Joining the dots with youth activist Jamie Margolin

A Huck podcast — Joining The Dots is a Huck podcast. In the latest episode, we talk to climate activist Jamie Margolin about growing up in Trump's America.

At the age of just eighteen Jamie Margolin has already had quite the impact. The Seattle-based activist is the co-founder of Zero Hour, an organisation for youth to organise against the lack of action being taken by officials across the world in the face of the climate crisis, and last year was one of a number of plaintiffs involved in suing Governor Jay Inslee and the State of Washington over carbon emissions in the state.

Jamie’s writing on the climate crisis has appeared on CNN and HuffPost and now she is releasing a book, Youth to Power: The Power of Your Voice and How to Use It. The book is a guide to making change aimed at her contemporaries, the much-courted Generation Z. Jamie writes about those around her, at once empowered and embattled by social media, constantly negotiating burnout, exhaustion and cynicism. But she also speaks of their ability to harness anger as an energy — a force that, used correctly, can motor tangible change.  

In our latest episode of the Joining the Dots podcast, Jamie joins us to discuss growing up a climate activity in Trump’s America, all the while a concerned parent hovers off-camera insisting that it’s time for lights out. It is, after all, the early hours in the Pacific Northwest.

On The Power of Your Voice and How to Use It

“The book is a guide to being a young organiser for any cause. It’s the guide book I would have given my younger self when she was starting to get involved, trying to organise and be an activist, and trying to take the action where I could… It was definitely an unconventional book releasing experience. There was no tour that we had planned or anything, because of Coronavirus, and then also it came out during a time of mass protest, where I live and all over the world. So I had to be very mindful and respectful of that as well. It has been very unconventional, but I am really glad that I have put it out into the world.”

On growing up in a time of perpetual crisis

“There has never been a time in my life where it didn’t feel like there was a crisis, but there was definitely a time where it didn’t feel so terrifyingly urgent. Right now it just feels like disaster after disaster, after disaster, after disaster. In my personal experience, there has always been urgency on the climate crisis.  I was never under the illusion that everything was ok. But the result of the 2016 American election… it was an absolute trash fire that really flung me into the political atmosphere.  I have been non-stop advocating for justice ever since.”

On Generation Z and burnout

“My generation definitely has a lot of anger, but I think we also have a lot of exhaustion and burn out. We receive a constant influx of bad news. You scroll through Twitter, and there is bad news, bad news, bad news, a video of this, a personal account of this. But obviously this is also such an amazing tool to create change and organise protests… We are angry but we are also exhausted… I feel like our generation is inheriting the culmination of so many issues that have been going on for so long.”

On being an ‘American Teenager’

“I never really was an American teenager. Obviously I am American, and I was born in this country, but my experience is different from the typical White Anglo Saxon Protestant teenagers you see on TV. Also I just never had that care-free, idealistic attitude, I have just been working really hard all the time. Climate change and all the activism that I have done has robbed a lot from me, but also the Coronavirus. Coronavirus made it so that I didn’t even have a graduation ceremony or a Prom.”

On American Exceptionalism

“Americans don’t pay attention to other countries’ politics. There are many American politicians who brag about having never left the country, or speaking one language as if being ignorant to the world around you and only having one language and all these things is something to be proud of. This exceptionalism… it’s almost like a cult.”

You can find out more about Jamie’s work by following her on Twitter and Instagram. Youth to Power: The Power of Your Voice and How to Use It is available to buy now.

Listen to Joining the Dots on acastSpotifyApple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts and be sure to subscribe to get each new episode delivered straight to your feed.

Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.


You might like

Dimly lit underground carpark, long winding corridor with concrete walls, floor, and pipes above.
Activism

Youth violence’s rise is deeply concerning, but mass hysteria doesn’t help

Safe — On Knife Crime Awareness Week, writer, podcaster and youth worker Ciaran Thapar reflects on the presence of violent content online, growing awareness about the need for action, and the two decades since Saul Dibb’s Bullet Boy.

Written by: Ciaran Thapar

Two people holding "Trans Rights Now" signs at an outdoor protest.
Activism

The UK is now second-worst country for LGBTQ+ rights in western Europe

Rainbow regression — It’s according to new rankings in the 2025 Rainbow Europe Map and Index, which saw the country plummet to 45th out of 49 surveyed nations for laws relating to the recognition of gender identity.

Written by: Ella Glossop

Red shop frontage with "Open Out" branding and appointment-only signage.
Activism

Meet the trans-led hairdressers providing London with gender-affirming trims

Open Out — Since being founded in 2011, the Hoxton salon has become a crucial space the city’s LGBTQ+ community. Hannah Bentley caught up with co-founder Greygory Vass to hear about its growth, breaking down barbering binaries, and the recent Supreme Court ruling.

Written by: Hannah Bentley

Elderly man with glasses, white hair, and suit; young woman with long brown hair playing electric guitar on stage in green jacket.
Activism

Bernie Sanders introduces Clairo at Coachella, urging young Americans to “stand up for justice”

Coachella charmed — The Vermont Senator praised the singer-songwriter for her efforts in raising awareness of women’s rights issues and Gaza.

Written by: Isaac Muk

Focus on humanising people. Text over a bright green background with a faint image of a person's face.
Activism

Plestia Alaqad: “Journalists should focus on humanising people”

Huck’s April interview — Having become one of the most crucial and followed voices from inside Gaza in the aftermath of October 7, the award-winning author and journalist is releasing a new memoir, ‘The Eyes of Gaza’, collating diary entries made over the past 18 months. We caught up with her to hear more about it.

Written by: Isaac Muk

Graffitied urban wall with three individuals dressed in street wear, one holding a spray can.
Activism

Kneecap describe atrocities in Gaza as “medieval type slaughter” after breaking of ceasefire

Saoirse Don Phalaistín — The Irish rap trio took to X yesterday to criticise the “US-backed” Israeli authorities.

Written by: Isaac Muk

Huck is supported by our readers, subscribers and Club Huck members. It is also made possible by sponsorship from:

Accessibility Settings

Text

Applies the Open Dyslexic font, designed to improve readability for individuals with dyslexia.

Applies a more readable font throughout the website, improving readability.

Underlines links throughout the website, making them easier to distinguish.

Adjusts the font size for improved readability.

Visuals

Reduces animations and disables autoplaying videos across the website, reducing distractions and improving focus.

Reduces the colour saturation throughout the website to create a more soothing visual experience.

Increases the contrast of elements on the website, making text and interface elements easier to distinguish.