What went through your mind when you were called “young and naïve?”

We were kind of excited after. We were like, “Wow, that was just terrible.” Our generation has the power of social media to spread information. We could take this really demeaning response and show he didn’t have it in him to answer the question. Politicians can’t get away with that kind of response anymore and not be in the spotlight. That’s not democracy.

What specific actions can young people take, then, to make their voices heard?

Stay informed — that’s the first step to more concrete action. Pay attention to local politics, as local politics and politicians often have the most direct impact on the way your community functions.

Definitely start out with your local school board. I went to lots of school board meetings because they were trying to install a turf field at my high school, but turf is majorly carcinogenic because when it heats up, gas comes off the turf. It’s made from tires, which is literally hazardous waste. Instead, the school chose a cork field.

Choose your candidate! Know who is running and support/volunteer for them.

What do you hope to achieve by canvassing neighborhoods this summer?

Going door-to-door, talking to our neighbors about the issues, and registering people to vote counteracts the power of fossil fuel. We knock on a lot of doors of people who disagree with us, but opening that dialogue is so important. I went to the door of a man who disagreed with me and told me he would not vote for the candidate I supported. Despite this, we had an hourlong conversation about issues we cared about. We shook hands, and I walked away with the knowledge of someone else’s perspective.