Ocean Robbins and Environmentalism for Teens - YES (Youth for Environmental Sanity)

YES! is a non-profit organization that educates, inspires and empowers young people to join forces for social justice and environmental sanity. Founded in 1990 by 16-year-old Ocean Robbins and 19-year-old Ryan Eliason, at a time when Nancy Reagan was telling young people to "just say no," we help youth say "yes" to living with meaning, purpose, integrity and commitment. Today YES! is directed by the husband-wife team of Michele and Ocean Robbins, who serve as the organization's co-presidents.

Youth stand at a threshold point in life, as they make choices that will send out vast ripples. Some young people believe growing up means abandoning their ideals. To us, it means learning how to live our ideals, every day, on the Earth. We believe that if the passion, creativity and commitment of youth can be
liberated for the common good, we can transform our world.

YES! has spoken in person to more than 620,000 students in school assemblies and college venues, led hundreds of day-long workshops, and held more than 73 week-long youth training events in Ghana, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan, and across the United States, reaching youth from 45 nations. YES! has distributed tens of thousands of our books and action guides, and co-produced the award winning video, Connect, that aired on MTV in 70 countries as the 1997 Earth Day special.

YES! has inspired the formation of more than 400 non-profit clubs and organizations working for positive change, and brought greatly increased membership to hundreds more. YES! alumni have organized gang truces, started recycling programs, broken through stereotypes and prejudice barriers in schools, initiated community gardens and park clean-ups, set up marches and rallies to speak out on issues like environmental justice and the prison industry, and started socially responsible businesses. They have persuaded schools and businesses to purchase recycled products, offer organic and vegetarian options in cafeterias, retrofit their lighting, and offer anti-prejudice trainings. Through public speaking, event facilitation, summer camps, organizing manuals, yesworld.org, and a support network for young activists, YES! is helping a generation to claim its voice and build a world we can be proud to pass on to our grandkids.