“It’s our future, and I want to make it better,” was the reason one of our high school volunteers gave me when I asked her why she started to volunteer with the Australian Youth Climate Coalition.

Our offices (in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane) have been full of new volunteers in the past few weeks, coming in after school, Uni and TAFE to make literally thousands of phone calls to our database to encourage them to register for Power Shift 2009.

With less than six weeks until Power Shift, it can sometimes feel like a roller-coaster ride. It’s a little stressful. Every day something new happens which lifts us up – like getting our incredible promo video media yesterday, or filming a message from Ian Thorpe last weekend; but then after the excitement dies down I’m reminded that there is still so much left to do.

In many ways, working on Power Shift feels very similar to when I was volunteering on the Obama campaign in the New Hampshire primary. Lots of young people from different places & backgrounds, all working really hard, working long hours, for one huge and important goal. And no matter how many phone calls you made, doors you knocked, or people you spoke to, there was always more you could do.

Tomorrow is World Environment Day, and normally I would be thinking about writing something about the current politics of climate change; the mess that is the CPRS debate and what the Government should be doing to salvage some genuine climate action out of it (stronger carbon reduction targets, less handouts to polluters, and transitioning from coal to renewable energy).

But today I’m just reflecting on the young people who are coming into our offices. Even though it’s exam time for Uni students and nearly the Trials for HSC students, they’re still coming in to volunteer.

And in this case, the movement is the message.

Next to me as I write this is 17 year old Sasha from Lismore, who came through our Schools program and finished her HSC last year. She took the year off Uni to volunteer with the AYCC, and has temporarily moved to Sydney, staying with a house-full of AYCC volunteers, to help out full time for the last 6 weeks. Sasha helped found an amazing network of students on the Northern Rivers called YES – Youth Environmental Society. She continually inspires me.

In some ways, whatever happens with Power Shift – no matter how many thousands of young people come, how much media coverage we get, how creative our Sydney CBD action is – the real value of Power Shift is happening right now, five and a half weeks before the event.

The real power of Power Shift 2009 lies in the grassroots infrastructure we’ve built – and are continuing to build – in high schools, campuses and communities in every State & Territory of Australia. Small pockets of young people almost everywhere, talking about Power Shift, fundraising to get to Sydney to attend, putting up posters and handing out flyers. And realising they are part of a national movement of youth taking action on climate change.

They’re meeting with their elected representatives, talking with their friends, and slowly but surely the message is permeating throughout the people they come into contact with: there is actually a Power Shift happening in Australia.

Young people are the most concerned group in society when it comes to climate change. We have the most to lose. Now, there is national movement to channel that concern, energy and passion into – whether it be through direct action at coal-fired power stations, being part of the Switched On Schools network, or coming to Power Shift 2009.

There’s so much more to write, so many stories to tell to celebrate this year’s World Environment Day – but to hear them all you’ll have to come to Power Shift 2009!

July 11th – 13th. University of Western Sydney, Parramatta. See you there.

www.powershift.org.au