Alexandria Villaseñor facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alexandria Villaseñor
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Villaseñor in March 2024
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| Born | May 18, 2005 Davis, California, U.S.
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| Known for | School strike for climate |
Alexandria Villaseñor (born May 18, 2005) is a young American climate activist who lives in New York. She is a supporter of the Fridays for Future movement, which was started by fellow climate activist Greta Thunberg. Alexandria also helped start the U.S. Youth Climate Strike and created her own group called Earth Uprising.
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Early Life and Education
Alexandria Villaseñor was born on May 18, 2005, in Davis, California. She grew up there until her family moved to New York in 2018. Alexandria is of Mexican heritage. She has always wanted to work for the United Nations one day.
Alexandria finished high school in May 2024. She began studying at Harvard University in the fall of 2024.
Activism
Alexandria's journey to fight for climate action began in November 2018. She was visiting her hometown in California for Thanksgiving when she was caught in smoke from the Camp Fire. This was a very dangerous wildfire in California's history.
How Her Journey Started
Alexandria has asthma, so she became very sick from the smoke. While she was recovering, she started researching climate change. She learned how rising temperatures made the fire much worse. Her mother, Kristin Hogue, was studying climate and society at Columbia University. Alexandria sometimes went to class with her mom and learned about the science behind climate change. Soon after, she joined a group of young climate activists in New York called Zero Hour.
Protesting for the Planet
Alexandria was inspired by Greta Thunberg, who spoke at a United Nations climate meeting in December 2018. Since December 14, 2018, Alexandria has skipped school every Friday. She protests in front of the Headquarters of the United Nations in New York. She wants leaders to take more action on climate change. She is no longer part of the US Youth Climate Strike group. Instead, she started her own group called Earth Uprising, which focuses on climate change education.
Speaking Out Globally
When Greta Thunberg arrived in New York City by sailboat in August 2019, Alexandria, Xiye Bastida, and other climate activists were there to greet her. They had already connected online through social media.
In September 2019, Alexandria spoke at the Global Citizen Festival in New York. She was joined by Xiye Bastida and Selina Neirok Leem. In October 2019, she went to the C40 World Mayors Summit in Copenhagen, Denmark. In January 2020, she was a youth speaker at the World Economic Forum. She also joined a School strike for climate in Davos, Switzerland, with Greta Thunberg.
Climate Change Lawsuits
On September 23, 2019, Alexandria and 15 other young activists, including Greta Thunberg, filed a legal complaint with the United Nations. They accused five countries—France, Germany, Brazil, Argentina, and Turkey—of not protecting their rights. The activists said these countries were not doing enough to reduce carbon pollution, even though they had promised to in the Paris Agreement. This was a way to use the law to push for climate action.
Earth Uprising
Alexandria saw that young people around the world needed more support and education about climate change. Because of this, she started Earth Uprising International on April 22, 2019. Earth Uprising International is a global non-profit group. It teaches about climate change and encourages young people to take action. The goal is to create change starting from local communities.
Political Engagement
On August 19, 2020, Alexandria spoke at the Democratic National Convention. She was part of a section that focused on climate change.
Awards and Recognition
In May 2019, Alexandria Villaseñor received the Disruptor Award from the Tribeca Disruptive Innovation Awards. She also got a scholarship from The Common Good public advocacy group. The Earth Day Network gave her a Youth Climate Leadership prize.
On December 1, 2020, Seventeen magazine named her one of their 2020 Voices of the Year.
See also
In Spanish: Alexandria Villaseñor para niños
