julio Soria (Nature for All), Maya Peng (Youth Climate Activist), Sim Bilal (Youth Climate Strike), and Dr. Jill Soam (Dean of the Department of Environmental Sciences at the University of Southern California). (Photo courtesy of the LA Zoo)

Dr. Jill Saum of the University of Southern California’s Wrigley Institute for the Environment speaks to young people at the Youth Environmental Symposium. (Photo courtesy of the Los Angeles Zoo)

Group photo from the LA Zoo Teen Environmental Council’s Youth Environmental Symposium. (Photo courtesy of the LA Zoo)

The young people have been working together on biodiversity and environmental issues for several months, and zoo director Denis Verret praised them, saying he was “deeply impressed by the courage, leadership and tenacity these young leaders have shown over the past nine months.”

Students heard from leaders such as Los Angeles Deputy Mayor for Community Services Jacqueline Hamilton, University of Southern California Department of Environmental Sciences Dean Jill Saum, youth climate activist Kevin Patel, Los Angeles Zoo Associate Director of Animal Programs Misha Boddy, youth climate activist Maya Peng, Julio Soria from Nature for All, and Sim Bilal from Youth Climate Strike LA.

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