Here's What We Built Together in 2025 – Join Us For The Fights Ahead in 2026

We're back from our restorative leave, and we wanted to share our reflections on everything this last year has held – from fighting back against continued attacks on our communities, to demanding urgent climate action, and organizing to confront the systems driving the crises we're facing.

Every time we showed up this year, we made it clear that young people are not the leaders of tomorrow – we're leading right now. And we're already mobilizing with youth and community members across the state to gear up for the fights ahead. Read on to see just some of what we're celebrating from 2025 and learn how you can take action today to support our work and plug into what comes next.

2026 is going to be an absolutely critical year.

FROM COLLECTIVE ACTION TO POLICY CHANGE: WE SECURED 5 LEGISLATIVE WINS AT THE ROUNDHOUSE

In January, we kicked off the year by joining over 100 young people and community members to block the streets and paint a massive street mural outside the State Capitol on the Opening Day of the 2025 Legislative Session, sending a clear message to decision-makers that time is running out to act on the climate crisis.

In the months that followed, we made our voices heard at the State Legislature, where we supported over 20 priority bills and joined our movement allies for advocacy days centering freedom for Palestine, climate justice, protections for our waters, and justice for young people across the state.

We also fought back against harmful bills that would advance false solutions designed to extend the life of industry, and when the Legislative Session ended in March, 5 of our priority bills – S.B. 21, S.B. 23, S.B. 48, H.B. 91, and H.B. 128 – were signed into law, a win for our work to advance a just transition to renewable energy, expand energy democracy, make meaningful investments in our communities, and protect waters across New Mexico.

But our work didn't end with the close of the Legislative Session. We spent the rest of 2025 taking on the systems of extraction and harm driving the climate crisis – in hearing rooms, in the streets, in the courts, and in our communities.

BUILDING POWER WITH OUR COMMUNITY: IN NEW MEXICO AND BEYOND

We organized alongside our movement allies in the Defend NM Water Coalition to sound the alarm about Bernhard Capital Partners' attempt to buy out the New Mexico Gas Company and fight back against industry attempts to reuse toxic fracking waste (otherwise known as "produced water") off the oilfield, winning a strong rule to help safeguard our lands and waters from this toxic waste, and successfully pressuring the WQCC to vacate their decision to hear a petition from the industry-backed "WATR Alliance" that could have rolled back the protections we fought so hard to win.  

In November, we also celebrated a major update when the New Mexico Supreme Court agreed to hear Atencio v. State of New Mexico, a landmark constitutional lawsuit brought by YUCCA and other members of the NMLAWS Coalition over the state's failure to protect public health and the environment from the harms of oil and gas pollution, as required by our state constitution.

We also spent 2025 strategizing with organizers across the country – from California, to Florida, to Texas. And this fall, we made our voices heard at New York City Climate Week with fellow members of the New Mexico No False Solutions Coalition.

In New York, we called for billionaires to pay for the crises they created, joined the No False Solutions Coalition, Planet Over Profit, and other frontline organizers to sound the alarm about Blackstone's attempt to take over PNM, and built relationships with movement allies across the country as we took to the streets to demand an end to the genocide in Palestine and send a clear message that Donald Trump does not speak for the vast majority of America.

DISRUPTING BUSINESS AS USUAL: WE TOOK OUR DEMANDS TO THE STREETS

We returned home from New York City demand bold climate action that puts people before profit and create a world rooted in collective care for the planet and one another. 

That's why we teamed up with our partners at the Oil and Gas Action Network in October to protest the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association's annual meeting with massive banner drops across the state that drew a clear contrast between ExxonMobil's Title Sponsorship and co-optation of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta – a beloved New Mexican tradition – and their role as a Diamond Sponsor of the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association's annual conference the same week.

During the week of Balloon Fiesta, we called out ExxonMobil's greenwashed PR stunt outside the main entrance to Balloon Fiesta Park as attendees poured in for mass ascension, sending a clear message that we won't stand by while Exxon attempts to distract from industry's climate destruction while continuing to pollute our lands, exploit our traditions, and destroy our future.

Photo: Gabby O'Keefe

This year, we also took to the streets to stand in solidarity with our migrant families and support incredible young organizers demanding an end to ICE, deportation, and the criminalization of our communities, marched in the Albuquerque Pride Parade to make it clear that there's no pride in genocide or ecocide, and linked arms with our community at actions organized by our movement allies.

JOIN US FOR WHAT COMES NEXT: SUPPORT WE GOT US.

BUILD POWER FOR THE MOVEMENT.

But we weren't just showing up in the streets – we were building capacity for our movement. Together, we hosted political education workshops and leadership development trainings, launched our monthly Mindfulness for the Movement Gatherings, and brought over 30 leaders from across the Southwest together for a No More Billionaires Training of Trainers.

And as we look to the new year, we're already preparing to continue this work during our We Got Us Bootcamp, Youth Summit, and Mass Mobilization.

All We Got Us Partner Organizations have agreed to YUCCA's Principles of Engagement. You can view them here.

From January 16th through 19th, we'll host four days of free training in Santa Fe in an intergenerational, cross-movement space where over 150 young people, community members, and organizers from across the state will come together to sharpen our skills, deepen our relationships, and get prepared to take bold direct action alongside one another through workshops ranging from direct action and policy advocacy to creative resistance, street medic work, de-escalation, and more.

And on January 20th, we'll take our skills to the streets alongside students, young people, community members, allies, and 18+ partner organizations for our We Got Us Mass Mobilization on the Opening Day of the 2026 Legislative Session. This work is only possible because of the care and support of our community – and as we prepare to bring thousands of people together in January for training, skill-building, and impactful direct action, we're inviting you to get involved, spread the word, and help us resource the movement we're building together.

We hope you'll join us for our Mass Mobilization on January 20th to demand the future we know is possible – and if you have the means, help us step into the new year with the resources it will take to meet this moment.

SUPPORT THE MOVEMENT