Ever wonder what it’s like to bring your own seat to the table at one of the world’s largest, high-stakes climate conferences? Youth Climate Collaborative (YCC) founder Pooja Tilvawala certainly knows. Since attending her first global climate summit in 2018 as a college senior, Pooja has been getting her foot in the door to participate in some of the most important climate convenings of our time, including the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, COP26. In 2020, at the age of 24, Pooja began laying the groundwork for YCC. She wanted to help other young people channel their climate anxiety into action on the global stage. On this episode of Degrees Season 6: How to Green Your Job, join us as Pooja–now 27–reflects on her journey. You’ll learn how you, too, can make your voice heard at global climate summits. And while it may all feel super serious, in the end there is always room for laughs.
Pooja Tilvawala is an Indian-American climate justice advocate, opportunity curator, and youth engagement expert with five years of experience in the global climate movement. Since 2020, she has served as the founder and executive director of Youth Climate Collaborative (YCC), which is creating a more just, inclusive, and intergenerational climate movement that sustains youth and their initiatives for meaningful climate action. She is a current recipient of the Walking Softer Award for young climate leaders, and an Advisor to Rivet, which intends to create the world’s largest micro-grant fund for youth-led action.
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Credits:
Degrees: Real talk about planet-saving careers is presented by Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). Yesh Pavlik Slenk is our host. Amy Morse is EDF’s producer. Podcast Allies is our production company. Ayo Oti produced this episode. Mia Lobel is our story editor. Engineering by Kevin Kline. Our music is Shame, Shame, Shame from Yesh’s favorite band, Lake Street Dive.
YESH PAVLIK SLENK:
I’m going to ask you to think back to when you were a little kid. Playing outside, maybe climbing trees, digging in the dirt… Any one of those moments could be the thing that inspires you - and starts you on a path that directs the course of your life. For Pooja Tilvawala, that moment was “Take Your Child to Work Day.”
POOJA TILVAWALA:
As a kid, we would have that day off from school, we'd go to my dad's workplace and choose which sessions we wanted to attend.
PAVLIK SLENK:
Pooja’s dad happened to work for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.
POOJA TILVAWALA:
…So there was one where I got to learn about bats. They made a fake bat cave. We crawled into the bat cave with flashlights and searched for different types of bats and identified them. And we got to make like mud cake with like worms and eat it. It was just a really cool experience. And I was like, wow, working on environmental protection is so cool.
PAVLIK SLENK:
[Laughing] Identifying bats and eating mud cake was just the beginning. Pooja is 27-years-old now and is the founder and executive director of the Youth Climate Collaborative. That’s an organization that helps young people take meaningful climate action while also keeping an eye on their mental health.
MUSIC
On her way from mud cake to non-profit leadership - Pooja has learned a lot. She’s had a lot of successes and a few missteps as well. We’ll hear about all of it on this episode of Degrees - season six - How to Green Your Job.
I’m Yesh Pavlik Slenk and This is Degrees: Real talk about planet-saving careers from Environmental Defense Fund. As you're thinking about ways to green your job, we're sharing a story about how one young woman pursued a seat at the table with power players at global climate negotiations. We want you to know that your voice matters. And we hope today’s episode offers practical advice about how to stand up for what you believe in -- even if it feels a bit like David versus Goliath.
THEME MUSIC
Change is coming, oh yeah
Ain’t no holding it back
Ain't no running
Change is coming, oh yeah!
PAVLIK SLENK:
Pooja Tilvawala grew up with a love for the outdoors. She especially loved climbing trees - feeling the sap stick to her fingers. Plus there was that experience at her dad’s workplace. So she had a baseline interest in the environment. But once she got to school… her interests changed. And then they changed again… and again.
TILVAWALA:
So actually my indecision started in high school because I was always pointed towards a career path in medicine or law. And then through model United Nations in high school, I started exploring schools that taught international studies. And then I took on that major at American University in Washington DC. So I made a couple of different switches. I added on economics, I added on Spanish. I switched Spanish to a minor. I added on philosophy. I ended up not doing philosophy. So a lot of changes.
PAVLIK SLENK:
[Laughing] So many changes! But there was one college experience in particular that really set things in motion for Pooja. Through a volunteer position with the United Nations Association of America in her senior year, she had the chance to go to the 2018 Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco.
TILVAWALA:
This was right after President Trump at the time had withdrawn the United States from the Paris Agreement. I saw all the marches outside and so it was really inspiring to see how people were mobilizing outside of the venue to use their voices to show, and demonstrate, the power of mobilization to get the results that we'd like to see. And then inside the venue, there were all these educational sessions on the intersections of climate and other topics. And I knew that was the space for me.
PAVLIK SLENK:
So there it was - the spark that lit the fire in her. As a next step, Pooja received a fellowship with the Meridian Institute - that’s an environmental nonprofit that focuses on collaborative problem solving. There… she found herself in meeting rooms filled with some of the world’s most powerful leaders… including the president of EDF and my big boss - Fred Krupp!
TILVAWALA:
My role was to be a note taker for a lot of these sessions and to help summarize the key points and action items from these convenings.
PAVLIK SLENK:
Imagine it - Pooja was just 24 years old - in the room with all these power players… and it’s her job to synthesize everything they’re saying. She had to learn fast.
TILVAWALA:
...By being in these rooms in this role, I got the chance to listen, listen deeply to what everybody was saying, to everybody's thought processes and how they translated those thoughts into words that would help everyone understand each other's perspectives and figure out pathways forward. Right? And then, going back through the notes, you had the chance to review what everyone said and, and figure out, you know, what's important and what verbal skills are they using to bring unity to this movement and remind each other of the larger purpose of why they're there, right? What is the bigger picture and how can we use our voice and how can we use, um, what our organization stand for, our values to propel us forward? It was really interesting to learn that.
PAVLIK SLENK:
Interesting - yes! But Pooja says it was also pretty nerve wracking.
TILVAWALA:
You know, I was like a young person in the room and I wasn't sure if people would want to talk to me during like, the coffee breaks or, um, happy hours and basically the free time. And I had to figure out, you know, how do I introduce myself, uh, to these folks and, you know, just have a conversation where we can see if, I don't know there's similarities or if I can learn more about their pathway to where they are now, or just form some sort of connection so that the next time we say see each other, we can say hello. Right?
PAVLIK SLENK:
Pooja did a great job of navigating that space. She tapped into her network, got advice from former Meridian Fellows and made a bunch of new connections. But in the end, it wasn’t the right fit.
TILVAWALA:
Yeah, so I was bad at the job, to be honest. Um, [laugh], I was not the best, uh, um, well, when I left college, right and entering this as my first job, I didn't have the time management that I needed to do very well in this job, which was fast-paced and demanding. // This job taught me how to ask for help early and be proactive about identifying my own weaknesses and requesting support in the way that I needed to, you know, perform better.
PAVLIK SLENK:
So that particular opportunity came to an end. But - you know that phrase when one door closes, you just make up your own dream job? No? I'll tell you what I mean… after the break.
PAVLIK SLENK:
OK so where we left Pooja Tilvawala she was on her way out of a fellowship that didn’t work out as she had planned. But she was not deterred! In fact she had learned a lot from that experience and was ready to tap her network and figure out her next step.
TILVAWALA:
In February, 2020, I had gone to American University, for a cool session on philosophy and climate change. And after the session, I spoke with professor Simon Nicholson, and was just telling him my ideas and plans for, uh, the youth climate space because I had been volunteering in the youth climate space through YOUNGO, which is the U N F CCCs Children and Youth Constituency, and had noticed several gaps and needs for improvement in the space as well as like the core issues that youth were facing and trying to take meaningful action. And so I was talking to him about this and he's like, you should start writing this stuff down. So in February, I started writing this down and I was like, if I were to create programs to address some of these issues, what would that look like?
PAVLIK SLENK:
Pooja took all those lessons she had learned at the Meridian Institute - listening deeply and synthesizing information, talking to young people about the issues they were facing and what they thought should be done about it… And she poured all that information and feedback into a plan. Then, a few months later, a new opportunity came along.
TILVAWALA:
Sometime around August I saw on LinkedIn a job opportunity by The Climate Initiative to submit your plan to educate, empower, and activate youth in the climate space. They called it a climate career competition. They were funding one young recent graduate to implement their plans. And this was a program set up to help students during the pandemic when it was a little bit difficult to find jobs, especially as free flowing like these. And so I applied and because I had such an extensive plan already, I was selected.
PAVLIK SLENK:
This opportunity with The Climate Initiative was huge for Pooja, as it would help lay the foundation for the organization she runs today - called the Youth Climate Collaborative. But Pooja is the first to say this didn’t just come together through dumb luck.
TILVAWALA:
By having this plan, right, I was prepared for when the opportunity arose to modify it as needed, submit it, and hope for the best. And luckily it worked out in my favor, but that's 'cause I was prepared.
PAVLIK SLENK:
That is some really good advice - be prepared!
MUSIC
PAVLIK SLENK:
There’s one more step in Pooja’s journey so far that’s worth sharing. In 2021, while she was still incubating the idea for her Youth Climate Collaborative, she got the opportunity to attend two global climate conferences: COY16 - the Conference of Youth and COP26 - the Conference of Parties - both in Glasgow, Scotland. These are United Nations sponsored climate conferences that bring together world leaders and thousands of other attendees, including students and professionals who are all working toward climate solutions.
These conferences are important for the policymaking that takes place, and they are super important networking events. But like I said, there are thousands of people attending these conferences. So where do you even begin?
TILVAWALA:
I'm like, okay, I've got a badge and I've got the funding to go. Now what exactly happens there? How do I make the most of my time there? Why should I even go right? Am I the right person to be going here?
PAVLIK SLENK:
Pooja’s plan was to start small.
TILVAWALA:
COY was a nice little intro because there were a few hundred youth there from around the world and we got to just become friends as well as learning while there. So then going into COP, we had some buddies so that we weren't completely lost amongst a sea of, you know, thousands and thousands of fish.
And then you are also following some of the negotiations, learning who's who within YOUNGO, since that was the main avenue through which I was going. And what I learned that year was like, what the process is, like, what the system's, like, what the opportunities are, and how I can best use my knowledge to kind of make an impact in the areas that I wanted to make an impact in.
PAVLIK SLENK:
Pooja’s work now is to take those hard-won lessons and pass them along to the young people who are part of her Youth Climate Collaborative.
TILVAWALA:
So first I would say to the young people to figure out what their goals are. So if they want to be at an event to think about why, why do I want to be at this event? Um, are there certain outcomes that I'd like to see come out of this that I think I can play a role in driving forward while being there? You know, are there ways that I can create youth engagement opportunities in these spaces and make that happen? And, and why does that matter? Why should there be a youth voice? Right? And so first, figure out your why.
PAVLIK SLENK:
OK so lesson one - set a goal for yourself, and figure out your WHY.
Lesson two… be fearless - even if you’re approaching people two to three times your age.
TILVAWALA:
Let's say you enter a room as a young person, oftentimes people who are older won't come up to the young person and ask, Hey, what's your, what are you up to? What is your work? It's usually the other way around. And so you really have to be brave to go up to different people in the room, spark that conversation, and get in the practice and habit of doing that.
PAVLIK SLENK:
Pooja admits this won't always be easy. One of the problems that really motivates her is the limited stage young people are given to share their views.
TILVAWALA:
We're constantly asked to give, you know, what is the youth statement, the youth perspective, how can we possibly summarize the perspective of youth around the world in a one minute, two minute statement? You know, that's ridiculous to me. We're not given the proper amount of time we need to express our values, our concerns, our interests, our goals. We're not seen as credible all the time. Many times, you know, we're, we're used in tokenistic ways, as people say. And so I'd really like to see that change. Give us the space and time that we deserve and really listen.
PAVLIK SLENK:
That is the heart, really, of Pooja’s work - helping young people find opportunities to speak truth to power. It’s now been almost seven years since Pooja graduated from college, and almost three since she started Youth Climate Collaborative. What started as a desire to bring youth to the climate negotiations table has expanded into something much bigger. Among other things, she’s launched a series of Mental Health Workshops to help youth climate leaders strengthen their emotional resilience. And they’re adding new programs all the time.
What Pooja does – actually what all of these young climate leaders do – is hard work! So I had to ask her…
PAVLIK SLENK:
What keeps you going day to day? You know, you're seated in rooms filled with people in power. You're sometimes navigating the hallways and the, you know, chance meetings at the, the water cooler at these events with, you know, global powerhouses. And if we know anything about coordinating global climate action, sometimes it can be contentious, it can be frustrating, and it can be really, really tiring. So what keeps you getting out of bed in the morning to do this work?
TILVAWALA:
So the individual answer is knowing that I have power. I hold power. So I know that each day what I do matters. I can wake up and choose to read a book. I can wake up and choose to lead a workshop on, you know, leadership coaching for young climate change makers. I can choose to just go outside for eight hours straight. And what I do matters, you know, we won't know the impact of what we do always, and we don't know what legacy we're leaving behind, but recognizing that our actions do matter and that people are watching whether we know it or not. And, um, you know, we're building towards something that motivates me. And then at a collective level, I love, love, love meeting youth from around the world online, in person, and just seeing the tenacity, the hard work, the dedication, the love that they're pouring into their work with such limited resources often. And seeing what they're able to achieve when they've put their mind towards something, no matter what obstacles or, you know, bad news arises each day, that's super powerful. And I just know that if we keep going, you know, we have to believe we don't have a choice but to believe and to keep going and reminding ourselves to take breaks, you know, [laugh] as well.
MUSIC
PAVLIK SLENK:
Before we go, I asked Pooja to queue up next week’s very special guest, famed “TV and film” “writer, producer and director” Scott Z Burns. He’ll talk about how he’s woven climate issues into his illustrious entertainment career. It just so happens that Pooja’s Youth Climate Collaborative is working on a climate comedy initiative.
TILVAWALA:
So for me, it's really important that we use a lighthearted way of communication to get people engaged and involved in climate action. This is because there's already a lot of media out there that focuses on the problems and some that focuses on the solutions, but the solutions are celebratory for a moment and then people move on. And I feel like comedy is fun to work on for me, and it really does do a better job of getting people involved.
PAVLIK SLENK:
We’ll put links to some specific climate comedy that Pooja recommends in the show notes. And come back next week to hear our very special episode with Scott Z Burns.
SCOTT Z BURNS:
It's easy for someone to look at a graph and say, I don't really care about climate change. And then you need a storyteller to come in and go, yeah, but actually climate change cares about you.
PAVLIK SLENK:
If you liked this episode please rate and review us on your listening platform and share with a friend.
And don’t forget to check out our Green Jobs Hub to find all the resources to jumpstart your green job career search.
Degrees is presented by Environmental Defense Fund. Amy Morse is our producer. Podcast Allies is our production company. Ayo Oti produced this episode. Mia Lobel is our story editor. Engineering by Kevin Kline. Our music is Shame, Shame, Shame from Lake Street Dive. And I’m your host, Yesh Pavlik Slenk. Stay fired up y’all.
THEME MUSIC
Change is coming, oh yeah
Ain’t no holding it back
Ain't no running
Change is coming, oh yeah!