Youth Climate Activists
IN THE NEWS
Youth Climate Corps BC on CBC Radio's What On Earth Podcast
It might not sound like a climate job, but mechanical insulators help make buildings more energy efficient. Laura Lynch, host of CBC’s ‘What on Earth’ podcast, head out to meet a young woman who trained in the trade through a program set up by the Youth Climate Corps BC. The group is training young people around BC for a wide variety of good, green jobs and hopes to expand across the country.
How a nursing student champions environmental health in healthcare community
Ankur Patel, a 21-year-old nursing student from Terrace, British Columbia, is helping nurses see care for the planet as care for people.
Advocating for climate-friendly jobs for youth
Abbey Piazza understands the future. This 29-year-old knows that the climate crisis needs everyone, and everyone who works on climate change will carry eco-anxiety and grief for the rest of their lives. Her passion is to help them become more resilient.
Using social media to explain the climate crisis
Karishma Porwal uses her influence with millions of TikTok and Instagram users to link their day-to-day concerns to the climate crisis.
From sugarcane paper to shoreline cleanups: How one teen built a climate movement
Alexandra Chow encourages students to collaborate, so they increase their impact on the climate crisis. This 18-year-old from Vancouver was a 2024 winner of The I-SEA Youth Climate Activism Award for bringing together high school students from seven Vancouver schools.
Climate justice, one coffee at a time
In 2017, Summer Sharma started a coffee shop at Okanagan Mission Secondary School with Lauren Moody, Skye Noh and Angelica Phelan. They wanted to raise awareness among their fellow students about the difference collective action can make in achieving social and climate justice.
Rallying support for people impacted by climate disasters
Enya Fang rallies support for people impacted by climate-related catastrophes. This 16-year-old, Grade 12 student at Southridge School in Surrey, B.C., won a 2024 Youth Climate Activism Award from I-SEA Canada for raising awareness and over $10,000 since setting up the not-for-profit Evergreen Collective in 2021.
At 18, this Yukon activist turned school climate strikes into council meetings
Ella Bradford uses student climate strikes to raise awareness in Yukon. This 18-year-old student is a recipient of the I-SEA 2024 youth climate activism award for her high school leadership of the “Fridays for Future Yukon” student movement.
Equipping emotionally resilient climate leaders
McKenna Corvello helps youth become resilient in the face of climate change. The 23-year-old Carleton University master’s student works for Mochi4thePlanet, researching strategies for cultivating hope in young people.
Student climate striker still inspiring change
Shir Gruber helped lead the 2019 climate student strikes. Now she has parlayed that experience into a leadership role with Sustainable Youth Canada.
Teen leader keeps planet in mind
Fifteen-year-old Anna Brozek is teaching business leaders about sustainability.
The Art of Youth Climate Activism
Finnegan Brown is using art and political action to protect our climate. This 16-year-old high school student from Sooke, B.C., received a 2023 I-SEA Youth Climate Activism Award for an essay featuring his nature sketches, urban design ideas and his presentation of a private member’s bill at the 2023-24 B.C.
FIRST PERSON —How embracing empathy helped me in my fight for the climate.
Climate striker Teegan Walshe shares how empathy changed the way she talks with people who oppose climate action. Through conversations in her hometown of Qualicum Beach, she found that listening and building connections can help shift perspectives.
Chipping away at our plastic habit, one water bottle at a time
Seventeen-year-old Ziya Merchant is the founder of Phasing Out Plastic Bottles, a multi-school campaign using plastic water bottles to raise awareness about climate justice.
A class act for nature
Caio Krause Conradt is just 17, but he has already begun to empower the next generation.
This new Canadian from São Paulo, Brazil, is a 2023 Youth Climate Activism Award recipient, hosted by I-SEA, for his work engaging students in high schools and at the elementary level.
Judge warns Ontario’s weak climate plans will ‘increase the risk of death’ for young people
Sophia Mathur was just 11-years-old when Ecojustice reached out to her and asked if she might want to be involved in fighting the Ontario government in court.
Student Kasey Chen schools others on all things green
This 17-year-old Grade 12 student from Victoria, B.C., is a recipient of a 2022 Youth Climate Activism Award for her work raising awareness about the importance of recycling at her high school, reclaiming habitat from invasive species and encouraging native plant gardening, and lobbying all three levels of government on youth concerns about climate change.
Luke Wallace is an entertainer with a climate mission
Luke Wallace is an entertainer with a mission. This 29-year-old singer, songwriter and filmmaker wants to see other young climate leaders shine.