CANOPY: A Gathering of Young Activists

 

by Emma Marshall

In January, a group of young adults (ages 18-35) from across the country gathered on Zoom. One member shared on-the-ground updates from her experience attending COP30 as part of PC(USA)’s denominational staff; another taught the group how to construct a meaningful land acknowledgement or Indigenous People’s Month statement for one’s congregation. The conversation was rich and exciting, even Spirit-filled.

 

The group was CANOPY, the Creation Action Network of Presbyterian Young Adults. Since September, this group of 40-odd young people has gathered in virtual space to connect, teach and learn, and take action in solidarity with God’s creation. All leaders in their own right in congregations, on campuses, in workplaces, across the country, and within the denomination, CANOPY members long for many things: connection with other faithful young people, tools to promote creation justice in their communities, accountability for churches and the denomination, opportunities to act and serve, and the development of friendships and mutuality.

 

These many longings have brought CANOPY together, and several months into the work, our advocacy and activism are beginning to take shape. Specific issues in creation justice have come to the fore. One concerns the rights of Indigenous people and movements for Indigenous justice, including #LandBack; recent progress in the Presbytery of San Gabriel has made this issue especially salient. The other concerns the impact of global conflict on climate - from Gaza to Venezuela to the Congo, where land and resource stewardship are implicated in violent conflict, and the conflict itself degrades land and resources. Several CANOPY members are also working with the PEC Advocacy Committee on overtures for GA227, stepping up to participate in decision-making and discernment in the faith community they claim as their own.

 

CANOPY’s work continues to develop and evolve as our bonds and connections as a group strengthen, deepen, and multiply. Watch this space—we can’t wait to tell you where we’ll go next.

 

Emma Marshall has been Presbyterians for Earth Care's Young Adult Organizer since June 2025. She completed an MDiv at Princeton Seminary in May 2025 and is in her final semester of an MSW degree at Rutgers University; she is also a candidate certified ready to receive a call in the PC(USA). She spends lots of time with her dog, Daphne, roaming the hiking trails and antique shops of central New Jersey.