Youth Climate Leaders

Explore how climate change is affecting your community by interviewing a young person working to address the impact of climate change (under age 25). If you are having trouble identifying someone to interview, talk to science teachers, search local news websites or visit the environmental club in your school. Once you have identified your subject, ask for an interview. Find out why they are passionate about climate change. What are their hopes and fears for the future?

Please use these questions as a guide, not a script. Pick the ones that speak to you as the interviewer and help you tell a cohesive story about your subject’s experience. Add your own questions and ask good follow up questions. Whether you’re answering the questions or interviewing someone else, please make sure the person on camera answers in full sentences and includes the question in their response.

1. How are weather and climate changing in your community?
2. Describe how people talk about weather and climate change in our community?
3. What are some effective tactics to raising awareness?
4. Have you gotten any pushback for your activism? If so, what kind of pushback?
5. Specifically, what actions do you want adults and political leaders to take?
6. What do you want young people to do?
7. What are your biggest fears about the world’s future climate?
8. What makes you hopeful?
9. Why do you think it is difficult for people to address climate change?
10. Why do you think the topic is so politicized in the United States?
11. What are some misconceptions about your work that you would like to clear up?

• Decide who you want to interview.
• Brainstorm interview subjects and research the topic and what you want to focus on.
• Reach out to your interview subject(s) for a pre-interview and schedule a recording date. Decide if it will be an in-person or virtual interview.
• Prepare your questions and complete your research
• Record the interview(s) and make sure to thank your subject for their time. You can choose to have your interviewee look straight at the camera or at you. If you as the reporter will not be seen, we recommend having the subject look directly at the camera. If you as the reporter want to be in story, we recommend making sure you have a shot of both the interviewee and the interviewer to have a mix of shots to use when editing. Get additional tips with our QUICK Video Production Guide.

ON CAMERA IDENTIFICATION: Interviewers should ask subjects the following - For the record, please say and spell your full name (first and last) on camera. Also please describe how you want to be identified in this video. For example, “I’m an 11th grade student at Canyon High School in Santa Clarita, California”

• BONUS: Film or collect your b-roll about what the subject is talking about to help tell your story. (Advice on gathering b-roll with your phone and with cameras)

Produce and publish a 1-3 minute video. Complete this section to practice editing. It will be more challenging for beginners.

1. Transfer your footage to your computer or device and transcribe using Otter or similar service
2. Identify your strongest soundbites.
3. Find your hook: what makes this person unique and worth watching?
4. Build the video with a compelling beginning, middle and end.
5. Use photos or b-roll to cover your edits.
6. Script your story (SRL Script Template)
7. Edit your piece into a 2-3 minute video story

This challenge does not have an active deadline to submit to PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs. However, students are encouraged to publish their stories on their school/club/program website or through video/social platforms such as YouTube, Instagram or Twitter and tag Student Reporting Labs. Check with your teacher to find out instructions for class submissions.

FACEBOOK: /STUDENTREPORTINGLABS

TWITTER: @REPORTINGLABS

INSTAGRAM: @STUDENTREPORTINGLABS

TIKTOK: @REPORTINGLABS