Engaging Canadian Young People on Climate Action and Green Jobs

Canadian youth have the will, desire and moral responsibility to take action on climate change and to help Canada move to a sustainable, green economy which values justice and inclusion. The Canadian Youth Climate Coalition has emerged as a strong force within Canada to bring Canadian youth together around these issues allowing youth to learn, take action, and create positive differences in their communities.

The Power Shift Canada 09 Conference brought together over 1000 young people from every region of Canada, equipping these young people with the knowledge and skills they needed, and mobilizing them to take action in the lead-up to the United Nations Climate Change meetings in December. Furthering this goal, the Canadian Youth Delegation will take 35 diverse and talented young people from across Canada to Copenhagen to affect positive change on-the-ground in solidarity with young people from around the world at the UN Climate Change Meetings; and the Canadian Youth Delegation Home Team will engage hundreds of Canadian youth to take action domestically while the negotiations take place.

Looking forward to 2010, the Canadian Youth Climate Coalition would like to expand our reach to meaningfully engage more Canadian young people in the green economy and climate action. The Aviva Community Fund would allow us to do so, and would increase the accessibility of our proposed programs, as many now involve youth fundraising participation costs. This forms a significant barrier to building a truly inclusive and diverse Canadian youth climate movement – a barrier that Aviva could help us overcome.

The specific projects we would like to take on with the help of the Aviva Community Fund are:

• • The Our Green Dream Campaign which will focus on the formation of a new just, green economy here in Canada. This will include visioning work with youth across the country to produce a clear picture of how the youth of Canada envision the new green economy; training programs for young people in communities across the country; and government lobby work to make youth’s visions a reality.

• • Increased training and capacity building opportunities for young people to learn about climate change; develop the necessary skills to take action; and connect to other motivated young people in order to feel empowered and see their place in a larger global youth movement. This would take the form of regional summits and workshops, as well as a national convention.

• • Support domestic and international actions taken by young people working for a strong climate future in Canada and around the world. This includes The Canadian Youth Delegation and Canadian Youth Delegation Home Team to COP 16, the United Nations Climate Change Meetings in December 2010; arranging meetings for youth to connect and work with their elected officials from all levels of government; the design of a Power Vote campaign to engage young people in the next Canadian federal election; and the design of a campaign to demand strong climate action by the leaders attending the G8 and G20 Summits to be hosted in Canada in 2010.

• • A mentorship program for young people within the youth climate movement in Canada which would include peer-to-peer and organizational mentorship. Huge amounts of capacity exist within the Canadian youth climate movement which is often lost as members transition from being youth. This program would ensure that this capacity is renewed and not lost in the future.

• • An internship program which would allow young people to work directly for the Canadian Youth Climate Coalition increasing the capacity and experience of the individual youth involved, and creating new leaders for the Canadian youth movement.