Sunrise is a youth-led political climate justice movement, working to unite young people across America to create political power and enact The Green New Deal, a holistic vision for a more caring, equitable, and sustainable society. Accepting the tension between the roles of “researcher” and “participant,” we embedded ourselves within the week-to-week activity of the Sunrise Chicago hub for a span of six weeks, conducting 11 interviews and attending in total six Sunrise meetings and one climate strike. The outcome was our attempt to map the stories of the Sunrise members, the culture, and growth drivers of the movement followed by recommendations for the challenges that the Chicago leadership team experienced.

“Going in, we assumed that we would be encountering an army of angry young people ready to take on the streets. True as this was for the strikes, we were moved by the rich culture of welcome, belonging, and hope that we found at Sunrise Chicago hub gatherings. The dual nature of the movement and the members—building deep connections with fellow members while fueling action with anger— was nothing short of inspiring. This radical commitment and energy spoke to us as designers and left us motivated to contribute in the best possible way.”

— Kanal Chhajed