What's New At YUCCA: Tune Into Our Latest Podcast, Meet Our New Staff, & 3 Events You Can't Miss
- zoeyyucraft
- Sep 11
- 4 min read
At YUCCA, we've been busy preparing to send a delegation of young people to New York City Climate Week to take our fight for bold climate action to the national stage – but we've also been hard at work here at home: growing our team, mobilizing new members, and strategizing for the fights ahead.
This email is packed with ways to learn more about our ongoing work, plug into the fight ahead, and take action with us.
Read on to meet YUCCA's new Policy Campaign Manager, catch the latest episode of Yapping with YUCCA featuring special guests from the New Mexico No False Solutions Coalition, and RSVP for three events this month – beginning with YUCCA's Mindfulness For The Movement gathering this Sunday.
MEET ESPERANZA: LEADING THE NEXT CHAPTER OF YUCCA'S POLICY WORK
This summer, we celebrated our incredible Policy Campaign Manager, Ennedith López, as she wrapped up her time on YUCCA's staff team and stepped into a new chapter of leadership.
From mobilizing young people from across the state to make their voices heard at the Roundhouse, to shaping our bold legislative priorities, Ennedith has been a driving force behind our policy work. Her work shows up in every campaign we take on and every win we celebrate, and we’re grateful that she'll continue to bring her leadership and knowledge to our work as a member of YUCCA's youth-led Steering Committee.
Today, we're thrilled to share an exciting next step for YUCCA's policy work: This month, Esperanza Chairez joined YUCCA as our new Climate and Environmental Justice Policy Campaign Manager!
Esperanza will be leading the charge on YUCCA's bold policy campaigns, building grassroots power for our communities alongside our movement allies, and equipping young people with the tools and support to disrupt business-as-usual politics and demand the meaningful climate action our communities need.
We're so lucky to have Esperanza on our team to help lead the next chapter of our policy fight – get to know her and learn more about her journey by reading her bio below!
"Esperanza was born and raised in Las Cruces, NM after her family migrated to the United States from Durango, Mexico. She holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies and Latin American Studies from Amherst College, and a Master’s degree of Applied Geography and Environmental Studies from New Mexico State University. Living in the Chihuahuan Desert, she strives to live in right relationship with the land and life around her. She is excited to delve into the realm of policy, be of service to the newest generation of young leaders, and work towards bold climate action in New Mexico."
NEW ON YAPPING WITH YUCCA: WE'RE SOUNDING THE ALARM ON BLACKSTONE'S TAKEOVER
"Everyone who pays bills to PNM deserves to know what's about to happen – and deserves to know how they can try and stop it."
In our newest episode of Yapping with YUCCA, Sofia and Zoey sat down with Alejandria Lyons from the New Mexico No False Solutions Coalition and Alicia Gallegos from Pueblo Action Alliance to break down what Blackstone's proposed takeover of PNM really means for our communities – and why we're taking our fight for real climate justice all the way to New York City Climate Week this month.
Together, we dig into how Blackstone and private equity giants are trying to seize control of New Mexico's energy future and push false climate "solutions" that keep us locked into the extractive systems we're fighting so hard to dismantle – and how young people and community members are mobilizing to stop it.
🎧 Tune in now on Spotify, YouTube, or Apple Podcasts to learn more about what's at stake – and how you can help us keep New Mexico's future in the hands of the people, not Wall Street billionaires.
FROM REST TO RESISTANCE: THREE CHANCES TO BUILD POWER TOGETHER THIS MONTH
Join us this weekend for YUCCA's next Mindfulness for the Movement gathering on September 14th from 5:30-7:00 pm at Yogasaar Studio!
We know that our movement can't thrive without time to pause, reconnect, and restore – building the future we know is possible means slowing down, honoring rest as resistance, and making care a collective practice. This gathering is an invitation to show up exactly as you are. Led by Novae of Cultivate Corazón, together we'll create a space for reflection as we ground ourselves in community care.
Whether you're feeling burnt out by the weight of the fight, just beginning your organizing journey, or simply looking for a space to recharge and reconnect with community, this space is for you. RSVP here to help us plan for food and space, but no one will be turned away – we can't wait to see you there. 🫶
📢 September 24th: Join the Energy Democracy Project for the launch of "Utilities for All, The People's Playbook to Ending Utility Debt & Shutoffs"
Right now, our water and energy systems are putting profit over the people – leaving our families with rising bills, utility shutoffs, and accumulating debt.
That's why we're uplifting the launch of the "Utilities for All" playbook from our friends at the Energy Democracy Project: a live Zoom conversation and Q&A with activists who are paving the way for energy democracy.
Register to join the online event on September 24th below to take action and learn new tactics from organizers across the country who have fought back against corporate power – and won.
🎟️ This Weekend in Santa Fe: Don't Miss A Screening of Land of Sacrifice: The Burden of New Mexico's Oil and Gas Extraction
Don't miss this weekend's screening Land of Sacrifice: The Burden of New Mexico's Oil and Gas Extraction on Saturday, September 13th at 1:00 pm.
This powerful environmental documentary uplifts voices from the NMLAWS coalition (including one of YUCCA's own leaders), highlights the power of our groundbreaking constitutional lawsuit, and presents urgently-needed policy solutions.
Annie Ersinghaus' film explores the oil and gas crisis unfolding in New Mexico and its disproportionate impacts on marginalized, low-income, and Indigenous communities. Grab your tickets to the screening today!
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