During the first week of June, more than 50 youth in La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico took part in a week of environmental leadership training hosted by Captain Planet Foundation’s Planeteer Alliance. This global program empowers young changemakers to transform their impatience for change into action, supporting a network of Planeteers who receive education and resources to be problem solvers for the planet.
La Paz Planeteer Clubs: Ándale La Paz, Ecology Project International (EPI), EcoXipe, and Raíz de Fondo participated in Bootcamp Trainings led by Planeteer Alliance Program Manager, Becca Bullen; Chief Operating Officer, Latoya Henry; and Regional Coordinator, Natalia Moragrega. The programs included lessons on root cause analysis, artivism projects, and climate education—empowering participants to design solutions rooted in their lived experiences and furthering their journey within Planeteer Alliance.
The week’s training culminated with a WATER Meetup led by Becca and Natalia, where all four of the La Paz clubs gathered to discuss observable problems and potential solutions to water-based issues in their community.
These trainings were made possible through partnership with iAlumbra; a collective of organizations committed to demonstrating and catalyzing place-based models for economic growth that restore the environment.
Bootcamp Highlights
For Ándale La Paz and Raíz de Fondo, the Bootcamp training focused on younger participants ages 8-12, with many of them being introduced to climate change concepts for the first time. Students were asked to describe visible environmental changes they observed in their communities, reflecting on moments when they recognized something was wrong with the natural world. To illustrate this further, students were asked to create drawings of two possible futures: one where the Captain Planet elements (WIND, EARTH, FIRE, WATER, HEART) were cared for, and one where they were not.
Scroll through to see some of the artivism posters completed by La Paz youth during their Planeteer Club Bootcamps. 
Artivism poster completed by La Paz youth during their Planeteer Club Bootcamps. 
Artivism poster completed by La Paz youth during their Planeteer Club Bootcamps. 
Artivism poster completed by La Paz youth during their Planeteer Club Bootcamps
Many young people in La Paz experience climate change first hand—whether it’s through changes in local marine life, plastic pollution in water sources, or the visible impact of drought on farming. The Bootcamp training helped connect their observations to a deeper understanding of the underlying environmental issues.
“They began to learn how to identify problems in their communities so that they could have their own projects,” observed Eva Aurora, Planeteer Club leader for EPI’s Californios Verdes. “They started to think in a bigger way.”
For the older youth at clubs EcoXipe and EPI (ages 15-24), the Bootcamp training was tailored to include more complex and thoughtful discussions. They examined the themes of equity, justice, and accessibility when proposing their own environmental policy ideas, and learned about change-making strategies such as market, policy & law, and behavior change.
Two youth in particular already envisioned how being a part of Planeteer Alliance could support their real-world projects. A member of the EPI ecoclub, Yaretzi, expressed a desire to bring environmental education and resources to immigrant youth in the community, while a young man named Daniel was preparing a campaign around plastic pollution in schools.
“It became something real for them,” explained María Aguirre, Club Leader at EcoXipe, “Their excitement regarding being a Planeteer Club went to higher altitudes. They feel part of something else.”
WATER Meetup
Team Planet’s time in La Paz culminated in a WATER Meetup, where young people from all four of La Paz’s Planeteer Clubs came together to learn about and discuss local challenges related to the WATER Element. This Meetup in La Paz, Mexico was one of 16 being hosted around the world during the month of June.
The centerpiece of the event was “Water at the Limit,” a simulation game led by Planeteer Alliance Regional Coordinator, Natalia Moragrega, where teams took on the role of families in La Paz with limited water access/resources. This simulation highlighted the importance for equitable water solutions and the unpredictability of natural events and disasters.
La Paz’s Planeteer Club leaders also observed how special it was for each of the clubs to have this experience together, as they are typically separated during the school year.
“We think for [the youth] it became super powerful to go out and hang out with other clubs and recognize themselves as a club,” said Adriana Hernandez, Raiz de Fondo.
She cited how exciting it was to see older youth in the EPI and EcoXipe clubs supporting and leading the younger ones during activities at the Meetup.
Empowering Youth with Tools, Not Answers
One of CPF’s core priorities throughout this week in La Paz was ensuring that youth were empowered to identify their own issues and lead with their voices—not follow a pre-written plan.
“The purpose is for the young people to learn how to identify and call out the problems that they see,” explained Becca, “To have the tools to formulate a solution and then tell us how we can best help them implement and work on those issues.”
Natalia Moragrega, who also attends university in La Paz, noted how being immersed in environmental causes can be overwhelming or tiring, to the point of impacting our mental health (with eco-anxiety) or leading to burnout.
“However, this experience felt like a hug full of hope. It felt like an invitation to see the positive side of things again, to see that our generation and younger generations are ready to be the change […] to fight for a more just future— full of hope and respect for different ways of life.”
Up next in La Paz is the 2025 Wind Summit. Club leaders from EcoXipe and EPI are currently preparing to host a 2025 WIND Summit with Planeteer Alliance. This Summit will be one of 22 events across the globe, powered by Planeteer Alliance, on the weekend of July 25th-27th. Summit information can be found in the following link: 2025 WIND Summit.