Community Conversation: Climate Action Youth

The Prince George's County Office of Human Rights and the Prince George's County Memorial Library System are excited to host the student members of the Prince George's County Public School's Climate Change Action Plan (CCAP) Ad Hoc Committee.

Registration not required. Click on the YouTube video linked below to stream the program live or watch the recording later. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWS75774qB8

About CCAP

In 2022, Prince George's County and Prince George's County Public Schools (PGCPS) developed a national model to combat climate change for our students' and communities' futures. The PGCPS Climate Change Action Plan (CCAP), developed by 22 diverse climate experts, is their roadmap for change and call to action to empower our students, staff, partners, and administration to work together to transform our future on an economic, social, and environmental level.

The PGCPS CCAP recommendations were adopted by the Board of Education, and the Superintendent was charged with the implementation of the eight priority recommendations and supporting actions, sub-recommendations, implementation timelines, environmental justice and lab or considerations, financing opportunities, responsible parties, and resources needed. The eight priority areas are: Support Environmental Justice Through Climate Curriculum, Training and Partnerships; Reduce Carbon Footprint from PGCPS Buildings; Commit to Renewable Energy Sources for a Net Zero Emissions Future; Commit to Low Carbon School Transportation; Reduce Food Waste and Grow Climate-Friendly Food; Commit to Sustainable Materials Management and Procurement; Commit to Climate Resilient Land Management; and Lead by Example to Support Transformational Change

The Climate Change Action Plan Ad Hoc Committee is a resource to PGCPS and its efforts to successfully implement the CCAP. The committee includes members with diverse expertise and broad experiences across the eight recommendation areas. The Ad Hoc Committee acts as a force multiplier for CCAP implementation, providing guidance, recommendations, and resources to the PGCPS Superintendent, the Director of Sustainability and Resilience, and the CCAP Operational Committee, among other partners.

The Ad Hoc Committee provides an opportunity to engage more stakeholders in the process and deepens the investment in the success of the CCAP, and by extension, PGCPS and the students we serve. The committee led by PGCPS Board Members, consists of 10-15 members with expertise from the eight focus areas, including students. 

About our guests:

Mikal Witherspoon is a driven senior at the Academy of Health Sciences (AHS) at Prince George’s Community College, where he is earning an associate degree in Health Sciences. Passionate about environmental sustainability and community impact, he has been involved in the AHS Green Club and the countywide Envirothon competition since ninth grade. He currently serves as President of the Prince George’s County Student Environmental Coalition (PGSEC), leading student efforts to plan and organize the annual Student Environmental Alliance Summit—a two-day event that engages students in hands-on environmental issues and career exploration. In this role, he has strengthened PGSEC by introducing leadership positions, a constitution, and an organizational structure that encourages greater student participation. Beyond PGSEC, he serves as a student member on the Prince George’s County Ad Hoc Committee for the Implementation of the Climate Action Plan, helping to bridge youth perspectives with the plan’s eight priority recommendations. As Chief of Staff for the Prince George’s Community College Student Governance Association, he is leading a campus-wide Recycling Audit to evaluate and improve sustainability practices. He plans to major in Plant Science as an undergraduate and pursue a career in medicine, combining his interests in health sciences and the environment to promote holistic approaches to care.

James Dubon Garcia is a passionate, bilingual sophomore participating in the International Baccalaureate (IB) program at Parkdale High School. James has engaged in student leadership ever since he was in elementary school believing that if we can empower students to take action, we can help solve any issue. He has exemplified this message by being a student member of the PGCPS Climate Change Action Plan Ad-Hoc Committee on the Board of Education, participating on the Executive Board of the Prince George’s Regional Association of Student Governments (PGRASG) as an elected secretary, and being a part of the Maryland Association of Student Council’s Environmental Affairs Committee. In the future, James plans to continue in student advocacy by advocating for his own school community, working with the PGCPS Department of Food and Nutrition Services to improve school lunch to reduce food waste, and encourage school composting in Prince George’s County Public Schools. Beyond academics, James has taken interest in the performing arts and computer science having been a lead actor in two Parkdale performances and participating in the National Student Leadership Conference Artificial Intelligence Program at Duke University. He also plans to work to support impoverished communities and children living in his home country, Honduras. Overall, James is an activist for the environment and student leader dedicated to bettering his community and people.

Maya Gudderra is a sophomore in the Science and Technology Program at Oxon Hill High School in Prince George’s County, Maryland, with a strong interest in Sustainable Agriculture, AgBusiness, and Environmental Economics. She currently serves as the Region 1 Junior MANRRS (Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences) Ambassador, a Maryland State 4-H Council Representative, and a student member of the Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) Climate Change Action Plan Ad Hoc Committee of the Board of Education. Maya is one of four youth leaders heading the PGCPS Student Environmental Coalition, which works to elevate student voices and promote collaboration between schools and environmental organizations. She is also a second-year participant in the Burroughs District 8 Student Leadership Academy, an SGA class alternate, and an active member of both the Envirothon and GLOBE Club, where she helps maintain her school’s environmentally conscious practices through waste reduction and recycling initiatives. Beyond school, Maya has been deeply engaged in agricultural education and community service for over a decade. She has assisted annually with the Gwynn Park Greenhouse planting, county-wide clean-up events, and local FFA/MANRRS chapter activities. Her journey with MANRRS began in 2015 at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore’s Youth Leadership Institute, and she has since continued to grow her leadership and advocacy within the organization. Maya is the recipient of the MANRRS American Farmland Trust Travel Scholarship, which supported her participation in the National MANRRS Conference in Florida. She earned first place in the 2023 National Junior MANRRS Essay Contest for her piece on crop diversity as a grand challenge in agriculture and second place in the 2025 National Junior MANRRS Public Speaking Contest with her speech “I Am Because You Are.” Rooted in her heritage as a descendant of generational farmers from both the United States and India, Maya is passionate about sustainability, agricultural innovation, and youth empowerment in environmental advocacy.

Olivia Thomas is a freshman in the Science and Technology Program at Charles Herbert Flowers High School in the class of 2029. She is an extremely passionate worker who puts her all into everything she does, from school to her personal interests. Olivia currently serves as a member of the Environmental Outreach Team of the Prince George’s County Regional Association of Student Governments (PGRASG). She is also a student member of the PGCPS Climate Change Action Plan Ad Hoc Committee. Through her work with the PGCPS CCAP Ad Hoc Committee, Olivia and her classmate Noah Agbede were instrumental in getting plastic bags banned from the Kenmoor Middle School breakfast program. This was recognized as progress toward meeting the Climate Change Action Plan Recommendation Number Six (Commit to Sustainable Materials Management and Procurement) and Number Eight (Lead by Example to Support Transformational Change). Olivia was a leader in Kenmoor Middle School’s Environmental Topics Club. While in this club, Olivia and her team created an interactive presentation to encourage young people and adults throughout Maryland to become People Against Litter (PAL). The Kenmoor students presented at two major 2025 events: the Student Environmental Alliance Summit at Bowie State University and the annual Maryland Green Schools Youth Summit at Sandy Point State Park. At their encouragement, over 1,000 people signed a pledge to become People Against Litter. Other interests Olivia has include playing in her school’s orchestra, drawing, and traveling. Some of her favorite recent travel destinations are the United Kingdom, Japan, and Panama.