The author is a rising junior in Ann Arbor, Michigan
The crowd erupted in cheers as Michigan Climate Action Network (MiCAN) executive director Denise Keele took the stage. Surrounded by climate activists and leaders, Keele’s speech emphasized the importance of climate advocacy and environmental awareness. She highlighted the importance of not shying away from tense issues and solving them through collective action, which set the tone for the following events of the day.
On Friday, June 12, 2026, over 400 people from across the state came together for the 7th annual MiCAN summit; Michigan’s largest climate gathering. The summit began with keynote addresses delivered by Keele, Attorney General Dana Nessel and various other climate organizers. Among these was Teresa Homsi, a former environmental journalist and current executive director for Michigan Clinicians of Climate Action (MiCCA). At MiCCA, she focuses on covering the human toll of climate change through meeting and educating Michigan citizens.
Homsi began her address with a topic some might find unrelated to the environment: smallpox. She shared stories and statistics which demonstrated the effect of the disease and used it to illustrate how people’s environments can greatly change the impact of an issue. She concluded by showing the parallels between the anti-vax movement and climate denial, but pointed out that the last reported case of smallpox was in 1997, arguing that people are capable of solving big issues.
“I know that we’re capable of solving existential problems and improving people’s quality of life,” Homsi said.
After a quick outline of the day’s events, attendees headed to various workshops focused on connection, youth involvement or specific climate issues. These themes continued throughout multiple sessions, covering a vast range of topics and speakers. Youth involvement was a major focus throughout the summit. Youth leaders from across the state spoke about their work and experience in a youth panel followed by a Q & A session.
Co-founder of Michigan Youth Leaders for Environmental Stewardship (MYLES) and rising high school senior Saiabhiram Akkaraju spoke on the panel regarding his work in the program. Akkaraju believes that climate work has to be done and it’s only a matter of who does it. Although he originally had plans to go into corporate or civil law, Akkaraju has shifted his focus to environmental law after working with MYLES.
“I realized that I want to go into environmental law because it combines my skill set and the passions I have with an issue I want to fight for,” said Akkaraju.“Hearing some of the stories and meeting different people in MYLES [showed me that] I want to do my part in fighting for these crucial legal battles that all of this work rests on.”
During each block of sessions, participants had the opportunity to attend a fishbowl conversation, which allowed for large groups to discuss difficult topics. In this, climate leader Sarah Brabbs facilitated conversations on the Line 5 Pipeline, data centers and the effect of militarism on the climate. This allowed for a deeper dive into environmental issues and a chance for attendees to share their thoughts and work.
In recent years, MiCAN organizers noticed an increase in those concerned to take charge in the climate movement. Many are nervous or frightened at the idea of speaking up, which the team organizing the conference attributes to a federal attack on climate advocacy.
“I ask people how they’re feeling, and they say they’re scared. They say, ‘I can’t speak up because that might affect me,’” Keele said. “We are here in collective courage to stand up for that. We say ‘you are the majority, you don’t need to go into this alone and we will find you the support in your community to help you take action, because it does take courage.’”
After encountering these experiences while networking, MiCAN created the theme of collective courage for the summit. They wanted the summit to build up a community for those who are hesitant and afraid and believe that the theme of collective courage encompasses just that.
“This event is really to bring everyone together, so they can feel that motivation,” Keele said. “After this, we want to see people taking actions against Line 5, against data centers, working to restore clean energy, and much, much more. We hope today galvanizes folks to take actions and find their place in the movement.”
MiCAN Hosts Seventh Annual Climate Summit © 2026 by Youth Environmental Press Team is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
