2025 YCAF Recognition Night & Poster Gallery

The Sustainability Institute was delighted to host the 2025 Youth Climate Action Fund Recognition Night at The Nature Place, where we welcomed nearly 80 guests. About two dozen youth project leaders joined us, sharing stories of their projects that they have worked on over the past several months. Attendees explored the mini-poster gallery that showcased the variety of projects including composting education, new and revitalized community gardens, support for our unhoused neighbors, bike-share accessibility improvements, short film production, freecycle event, habitat restoration, youth education, urban agriculture, and more.

Many project leaders shared that their ideas grew from personal passions and everyday experiences, inspiring them to take meaningful, local action on climate solutions.

We want to thank all of the 2025 Youth Project leaders and their Project Partners for their dedicated and amazing work.

These 19 incredible youth-led climate action projects were made possible through the 2025 Youth Climate Action Fund (YCAF); an initiative funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies. The City of La Crosse was awarded and administered the grant, and it was supported locally by the La Crosse Area Community Foundation, and the Sustainability Institute. This year marks the second round of YCAF funding providing $85,000 in microgrants to empower young people to design, implement, and lead climate action projects that strengthen our community’s sustainability efforts.

Scroll through the 19 mini-project poster recaps below:

2025 YCAF Project List

Environmental and Natural Sciences Badge Kits

• Youth Leader: Karissa Adams

Coulee Region Youth Action Board Mini Garden Project

• Youth Leaders: Benji Backstrand, Emma Raymus, Floyd Thomas, Gabe Eaton, Madison Gallegos, Marty Backstrand, Nathan Westwood, Nicholas Berthiaume, Sully Bodoh, Gina Bowmen, Jake Osley

SurThrive Kit

• Youth Leader: Adela Piggush

GROWing Future Environmental Leaders

• Youth Leader: Charlee Gauger

Community Wealth Building for La Crosse’s Homeless

• Youth Leader:  Cassi Creason

Restoring Our Shores

• Youth Leader: Kaarina Dunn

Learn to Live Local

• Youth Leader: Kaarina Dunn

Roots & Rise: A Youth Pocket Forest 

• Youth Leader: Aditi Muduganti

ReNew the Block Urban Agriculture

• Youth Leader: Kaitlyn Wiehe

Ride & Thrive: Expanding Drift Cycle Access for the Latino Community

• Youth Leaders: Izabella Britten, Allison Geszvain, Emily McCurdy, Richard Palma 

Planting Our Story: Hmoob Youth Garden Pilot Project

• Youth Leader: Meenan Yang

Lookout Savannah Restoration

• Youth Leader: Juliana Dunn

Drift Cycle - Viterbo Station

• Youth Leaders: Emily DeGroot, Kennedy Smith, Shaylin Crack

Scraps to Soil

• Youth Leader: Meg Erdenebat

School Garden Accessibility: GROWing Futures for All

• Youth Leader: Aspen Duhm

Viterbo Freecycle

• Youth Leader: Ishmael Dekrahn

Hmong Garden of Generations Against Hunger

• Youth Leader: Vixxa Yang

EBT, Double Dollars and Youth Vendors for Farmers Market

• Youth Leader: Naomi Niesman

Jed Olson: A Portrait Documentary - Film Production

• Youth Leader: Peter Thomson

We would also like to give a special thanks to Lewis Kuhlman, City of La Crosse, & Lauren Journot, La Crosse Area Community Foundation, for their work in collaboration on this year's grant administration.