Eva Lea of Nevada City, California, has long been worried about global warming. When she became a mom, she felt even more troubled about the planet her sons would inherit.

“I’m extremely concerned about the future of my boys,” she says.

So Lea is determined to speak out about the need for climate action and to empower her sons to do the same. She says she teaches them to speak up.

“If there’s something you don’t like with the government, if there is something that you don’t like in your community, if there is something that you don’t like in your school, you have the right to speak up,” she says.

To elevate the voices of young people, Lea has helped support three youth climate strikes in her town. She works on behind-the-scenes tasks such as getting permits from the police and arranging for microphones and speakers.

She wants to help young people take center stage.

“My son, he’s 10 years old,” she says. “He wrote a speech and he spoke in front of city hall.”

She says he was undeterred by the large audience and was resolved to do his part.

“He was like, ‘Mom, we need to speak up,’” she says. “So, you know, there is a silver lining. It’s a scary topic, but I feel like my kids, I’m raising them to really be part of the solution.”

Reporting credit: Sarah Kennedy/ChavoBart Digital Media.