2025 Wisconsin Youth Climate Conference: Building Bridges
November 13, 2025
Kathy Kuntz
County Executive, County Executive
DANE COUNTY - Together, youth are taking action and creating the sustainable future they want for themselves and their communities. The Dane County Office of Energy & Climate Change is pleased to join the United Nations Association of Dane County (UNA Dane) and Dane County Youth Environmental Committee (DCYEC) in organizing the fifth annual youth climate action conference, Building Bridges, on Saturday, November 22 at Madison College. The event is free and open to high school and college students from across the state.
“There’s this incredible fusion of ideas that happens every year when so many passionate young climate activists come together from different backgrounds, fields of interest, and school districts. It makes for a really powerful opportunity to see the climate crisis from a slightly different perspective, to be inspired by solutions that would never have occurred to you but are now very possible,” said conference organizer Madeleine Bohn, who is a senior at Madison West High School this year.
The conference will bring together students from dozens of different high schools and universities across Wisconsin to learn about and work together on practical climate solutions. The event will feature a keynote from Jerome Foster II, a TIME Magazine Next Generation leader who is recognized as a modern historical figure in Cambridge University’s curricula. Additionally, youth groups will present their environmental work in their schools and communities through tabling and presentation opportunities. They will also connect through an interactive activity centered around identifying opportunities to collaborate and interact.
“The Wisconsin Youth Climate Conference is so valuable because it serves as a place to bring people committed to preserving our environment all together in a time when it is vital. The conference is filled with an atmosphere that inspires ideas and plans across communities and it motivates real action. I am so lucky to get to be a part of it this year, and am so excited to meet all so many amazing youth leaders,” said Ayelet Blum, a junior from Madison West High School and the co-president of DCYEC.
Local student members of the Dane County Youth Environmental Committee and UW students led conference planning with support from the United Nations Association of Dane County (UNA Dane), the Dane County Office of Energy & Climate Change and other volunteers.
Nina Zhu, a senior at Vel Phillips Memorial High School, touched on the significance of the conference’s timing. "This year's conference comes at a time when we need hope more than ever, which makes the event crucial for making connections with others. With our theme of 'Building Bridges,' I hope everyone who attends leaves with inspiration to make a change in their community.”
"The Wisconsin Youth Climate Conference is a place where students who share similar beliefs about the importance of protecting the environment have the opportunity for their voices to be heard. It is a place where young climate activists can come together and make a difference. It is crucial to have a community of younger people who care about our future, and can help protect it not just for our generation, but for the generations to come, especially when the climate is changing more rapidly now than ever before. It instills a sense of hope and sparks determination so that we can continue and encourage others to join this fight for a cleaner world," said Ella Ahner, a senior at De Forest High School who helped to organize the 2025 conference.
The event is free for attendees, thanks to the generous support of event sponsors including:
● Earth Rising Foundation
● Youth Climate Action Fund, a Bloomberg Philanthropies effort in conjunction with the City of Madison, United Way of Dane County and UW-Madison Extension
● Dane County Office of Energy & Climate Change
● UNA-USA Dane County
● Madison Gas & Electric
● Wisconsin K-12 Energy Education Program
To learn more about the event contact Kathy Kuntz, Dane County Office of Energy & Climate Change at Kuntz.kathryn@danecounty.gov.
Conference Website and Registration: https://www.theconnectiondane.org/2025youthclimateconference.
Conference Organizers:
● Dane County Office of Energy and Climate Change - www.daneclimateaction.org
● Dane County Youth Environmental Committee (DCYEC) - www.dcyec.org
● United Nations Association-USA, Dane County Chapter - www.unadane.org
● 10,001 Ways – www.10001ways.com
● Volunteers from the local climate community, Madison College, UW Madison and local high schools