Student Environmental Action Coalition

Founded in 1990, the Student Environmental Action Coalition (SEAC) focuses on social justice and on environmental and political issues throughout the United States. The mission of SEAC is to unite youth that have exhibited leadership in their community and to create an environmental movement. It has activists that build allegiances among local, regional, national, and international communities engaged in environmental struggles.

The unique aspect of SEAC membership is that there is not a national office that dictates an agenda to the local groups. Instead, local groups coordinate a National Council each year to run SEAC. The local groups are composed of schools or neighborhood clubs, with each choosing its own problem areas to focus on. Some topics that are frequently addressed include combating racism and sexism, and developing a sustainable living style.

Skills in each local group are developed at conferences held throughout the year. These conferences are led by students and consist of workshops on the strategies, lectures, and publicity for grassroots organizing.

In 1998, SEAC was forced to cut one of its key funding programs which proved disastrous for the group. Fortunately, they were able to reopen, although with a much smaller staff and reduction of size and publication of its magazine, Threshold. Now that SEAC relies primarily on donations and membership dues, the group has continued to expand and work on projects such as the Clean Energy Campaign.

[Nicole Beatty ]

RESOURCES

ORGANIZATIONS

Student Environmental Action Coalition, P.O. Box 31909, Philadelphia, PA USA 19104-0609 (215) 222-4711, Fax: (215) 222-2896, Email: [email protected], <http://www.seac.org>