The YCAC was developed to provide a group of youth with the opportunity to engage in climate change training, networking opportunities, and to design and implement a community project. This project was meant to support the reduction of greenhouse gasses in Dufferin County’s priority sectors, although we took this in a slightly different direction and also focused on climate change adaptation.

In the first two phases of this program, training and project planning, we were presented with unique education and networking opportunities to better understand climate change, the benefits of community-based solutions, Indigenous knowledge systems, and the perspectives of climate experts within our community. Our collective interests and ideas led us to create a three-part workshop series that focused on climate-friendly landscaping solutions including pollinator-friendly backyard habitats, regenerative gardening, and landscaping for energy efficiency. During these workshops, noteworthy community knowledge holders offered their unique knowledge and expertise through presentations and interactive activities.

The final phase of this program is to conduct a period of review and knowledge sharing during which we will present our experience and achievements in the YCAC to Dufferin County Council in hopes of continuing this program for future youth in the community.

Our Why
As youth who have grown up in a world grappling with rapid climate change, we feel a mix of uncertainty and worry. About both what the future holds and how climate change is going to impact our community. We’ve witnessed firsthand global temperature increases, wildfires which affect air quality, and extreme weather events. It’s impossible to watch the impacts of climate change — both in real life and on the news — and not feel guilty about the environment, right? We’ve all been there: frustrated with the lack of action and feeling deep grief and anxiety about the damage already done.

Before the YCAC began, many of us already did what we could to protect the environment through eco-friendly habits, but it wasn’t enough. We wanted to kick things up a notch and make a wider impact on our community, and that’s where the YCAC came in. For each of us, the decision to join the YCAC was driven by the aspiration to meet with like-minded youth and equip ourselves with the tools to make real change in Dufferin County. We wanted to turn our worries into action, and by joining the program we were able to help make a meaningful difference.

Our Impact
The objective of our Climate-Friendly Workshop Series was to inspire residents of Dufferin County to advocate for the climate and to empower them to implement nature-based solutions at the property-level. This will help reduce emissions in the residential sector and support a climate-resilient local ecosystem.

And, according to feedback, we’ve achieved our goal, thanks to the expertise of the guest speakers at each workshop. We are grateful for Karen and Melanie, at Credit Valley Conservation, and Nancy, our local garden host, who shared their knowledge about creating pollinator friendly habitats in our Orangeville workshop. In August, Ian from Not So Hollow Farm helped attendees discover principles to landscape for energy efficiency at our workshop hosted at the Museum of Dufferin. These two workshops reached maximum capacity thanks to eager community members interested in climate-friendly landscaping.

Beyond our workshop events, we were mentioned six times in local media publications, sharing the call-to-action with residents across Dufferin. Thanks to the work, dedication, and collaboration with other members of the community exhibited during the program, we met our goal— we involved Dufferin County residents in the fight against climate change and empowered them to take action!

Our Growth
For us, the value of the Youth Climate Activation Circle goes beyond its direct impact on climate change. This program also provided the space for those passionate about preserving our planet (us!) to grow and learn as volunteers and as young people coming up into the world.

The program provided us with unique educational opportunities including workshops about mental health and climate change with Eco-Anxious Stories and Indigenous Traditional Knowledge with the Dufferin County Cultural Resource Circle. We also participated in a Climate Action Fair in which we learned from local foresters, farmers, waste management, municipal, and hydro staff about their professions and perspectives about climate action. Then, after our formal learning was complete, we presented, planned, and facilitated the climate-friendly landscaping workshop series in August of this year. This series taught both us and the participants about what it means to create a pollinator-friendly habitat in a backyard, and how to landscape a yard to reduce home energy usage. It also taught us a lot about how to organize, plan, and pull-off public events.

We loved the knowledge gained and resources shared in these workshops and had a great time making them happen, but it was when the workshop’s attendees exclaimed their thank-yous on their way out the door when we knew that what we were doing was truly making a difference. The takeaways from this experience are plentiful but can be boiled down to a few key points: community, education, passion, and climate action.