The Yapping with YUCCA Podcast

In this episode of Yapping with YUCCA, we sit down with Armon and Jon, two incredible leaders who are organizing in regions on the frontlines of extraction, industry expansion, and corporate control to dive into their work, the fights ahead at CERA Week in Houston, and how we can continue to build power and solidarity across borders, movements, and generations. Join The Fight At Confronting CERA Week! ⁠Head to linktr.ee/yuccanm to RSVP⁠ for the virtual CERA Week Hype Call on March 5th at 6:00 pm CT, help spread the word on social media, volunteer your time, or request support with travel and lodging to join organizers on the ground in Houston!Get Involved and Connect with Us! Register to join YUCCA for virtual We Got Us Network Meetings every Monday!Follow YUCCA on social media on Instagram and Facebook!Get in touch with Armon on Instagram!

In this episode of Yapping with YUCCA, members of YUCCA's Staff and Steering Committee dive into We Got Us: from our January We Got Us Bootcamp and Mass Mobilization, to how we're carrying the work forward as we continue to build a future rooted in care, community, and collective liberation for all of us. Tune in to hear the story of how the We Got Us Bootcamp and Mass Mobilization came to be, get a peek into the behind-the-scenes organizing and community care (and a little bit of chaos!) that made it all possible, hear our takeaways, and learn how we're organizing for what comes next. You can click here to register to join YUCCA for virtual weekly We Got Us Network Calls, keep up with our work on Instagram and Facebook, or learn how to join us in the fight as a YUCCA Member.

In this episode of Yapping with YUCCA, we explore movement, grief, community, rest, disability, and financial liberation. Breana joins us to share their story; reflecting on what it means to care for our bodies, hold collective grief, and imagine more liberated ways of living and supporting one another. This conversation is an invitation to slow down, listen deeply, and consider how rest and community can be acts of resistance and healing.You can stay connected with YUCCA at yuccanm.org or by following us on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. You can learn more about Breana and their work by visiting their Instagram at @signsofbreana, tuning into their Signs of Breana podcast anywhere podcasts are found, or reading their writing on Substack.

In this episode, of Yapping with YUCCA, we get into the heart of what it takes to build movements that last as Zain, Vittoria, and Zoey we sit down with Farah Nousheen – an organizer, independent artist, lifelong community member, and mother of a YUCCA Steering Committee Member – to discuss her organizing philosophy and her work to create radical spaces of community care that center BIPOC communities.Together, we dive into the inspiration behind YUCCA’s Mindfulness For The Movement Gatherings, how space for rest and healing are critical organizing tools and acts of resistance as we face interconnected systems of harm, and the power of art and storytelling to shape our analysis during a powerful conversation that we hope you take with you into the work. Click here to connect with Farah on Instagram, join YUCCA's monthly Mindfulness for the Movement Gatherings, and get involved with Youth United for Climate Crisis Action.

In this episode of Yapping with YUCCA, YUCCA Steering Committee Members sit down with Nic Jacobsen – a writer, educator, historian and artist – for a discussion on Mormonism, settler colonialism, environmental destruction, and survival.

In this Episode of Yapping with YUCCA, Feleecia, Johnny, Raife, and Zoey debrief YUCCA’s recent trip to New York for NYC Climate Week – sharing their takeaways, reflections, breaking down how we showed up in the streets, and what comes next. If you’re between the ages of 14-25 and interested in getting involved with Youth United for Climate Crisis Action, you can get started by filling out our Member Interest Form at yuccanm.org/join.  If you’re interested in keeping up with our ongoing campaigns, plugging into the fight, or seeing more content from our trip to New York City for Climate Week, follow us on Instagram at @yucca.nm and TikTok at @yucca_nm. To learn more about our work with the New Mexico No False Solutions Coalition, visit www.nofalsesolutions.com or follow the coalition’s Instagram page at @nofalsesolutions.Youth United for Climate Crisis Action (YUCCA) is a project of Earth Care International. Learn more about YUCCA at www.yuccanm.org. Contact us at [email protected] episode was recorded, produced, and edited by YUCCA Staff and Steering Committee Members. Introductory and outro song sampled from: Bobby Sanchez. “Shut It Down (Dextah).” Harawiq Records.

In this episode, Savanna and Sofia sit down with Winter Denipah, a longtime member of Tewa Women United’s Youth Council, for a powerful conversation on her work with Tewa Women United and what it’s like to step into activism as a teenager, and her hopes for the future. We discuss what brought Winter into the organizing world while she was still in elementary school, what’s been inspiring her ever since, and her message for other young people who are ready to get involved. Tune in to learn more about her story!To learn more about the work at Tewa Women United: https://tewawomenunited.orgTWU Environmental Justice Program: https://tewawomenunited.org/programs/environmental-health-and-justice-programReproductive justice: https://tewawomenunited.org/programs/indigenous-womens-health-and-reproductive-justice-programGender & generational healing justice: https://tewawomenunited.org/programs/womens-leadership-and-economic-freedom-programHealthy Masculinities toolkit: https://tewawomenunited.org/2025/08/healthy-masculinities-toolkit-updated-edition

In this episode, Sofia and Savanna sit down with Siihasin, a land defender, communist, and community organizer from the Navajo Nation and Black Mesa, New Mexico. They discuss Siihasin’s theories on community organizing, what Sheep Camp and Wood Camp are, how you can get involved, and resources that you should tap into if you want to learn more about the movement. Where to find the Black Mesa Solidarity Network and support them:Linktree (including link to GoFundMe and CashApp)Black Mesa Resistance on Facebook @blackmesasolidaritynetwork and @blackmesaresistancecamp on InstagramResources: Book recommendations: Babel by R.F. KuangAn Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-OrtizAn Afro-Indigenous People’s History of the United States by Kyle T. MaysKimberle W. Crenshaw (find all of her publications and articles here)Journal Article “Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence against Women of Color” by Kimberle W. CrenshawJournal article “Settler colonialism and the elimination of the native” by Patrick WolfeThe Red NationFeminist Theories: Indigenous Feminist Theory (this is just the GoogleScholar search page -- do your own searching and reading!)Black and African Feminist Theory (this is just the GoogleScholar search page -- do your own searching and reading!)Third World Feminist Theory (this is just the GoogleScholar search page -- do your own searching and reading!)The Stonewall Riots (again - this is just a starting point. Do your own research!)Youth United for Climate Crisis Action (YUCCA) is a project of Earth Care International. Learn more about YUCCA at www.yuccanm.org. Contact us at [email protected] episode was recorded by Kineo Memmer, Sofia Jenkins-Nieto, and Savanna Woods. It was produced and edited by Kineo Memmer and Sofia Jenkins-Nieto. Introductory and outro song sampled from: Eileen & the in-Betweens. “Free Palestine (On Fire).” Records DK, 2024.

In this episode, Sofia is joined by Zoey Craft from YUCCA, Alicia Gallegos from Pueblo Action Alliance, and Alejandria Lyons with New Mexico No False Solutions. We discuss the NM No False Solutions coalition and our fight against false climate solutions. We discuss Blackstone, an investment company that is attempting to acquire PNM, one of the major electric utilities serving New Mexicans. As the coalition and the broader climate justice community prepare for New York Climate Week 2025, this conversation is essential for listeners in New Mexico who pay for electricity, as well as movement leaders across the world. How does our fight against Blackstone intersect with other fights against the fossil fuel industry and Wall Street billionaires? What does justice really look like for our communities? We share our vision for a just transition leading into climate week. Blackstone Fact SheetOur press release: New Mexico Communities Sound Alarm on Blackstone-PNM Deal New Mexico No False Solutions WebsiteTo stay updated with our fight on Blackstone and NYC Climate Week, follow us on Instagram. New Mexico No False Solutions Coalition: @nofalsesolutionsPueblo Action Alliance: @puebloactionallianceYUCCA: @yucca.nmYouth United for Climate Crisis Action (YUCCA) is a project of Earth Care International. Learn more about YUCCA at www.yuccanm.org. Contact us at [email protected] episode was recorded by Sofia Jenkins-Nieto, Zoey Craft, Alicia Gallegos, and Alejandria Lyons. It was produced and edited by Kineo Memmer. Introductory and outro song sampled from: Eileen & the in-Betweens. “Free Palestine (On Fire).” Records DK, 2024.

In this episode, Kineo, Zain, and Sofia discuss the importance of reading and sharing knowledge in our communities. They discuss fiction books that have informed each of their personal climate and social justice activism. If you are interested in reading any of these books, here are more details: Main recommendations (alphabetical order): BelovedBlack and WhiteThe Bluest EyeCeremonyThe God of Small ThingsHotel on the Corner of Bitter and SweetLibertadLove MedicineOne Piece - Arabasta Arc, Volumes 17-24One Piece - Skypiea Arc, Volumes 26-32Parable of the SowerThe Setting SunThe StreetThere There Wandering StarsBonus recommendations: Always RunningEnrique’s JourneyKhaled Hosseini:The Kite RunnerA Thousand Splendid SunsAnd the Mountains Echoed The Night WatchmanLegend SeriesZeitounRecommendations (Non-Fiction) from Instagram user @​​aesopchild: Becoming Kin: An Indigenous Call to Unforgetting the Past and Reimagining Our FutureCare Work: Dreaming Disability JusticeEmpire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of SpectacleNo Shortcuts: Organizing for Power in the New Gilded AgeYouth United for Climate Crisis Action (YUCCA) is a project of Earth Care International. Learn more about YUCCA at www.yuccanm.org. Contact us at [email protected] episode was recorded by Kineo Memmer, Sofia Jenkins-Nieto, and Zain Dixon. It was produced and edited by Kineo Memmer. Introductory and outro song sampled from: Eileen & the in-Betweens. “Free Palestine (On Fire).” Records DK, 2024.