YL HELPS YOU

OVERCOME

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COMMONLY FACED BY YOUTH & ADULTS CARING FOR PEOPLE AND PLANET
Many people today feel frustrated by peers’ and people’s apathy, by isolation, lack of impact and media presence. Others are bored at the workplace, and frustrated about not being able to live their values. Others are frustrated about boring schools, and lack of access. Or by lack of youth involvement in their campaigns.

We would like to change the perspective. Instead of complaining about the unenlightened, we should focus on ourselves, the concious and caring, and acknowledge that WE HAVE BEEN UNDERPERFORMING as citizens, professionals, teachers, activists, organizations and student clubs, as warriors, parents and Guardians of Life on Earth … and it is time that we better live our roles, because the future of all species alive today and generations to come depends precisely on us. On you.

By connecting with the high impact initiatives of 100+ badass changemakers, and simple methods to activate youth leadership at schools around you, reaching 1,000s, plus 10,000s via media, you can evoke fresh, powerful changes using simple, efficient steps.

Here are examples for key user groups.

To overcome an obstacle, you sometimes have to walk around it.
Ganesha

Youth and teachers overcome the limiting challenges faced by common single-topic student clubs.
Youth involved in #fridaysforfuture achieve to make changemaking part of learning culture, make tangible impact, local policy change, nurture an active citizenry able to back good policies, and make their region climate crisis resilient.
Key professionalsteachers, journalists, public librarians, city councillors, civil society – better achieve our common core purpose : to empower youth and able, active, caring citizens.
Caring citizens live their values, feel uplifted, empowered, add mission and vocation to personal and professional lives at home and the workplace.

How YL responds to challenges faced by youth and movements

Everybody has been to school, knows those professions, knows how caring adults feel … and understands how our approach, resources and support help empower above mentioned groups … but few people really know

  • how teenage activists feel
  • what is new in today’s youth movements
  • what challenges they face as a person, as a movement, or as a phenomenon

Based on an interview with a very special activist that has extraordinary insights, we explain how YL responds to these matters … for the benefit of kids and teens like them, and those who are different. You can read the full interview here.

Who is Xiuhtezcatl?
Xiuhtezcatl has grown up in sacred, intact indigenous tradition, in a fabulous family, in vibrant community, speaking on global issues from age 6.

He has stopped fracking, got pesticides banned, got coal ash regulated, has record scope of presence in media, performs unique change generation music, is on adult festival stages since age 13, leads a global movement of brightly talented activists, coaches and helps youth of indigenous, colored, oppressed backgrounds reclaim their identity, heal and connect.

He facilitates intergenerational collaboration between activists, artists, celebrities, has published his (first) biography at age 16, and just launched a company with a feasible approach to plant 1 trillion trees over 10 years in best suited regions, funded by a monthly subscription service backed with perks by international artists and linked as CSR add-on with concert and media sales.

These facts do not help you understand his soul (for this, you have to immerse in all his music albums), but even if you cannot exactly feel into his skin and insights of daily high impact activism and artivism in spaces from schools to oil industry, national courtrooms, major protests, hip hop clubs, UN stages and the rez from age 6 to 19 … you understand that this one, at the heart of movements, surfing and shaping the tidal wave of societal evolution has advanced vision, cutting egde competence beyond you or anyone you know.

So, sit back, listen well, learn – remember, internalize, and act on it.

We are approaching that moment where artists are going to represent the movements and the stories that will define our generation. And I’m excited to play a part in that.
Every transformational generation has its sound. But the sound of the roaring 20s, the melancholic 60s, the ecstatic 90s don’t help us now. Where is the sound of the Change Generation expressing the spirit of “it is our planet, our people, our future, and we will protect them, no matter what!” ? This sound has appeared, with X as its pioneer with his first Earth Guardians album Generation RYSE. It speaks the universal spirit of the bright new children of the Earth. Since age 13, he has shifted to focus on the indigenous identity, and reclaiming positive identity to shed feelings of oppression, which is of extremely high value for specific segments of the population, and less to others. Hence, in YL, we focus on communicating his early music album, which today all too easily gets missed, because mainstream people perceive him by his current performances, and miss out on the earlier genius works which are a must for every child and music class on the planet. Seriously.
It really is this kind of mecca for dialogue, and conversation, and inspiration, and energy. And I think that’s one thing that our generation is doing really differently within these movements and within the spaces.
Unless one immerses oneself fully into his music, and feels that spirit and energy, one is not connected to the new Operating System and spirit of the Change Generation. In YL, Xiuhtezcatl’s action guide includes learning to feel and sing his songs, to activate the same “keys” on one’s own “inner piano” to awaken one’s own Inner Hero*ine. just like one nees to feel like Elvis, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin or josephine Baker to express their song and radiate their spirit, one needs to feel like X – and by now you know that that is a very special energy that inspires crowds of thousands. And this is exactly what youth events need. Instead of booking adults or flying in X, youth Sirens in YL learn to perform his songs, and fired up by this spirit, compose their own to share on our platform with our young generation.
The whole conversation ... can’t be defined by the past generation’s perception of what environmental work is or what these causes have to look like ... we’re in a new time; the crisis has evolved, and is worse than it has ever been. And that means that the movements have to be diverse, creative, inspiring, and moving enough to reflect and to match the crisis.
To-date, organizations and student clubs focus on one topic. We focus on the full spectrum of changemaking, thereby uniting all caring youth in one big, diverse Changemaker Club, learning about everything, following their passion in focus teams but involving everybody else for high impact actions, and helping one another.
With a diversity of art and that language at the forefront of how we communicate and how we speak to the world.
Audiovisual creativity and media work are highly important, but so is visual omni-presence at school, in public and media. At YL, our wide scope of changemaker tricks and methods is complemented by positive news media culture, that create interactive presence in media, school, classes, libraries, and especially in local news media – newspapers, television and radio.
For us, activism is not an external use of energy or a cause outside of us that we tap into, it is our life, it is our existence. And this is something that many, many people have said… many elders have taught me that our existence is resistance. To live on this earth as indigenous peoples, through the struggles of colonization and genocide, we have been standing to protect and defend our land, our water, our culture, our language.
This is a complex matter. (1) There is much to learn from, in positive spirit, from indigenous people. However, (2) an indigenous identity based on recent history of “hellish” oppression charged with multi-faceted trauma at personal, communal and cultural level, ignores and even sabotages the earlier “paradisical” state of consciosness free from trauma – and that is the goal state of being to reattain among indigenous, but also among urban populations, and especially – among children! – so one does not copy-paste the unnecessary trauma onto them. Hence, at YL, we are fully aware of the hurtful situations* inherited from the past, but we do not dwell in the “problem sphere” but “cultivate the solution sphere” (which many problem discussers do not even know and hence fail to produce) and focus on the goal “state of being”, which is universal, with zero interest in skin pigment or inherited specific trauma, so that YL Teams and activities provide a safe space free from all hurtful tensions, identities and egos, to practice and deepen the desired state of being – with shameless hugs. *Hence, we strongly acknowledge (and demand!) the need for actively seeking healing in high quality spaces, because that’s what the world needs. Uncle Tubulls listed this under “get your shit together” as people’s self-responsibility, and not as an excuse, and certainly nothing to sabotage positive change initiatives (view Xiuh’s statements on damaging egocentric behavior 3 and 4 toggles further down), and view next toggle about the inner alchemy of true high quality changemakers.
So it’s a different kind of connection than just being an activist, it was understanding my voice as a native person; that’s where all the work comes from.
This is a very important aspect. Are you a GIVER or a TAKER? In a greater sense, it includes that we do not behave as angry activist robots fighting against something driven by fear or hate (like many “activists”), … but as complete human beings that act from a space of the sacred, of inner peace, love and joy / bliss. This is a state of health that successful high impact changemakers have. “Not angry activists, but giving all that we have, and all that we are, for everything we love” (Ocean Robbins, YES! Youth For Environmental Sanity). It is essential, in order to achieve the high level goal. To achieve it on the outside, one has to cultivate it on the inside. Many people lack this state … also many that identify as teachers, social justice fighters, progressive politicians, spirituals, journalists. In YL, we give zero space to the conventional twitter narratives of politics, religion, identity struggles. To cultivate the needed and healthy NEW, our 400 proposed activities in YL include only tangible solutions by healthy, non-toxic, loving GIVERS, with many Lifestyle Challenges, Social Experiments and creative media and music/al expressions that practice the positive pure state of being. the more one FEELS THAT GOOD one does not want to go back down to the toxic way of being. This is achieved not by talking, but by practice, not by smart and cunning debate (battle) against people you detest, but by shutting up and taking action on what needs doing, with people you respect and love, which should and can be everybody (straight to goal). This practice is facilitated and affirmed through mission milestones and BADGES that stand for heartcore tangible achievements, felt by people, plants and animals. It shows quickly that anger and debate score no badges.
For the first, 12-13 years, it was more mellow. I was recognized in the community, and people in the environmental space in Boulder would recognize me.
This relates to the SUPERPOWERS of young people, free from limiting self-identity, inherited trauma, frustration, judgement of adults or groups. This is what YL helps live, by shifting attention from debating differences and problems to taking action on universally agreed things – helping kids, people, animals, nature – which is SO MUCH MORE than people fight over, which overrides the hurtful mental programming, illusions and fantasms inherited from earlier societies that no one really any longer wants.
There are almost these climate celebrities. In one way it’s really dope, because it’s getting the story and the message of this work out to millions of people across the planet. And then in another way, I see it doing a lot of harm within the movement. Not that these individuals are doing harm, but I think this archetype in our society, with the media selecting heroes to elevate and to place on platforms, is damaging to other kids, and young people who then may have the integrity of their work kind of clouded by this.
Note how X says the problem are not the young hero*ines but the incompetent mainstream industry media and the incompetent readers. At YL, we strongly push hero*ism and recognition WHILE combining it (view Xiuh’s final statement below) with (1) saying EACH of us has an Inner Hero*ine to unfold, and (2) providing high speed activities, tools and experience and recognition via our activities, self-perception, good-hearted crews and badges, and local media coverage and coaching local youth who will quickly call YL team members their “hero*ine”, and (3) de-coupling our narrative and members from the false blahblah of uncaring superficial non-changemaker mainstream media to our own community and positive change media. Hence our flair of hero*ism is different, and our members, in strong big crews and with supportive allies are resilient against “feeling insecure, ignored or damaged by some stupid mainstream media blahblah by adults that have no clue. View further down how X says it sucks to be alone in this, but YL members are not alone, but build rapid, uplifting like-hearted community with swift, simple steps. View 3 toggles down on “one’s place in all this”.
I see an underlying layer with some young people in this space of seeking that clout and that recognition and platform. A lot of these kids, that you do see having a platform are not always sticking to a cohesive narrative or a cohesive story. And it can be damaging to have a platform and a voice without fully understanding how to weild; it can be damaging to the overall movement.
This is why we at YL permit ZERO bullshitters and egos in our tribe. Our efficient filters are (1) only tangible actions, (2) only super pure spirit hero*ine role models, (3) mission, badges, paced rhythm of action – talkers and egos will disappear, (4) documentation of activities in positive news spirit – difficult for egos (5) YL Warrior Clan status – difficult for egos to build a group, (6) team code of behavior (which works well among online gaming communities of teens so of course it work with teens caring for people and planet), (7) centralized support and quality control by ultimate high spirit crew, notably Eric, who’ll kick those people out – like his Uncle Tubulls kicked out crystal people hippies disrespecting sacred ceremonial guidelines, and (8) we encourage and demand that hurt youth inform us on egos; we give tips and proven practices for inter-personal harmonization, and if needed we take sides. We will not let such personal issues of psycho-emotional disharmony steal anyone’s time, pollute spirit and the name of YL, which stands not for us but for high benchmark pure spirit of youth leadership – for the sake of people and planet. Because we have a planet to save and there are more important things than individual humans. Uncle Tubulls, “We love you, but first get your shit together, and find healing. Once that’s done, you are fit to do good for people and planet.”
I’m looking at how to balance and how to play the role of a leader by stepping back, in a lot of ways, because I think that there is a really valuable moment for us to reflect on what is it that we are really fighting for. What is that we are asking for? What is the story of our movement? How are we going to be a part of it? In my own leadership, I’m excited for a revaluation of my work publicly, to go inward, to do the work internally that needs to be done.
The 4 toggles above, and toggle 1 and 2 each address this matter of awakening and unfolding our Inner Hero*ine as well as protecting virtuous young people from egocentric, incompetent and brutish people, as well as learning how to be good leaders, role models, coaches, friends, companions.
A really important step that people skip over, is understanding our place in this. That is a process that evolves, and that we go through, and it changes. It’s really beneficial for people to take time to consider and to think about how this movement connects you? How does this work reflect your reality, in your life? In the world that you’re living in? Whether that’s as a student, or a teacher, or entrepreneur, or a high school dropout, like me? Whatever it is, how does this work apply to your life?
At YL, we align personal, idealist and professional paths and futures – for multi-benefit reasons. (1) At personal level, YL Teams unite warm-hearted caring people across generations, for best friends, uplifting community, open doors for a rich life ahead. Actions enable a life of adventure, make school days awesome, create lifelong memories. (2) At idealist level enable living one’s values, with feeling of agency, powerful impact, cascading effects, confidence that one will gain genius knowledge and unfold magnificent skills by spending time implementing solutions with today’s grand genius changemakers for decades ahead(!), while bringing on one’s own ideas, see success unfold and celebrate achievements. (3) At professional level, our activities are tangible and embraced across society. They are goal-oriented, achievable, assessible and documented – this means they can be integrated into school and learning culture, aligned with credits, projects and – badges. The badges and vivid Warrior Chronicle Profile documenting actions, media presence, encounters etc make a fabulous CV of awesome opening doors on one’s professional path.
... doing this work relatively alone, and feeling very alone. And it’s been really difficult and damaging in a lot of ways. To have that solitary investment in this work sucks. It does not feel good.
“… So I guess for other youths out there, the first step can be to find other people that have that initial spark, that initial interest, “I want to get involved. I care about this. I know that there’s something wrong.” I think that the ability to move from there, into action, can really be changed when you realize you don’t have to do it alone. You have other people in your school, in your family, in your town, or on the internet that you can connect with, that can help you along that journey.”

You can tell from above explanations and the shining faces of the teen changemakers featured in our media and programs AND how the methods PERMIT to overcome isolation by easily creating a rich tribe of young changemakers and adult allies at school, at other schools and across the city.

Because it isn’t easy, it is a task, and it is heavy to do this work. To have that sense of community while you’re building that, I think is really powerful, and is really necessary.
When you focus more on creating solutions than (only) on banishing monsters, you create much bigger community and support networks, and fast. This overcomes isolation and builds a strong base for moves to dissolve dangerous, dirty industries and the likes.
And Earth Tracks is a reinforcement that reminds you of the power of our individual actions.
The Earth track App is designed to help youth track their daily lifestyle actions’ impact on the planet. You see that X considers this tangible data and impact tracking an important feedback mechanism for our mental bodies and self-assessment in our hectic daily lives and the low awareness that many have grown up with. Likewise, in YL, our badges, vivid documentation, lifestyle challenges etc are constant multi-faceted feedback mechanisms. We care a lot about providing VALUE to caring young people that commit their spirit and lifetime for the good of people and planet. hence, we call for crowdfunding for our young hero*ines, as well as for local teams, AND we make that our “impact tracker” – badges, documentation, lifestyle challenges – have long-lasting value for themselves (memories, honors, buttons, patches, warrior shirts), for their CV, educational and professional path and future (digital badges along global educational standards) for their skillset (simply amazing), for their self value and respect for others (Warriors level up for 3 completed missions, on average 1 Level per month, up to 100 from age 8-18). When you meet a Warrior Level 50, you know this force of nature has done stuff, knows stuff, has backbone, spirit, skills and genius. And employers will know. Because our Warriors gain presence across schools, media and society.
The most effective way to engage in these movements is when you are approaching it from a space of being fully authentic and true to yourself. If you’re frontin’ like you’re an activist when that’s not how you feel, and that’s not how you identify, that’s not gonna be effective. Or if you’re trying to fill the shoes of someone else or assimilate to a certain, stereotypical image of what you think your role is in this work, then it’s not going to work.
Most organizations or networks give you only one way to express yourself. But we have a planet to save, fast! With YL we do everything, and the missions encourage and challenge caring youth to playfully unfold these skills with a sense of adventure and weirdness, enjoying our breakthroughs and breakdowns! Our hero*ine Lactatia has already broken all limits of outrageousness, so there is nothing for anyone to be ashamed of. come on, you won’t be ashamed of feeling love for people and planet and the will to do something?! That is what the world needs! So, unleash your love, passion and genius with us, equipped with sound moves and tools.
I don’t like to be identified solely as an Eco Hip-Hop artist or Conscious Hip-Hop artist, or any of that. I don’t feel that authentically represents who I am.
Humans are not one-dimensional beings. With YL we do everything. Introverts and extroverts, silent, gentle, or bulldozer … Warriors, Healers, Planters, Sirens, Wonders, Weirdos, Secret Agents all have their place in YL, interact, cooperate and join forces! Many of us have many of these characters in ourselves, of course, and together, we have a space and community to live all of them, with mad, magical FUN! – because boring seriousness and shily, or sternly staring at the camera is obsolete. #FUN #GENIUS #LOVE #NEURO-DIVERSITY (what’s that?

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I think music is good for a whole lot of things, and one of them is celebration. I think we need to celebrate and be on that wave more than we have been because it inspires and excites more people to be involved in this work.
At YL, knowing oif 1,000s of solutions, and equipped with 400+ high impact actions, WE ARE NOT AFRAID. we are confident to shape the bright future, because we have the knowledge and the competent community of humanity’s BEST VISIONARY GENIUSES with track records of tangible, large-scale achievements that we simple need to take to global scale, fast. We understand that while the old, dirty industry society is breaking down, the next level collaborative GOOD society is rapidly emerging, and we already LIVE IT, and thereby accelerate this process of transition, and reduce the suffering of ourselves, our loved ones, our regions and of those we cooperate with. Hence we shift #FromSacredToSacred … like after WW1, and pooping out monarchy, the people was sacred again, and after WW2, and pooping out fascism, the human was sacred again, after Ecological Collapse, and pooping out dirty industry and hacked parliamentary democracy, nature will be sacred again. We are NOT WAITING … because we are not stupid, we know how to love, and we decide to restore Paradise by living Paradise right now – INSIDE AND OUTSIDE – by cultivating inner and outer peace, inner and outer bliss (joy and sensuality), and inner and outer abundance. Yes, we sound different, like advanced yoga and bodywork practitioners (View Andrea Paige, Institute for Vitality) that have liberated themselves from useless psycho-emotional problems and the habits that create them, from gossip and binge-eating to porn. That’s because we are not the old model of traumatized, kind but impotent voters, but the new human model of florishing, able, active, caring citizens, inhabitants, co-creators and guardians of a global, peaceful, just, thriving and sdustainable civilization. And that is reason for celebration. Adults re-learn this today. Kids and teens simply need a creative environment, the tools and tricks to keep that state of being. YL provides all of that.
An elder once told me that, when I speak or perform, that I am carryingthe prayers of all of our people. We are carrying the voices andthe stories and the prayers of our people with us, as warriors.
Yep. And YL carries the voices and spirit of sacred warrior traditions, combined with those of today’s Gandhis and Gryffindores, Gandalfs and Dumbledores, who have earned many feathers in earlier lives. And their good medicine uplifts all our people’s spirit and skills to turn the Anthropocene from a nightmare caused by machines and spirit of empire and Wetiko (evil / ego) into a dream of humans creating Earth their hearts wish to see. The Seventh Generation is now stepping into power to take over, and we scream at you to join in with all your force to learn to activate the Change Generation around you by taking swift, simple steps, and maybe even wielding our magic tricks. It comes with many benefits, since Earth rewards those that act for Life On Earth.
For people out there looking up to me, I want to encourage you tounderstand that your place in thismovement, in this work, is just as important as mine.
“That doesn’t mean you have to go sue the government, or you gotta dedicate your life to this. A huge part of everything that I’ve done, and created in my life is because of the platform that I’ve been offered from birth; from having Earth Guardians as a platform, to reach and to build from, to have my cultural and ancestral wisdom, to teach and to guide me. I believe that my life’s work is to help build these platforms for my generation. And to contribute to creating a space that uplifts the voice and stories of all young people, because this is not about me. And this has never been about me. I’ve spent my life, sharing my light. And the whole purpose of that is to inspire the rest of my generation to do the same. I’m not just trying to collect more followers. The work is to inspire more leaders. I believe in you. I believe in the power you have, to share that, to tell that story. And I’m excited to build this together, to build a legacy together. Because it really is going to take each and every one of us.”

At YL, we operate in this same spirit, and you have read plenty of concrete examples how we have descend this collaborative community, crowd-powered movement, the changemaker training programs, learning programs, media, volunteer roles and ways for professionals and partners to be part.

You can tell from Xiuhtezcatl’s words that these crucial matters are ignored, even unseen by most people, not understood, not addressed. We have created something that helps amplify positive change by overcoming the problems and boosting the bright manifold.

Blessed be those that understand and step into their full powers in service to their commitment as a planetary server.

I hope that this has expanded your vision.

What matters now is that you achieve a new grand milestone that appears in your mind. Because otherwise, you continue to underperform, fail the young generation and the future.

So, obey to the inner call and do your part. It can be swift. However, it’s likely to be so exciting that you’ll want more of it.

Eric, YL Captain

#BeMoreAwesome