OUR GENERATION
Check it out! The Earth Guardians “Voice of Youth” have just filmed their first music video, and it is awesome! A huge thank you to Musa and BlackSun Cinema for filming, producing and editing this most excellent video… Spread it far and wide, and lets help these youth standing up for their future, get their message out to the world!
by Jacob Devaney (Founder and Director, Culture Collective)
At Evergreen Middle School near Denver, Colorado, young members of Earth Guardians made a presentation and sang a rap which has infuriated local parents and brought angry threats upon the school and the youth. Some are calling it “liberal indoctrination” others calling it “censorship,” the school has apologized, and what started out as a simple presentation by 13-year-old Xiuhtezcatl and his 9-year-old brother Itzcuauhtl has turned into a national story. The youths presentation included a rap that they wrote about the dangers of fracking stating, “poisoned the water, poisoned the air, poisoned the people, do you think that’s fair?” and included a call-and-response for the students, “When I say what the, you say frack. What the… frack, what the… frack.”
Earth Guardians is an organization started and run by youth (most under 13 years old) whose mission is, “…to educate and assist youth in becoming active caretakers of our precious earth, and to empower them in becoming outspoken environmental leaders, both locally and globally.” Earth Guardians achieve their mission through nature programs, environmental education, message-driven performances and community activism. From their website, “Earth Guardians provide youth with the knowledge, tools, and leadership qualities needed to envision and shape a healthy planet, one that we can all be proud to pass on to our next generations.”
A local teacher had learned about Xiuhtezcatl and Earth Guardians through a film produced by Peter Gabriels organization, Witness, and she thought that a presentation would be inspirational for her students. Witness features youth activists and promotes video advocacy. The short video focuses on our Public Trust, and the governments responsibility to make sure our air and water is protected while highlighting the work of Xiuhtezcatl and Earth Guardians.
