Environment and Climate Change Youth Council - 2022-2024 report

Executive summary

In the foreword of the report, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, the Honourable Steven Guilbeault:

• thanked the inaugural members for their work and advice
• highlighted their leadership at internal and domestic conferences
• praised the Council’s work for climate justice and Indigenous reconciliation

The report outlines the Council’s work during their two-year term (2022-2024). Council members:

• advised on important environment and climate policies
• recommended ways to engage with youth
• provided feedback that lays a strong foundation for future Councils
• participated in over a dozen conferences in Canada and abroad including:
  • conversations on climate change
  • biodiversity loss
  • and more

In closing, members shared personal reflections from their time on the Council. They urged youth to remain hopeful and ambitious in the face of climate change.

Section 1: Foreword from the Minister of Environment and Climate Change

This report is the culmination of work by the inaugural cohort of ECCYC members from 2022 – 2024.  Council members provided non-partisan advice on important priorities across the Environment portfolio. Their individual and collective wealth of expertise and lived experience have provided important insights for our work. Members also demonstrated leadership and united with youth from across the globe at domestic and international events and conferences, including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties (COP) 27 and COP28, UN Biodiversity Conference COP15 in Montreal, and the UN Water Conference. I also commend the Council for its leadership role in advocating for climate justice and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples throughout its work.

This first cohort of the ECCYC will leave a lasting impact on the Department’s operations, engagement strategies, key mandate commitments, and the work of future cohorts. This cohort has contributed significantly to shaping operating procedures for the Council, to ensure effectiveness and efficiency in our collective work. Members established a strong foundation on which future cohorts can build, and their insights have helped ECCC understand the diversity and passion of the more than seven million youth across Canada.

My sincere thanks to the inaugural members of the ECCYC for their dedication and hard work. I look forward to the continued impact these passionate and dedicated youth will make as they advance in their journeys, inspiring all generations to take environmental and climate action along the way.

With gratitude,

The Honourable Steven Guilbeault,
Minister of Environment and Climate Change

Section 2: Message from the Environment and Climate Change Youth Council inaugural members

After two whirlwind years it is with great pride and a profound sense of accomplishment that we reflect on our journey as the inaugural cohort of the Environment and Climate Change Youth Council (ECCYC). Our journey has been one of excitement and challenges, but most importantly, meaningful engagement between youth and government on the most pressing societal issue of our time.

The very existence of this Council is a significant step forward for environmental action. We firmly believe that youth are uniquely positioned to drive change and that we can contribute to policy development at the highest levels. Our cohort brought together ten youth from seven different provinces and territories, all with different academic and professional backgrounds, and with varying perspectives and views. Our work over the past two years, detailed within this report, is a testament to the value that youth can bring when appropriately empowered and engaged. Though we take pride in our accomplishments over the past two years, we leave our positions with the conviction that our work is merely the beginning. Future generations of youth must continue to fight for inclusion in these critical spaces and we hope to see youth involvement further expanded in government.

Since the first day of our term, we have embraced our role as critical voices in government, delivering honest and pragmatic feedback. Our non-partisan perspective allowed us to normalize important and ambitious dialogues that may have been difficult for government officials to initiate. We felt that our role as youth was to challenge the status quo, shifting the conversation to address urgent topics like colonialism and degrowth. Along the way, we formed valuable personal and professional relationships, expanding our networks and helping to connect with others. Trust and relationship-building were foundational to our work, and we are humbled to have felt genuinely heard by people in government at all levels.

Finally, we would be remiss if we didn’t thank the people who made this experience possible. Working on the Youth Council has been a tremendously formative experience for all of us and we are incredibly grateful to the Government of Canada for creating room for youth to be impactful in this manner. We would like to give special thanks to Minister Jonathan Wilkinson for first conceiving the idea of a youth council; Minister Steven Guilbeault for his direction, leadership and time with us; Assistant Deputy Minister Michael Zinck for his guidance, friendship, and efforts; and all the current and former members of our Secretariat for all their tireless efforts without which our work would not have been possible.

To close, our view of the Youth Council’s role in climate action is that we are not just experts on youth but experts who are youth. This distinction is critical as we continue to advocate for meaningful change. We hope that future youth councils will build on our work and continue to drive forward the critical agenda of environmental stewardship and climate action.

Section 3: Overview of the Youth Council structure

The Youth Council comprised of up to ten members aged 18-25 from diverse backgrounds across the Yukon, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Québec, and Nova Scotia, representing urban, rural, remote, and Indigenous communities. Operating from summer 2022 to 2024, our mandate included regular consultations with various branches of Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), participation in conferences, and internal meetings. Namely, we participated in two in-person meetings, attended approximately a dozen conferences, and engaged in over 20 consultations and other activities (see Annex 1 and Annex 2 for detailed lists). Despite an initial commitment of five hours per month, our engagement exceeded expectations, driven by opportunities that arose throughout our tenure, although our involvement remained non-remunerated and capacity-dependent.

The ECCYC Secretariat oversaw Council operations, while internally, two co-chairs (elected annually by the Council) provided leadership and coordinated communication with the Secretariat. Decision-making for conference and consultation attendance was collaborative, using an agenda of opportunities where members expressed interests and reached consensus so that we would all have opportunities to participate in engagements related to our interests.

To facilitate our work, members established a shared drive, group chats and held semi-regular meetings (bi-weekly to bi-monthly) with Secretariat involvement as needed. Instagram and X (“Twitter”) pages provided a public platform for engaging with other youth, though our mandate ended up being predominantly centered on consultations. Council members also participated in media training with the Media Relations team at ECCC, and participated in interviews with various media outlets, such as the CBC.

While we influenced consultation topics, involvement largely depended on departmental priorities and stages of policy development. Best practices included pre-meeting material distribution and post-meeting notes from the Secretariat, capturing both oral and written feedback. Accountability measures included a policy wrap-up meeting with consulting ECCC branches reviewing progress and implementation of our feedback.

Section 4: Highlights of Youth Council engagements 2022-2024

As the first Environment and Climate Change Youth Council, we had the important task of navigating and shaping the Council's design. This unique position allowed us to highlight its strengths and areas for improvement. In this section, we share the highlights of our journey, including in-person meetings, the diversity of topics on which we were engaged, flexibility to influence our mandate, and the consultations and conferences that felt particularly meaningful.

Our journey began in the fall of 2022 (October 5-6) when all the Youth Council members gathered in Ottawa, Ontario. Meeting in person for the first time was fundamental. These few days allowed us to connect as individuals, brainstorm collectively, understand our mandate, identify common interests, and set collective priorities.

A few months later, we reunited at the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Conference of the Parties (COP) 15, in Montreal on December 7 - 19, 2022. Before our meeting with Minister Steven Guilbeault and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on December 7, 2022, we gathered at a café near Beaudry Metro Station. Over grilled cheese, tea, and coffee, we discussed our key points and structured our upcoming conversation. The dynamic energy and confidence that came from our varied perspectives, yet unified approach, filled us with hope and strength.

As the year progressed, we organized bi-weekly online meetings to work jointly on our agenda. In November 7-9, 2023, we had another in-person meeting in Gatineau, Quebec. These moments, both in person and online, helped us create a distinct group identity, achieve our objectives, and form lasting friendships beyond this engagement. Ultimately, these connections stand out as one of, if not, the most valuable aspect of this experience.

In terms of content, we were able to engage with a wide range of topics, including environmental literacy and climate communications, climate change, net zero commitments, international cooperation and finance, environmental racism and justice, biodiversity, and adaptation. Providing a youth perspective on such varied policies and frameworks at different stages of development gave us a good understanding of the Department's work and allowed us to draw from our diverse expertise and interests. However, this breadth of topics also stretched our limited resources thin.

As the first Youth Council, our operating procedures were iterative. Thankfully, the Secretariat was open to our feedback, allowing us to influence improvements. We helped establish documents outlining engagement opportunities, discussed them beforehand, provided input into agendas before consultations, and provided feedback on the Secretariat’s meeting notes.

One of the most rewarding aspects was seeing our feedback influence ongoing projects and policy development. For example, we engaged multiple times on environmental literacy throughout our mandate. It was gratifying to be involved at multiple stages and witness the progression of the work. Additionally, we valued having a final policy wrap-up session at the end of our mandate where we reviewed various projects and heard how our feedback had (or had not) been implemented. This iterative involvement and transparency were practices we hope will continue. Similarly, we truly felt our work had an impact when we didn't just participate but contributed to various conferences. The following were particularly meaningful:

• At CBD COP15 we hosted a side event called “Visioning Workshop: Canada’s Contributions to Biodiversity” at the Canada Pavilion on December 18th, 2022. We asked youth how they envision Canada as a biodiversity leader, with the goal to inspire governments in Canada and abroad to create spaces for youth within government.
• At the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) COP28 in Dubai on December 8th, 2023, members in attendance hosted an Intergenerational Climate Panel- From Disillusionment to Systemic Collective Action. The panel received positive feedback from panel participants and attendees. Many said they appreciated the hopeful, intergenerational dialogue.
• At the Commission for Environmental Cooperation's 31st annual session from June 24-26, 2024, we spoke on Youth Climate Justice perspectives with panelists from Canada, the United States, and Mexico.
• At the Climate Action and Awareness Fund Project Roundtable on May 15, 2023, hosted by ECCC, we participated on a panel and provided insights on how to increase impact of youth climate projects and identify options for further reaching youth across diverse communities. We also provided insights on the draft National Strategy on Environmental Literacy and Citizenship.

These experiences were most productive when we had ample time to prepare and a specific role to play. We believe that thoughtful planning and prioritizing meaningful contributions to conferences are essential for future councils.

Reflecting on these two years, we are grateful for the robust network we've built and for the opportunity to express our honest, often challenging and critical perspectives on a variety of topics, even when they didn't always align with the government's existing structures or plans.  These highlights underscore our achievements and provide a solid foundation for future youth councils to build upon.

Section 5: Defining the Youth Council

One focus of the Youth Council’s first term was self-definition. Although we were enthusiastic about providing meaningful contributions to ECCC in our areas of expertise, the methods for doing so were initially unclear. However, through our meetings with the Secretariat, Assistant Deputy Minister Michael Zinck, and other ECCC staff, our role began to take shape.

Striking a balance between consultation, representation, and advocacy

In practice, the Council primarily served a consultative function, with opportunities to represent youth voices at conferences. Initially, we envisioned the Youth Council as a platform for advocacy, where we could present our perspectives at conferences and events while also representing a broader spectrum of youth voices through public engagement.

To support this vision, we created social media platforms (Instagram, X) and aimed to conduct consultations. We also sought to establish an external-facing platform to share our projects and work in our own voice. However, the advocacy aspect took on a minor role due to the unexpectedly high volume of consultative work and our limited capacity. Additionally, the topics we were consulted on were often quite specific. Most of our outreach to the larger youth public was conducted through our personal networks.

Ministerial priorities and defining our agenda

Many of us joined with strong interests in specific environmental and climate change topics.  Throughout our discussions we were able to strike a balance where consultation topics were aligned with our areas of interests but also useful for government priorities.

Ensuring judicious participation in conferences

While attending conferences was highly beneficial, it was crucial to ensure that our participation was meaningful and that our roles were well defined. It is also important to recognize that the Youth Council should not be the only group representing young voices at these events.

Capacity

One of the most significant challenges was capacity. Our initial mandate called for four meetings annually, yet over two years, we participated in more than twenty meetings, along with additional side-events and conferences. While we were grateful to engage on numerous topics, this high level of contribution stretched our capacities, especially considering our unpaid volunteer status. It was essential to tailor workloads to meet the Council’s availability.

Resources and remuneration

As volunteers, our expenses for in-person meetings and conferences were covered, but our time was not compensated. This required us to balance paid work or school with Council contributions, often limiting our ability to attend all engagements.

Scheduling

Most meetings were held during the National Capital Region workday, conflicting with the schedules of members who were in school or employed. While workday scheduling is typical for ECCC staff, holding some meetings during off-hours could enhance engagement. The diversity in members’ schedules and time zones made finding a single ideal time difficult. Additionally, some sessions were scheduled with limited notice, making it challenging to rearrange our commitments quickly, especially for conferences where funding was confirmed on short timelines.

Effective communication and collaboration

Our term effectively began with an intense first in-person meeting in October 2022, immersing us in government machinery, Council procedures, UNFCCC COP27, and more. Our second in-person meeting included more engagement sessions and unscheduled time for discussing Council processes, climate emotions, report writing, meeting organization and future planning. Defining our role also involved defining our relationships with each other. Early on, we decided against presenting unified positions in favour of expressing individual viewpoints. This independent consultant model, while beneficial in some respects, hindered our ability to produce collaborative outputs efficiently.

Mental health support

Issues such as mental health support and ensuring safe engagement environments were critical. Trying to navigate such a large colonial institution while bringing perspectives questioning the status quo gave rise to challenging situations. Some members, particularly racialized and Indigenous members, were put into uncomfortable situations both within the department or from public backlash on social media. We appreciated the Secretariat’s efforts in addressing these challenges by providing professional mental health support this fiscal year and hope the next Council can build on this progress.

Section 6: Key policy messages from Council members

Recognizing diverse needs and communities

Policies should cater to the unique contexts of youth in rural, remote, northern, and Indigenous communities. While a majority of Canadians live in southern, urban areas, policies that do not account for the diverse needs and realities of all communities can lead to alienation.

Valuing place-based knowledge

Place-based knowledge can improve trust in government by recognizing the value of regionally led solutions and addressing the unique environmental challenges facing communities across Canada. 

Creating safe spaces for diverse voices

For diverse groups to feel comfortable, well equipped and heard while engaging in government spaces requires an active effort to reduce barriers and facilitate inclusion. This involves decolonizing traditional policy mechanisms and integrating Indigenous knowledge and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) commitments.

Ambitious policies and accountability

The government’s environmental and climate strategies need to be transparent, have solid accountability mechanisms and be aligned with the scale of the issues at hand.

Transparency

Environmental communication must reflect the urgency of the climate, biodiversity, and pollution crises. While it is important to celebrate policies or funding facilitating solutions, counterproductive decisions, where the government decides to prioritize other agendas, should be equally transparently communicated. For example, a decision that increases fossil fuel extraction that might provide economic benefit, is a setback for environmental targets and should be acknowledged as such. This should prompt revisions in climate plans to increase ambition elsewhere to ensure our actions are coherent with our engagements. Honesty and accountability are essential to building trust.

Systemic changes

Most importantly, we need to have honest and difficult conversations about the root causes of the environmental crises, including our economic system based on infinite growth and extractive colonial economies. Solutions cannot rely solely on market and technology; they must reconsider our relationship with the land, consumption, and each other. Alternative economic models like the wellbeing economy should be considered, along with a shift in worldview.

Meaningful youth engagement

The implementation of the Youth Council is a step in the right direction, but as a small group we are limited in our capacity and lived experiences, we can only hope to create more opportunities for youth involvement.

Accountability and relationship-building

Working with youth should start with building relationships of trust with actors on the ground. This can be built through accountability by following up on how youth input is used and implemented. Interactions should also promote transparency, candor and actively seek to counteract disillusionment with political performativity.

Accessibility

Youth engagement needs to be accessible. Compensating youth for their time, providing summary documents in understandable language, and using youth-friendly platforms are different ways to help achieve this.

Genuine engagement

Engagement must go beyond simply ticking a box. It should involve collaboration and co-creation, working toward a habit of including youth in all policy work. Youth participation needs to span from start to finish, with consideration of the barriers and challenges they face and an attention to their preferences in how they wish to be involved.

Section 7: Quotes from ECCYC members

One aspect I deeply value about the Youth Council is our freedom to provide honest feedback and challenge the status quo. While our recommendations might often not translate directly into action, our participation in government spaces helps foster and normalize conversations promoting ambitious, transformative changes necessary to address the urgency of climate and environmental crises.

As the first Youth Council, we were pulled in so many directions: to provide simple, practical advice on climate communications; to speak our minds on perceived federal climate (in)action to decision-makers; to share our learnings with other youth; and to fulfil our other commitments and aspirations. Through the vision, persistence, and expertise of my fellow Council members, and supported by our excellent Secretariat, I hope we’ve found the right balance of those priorities and, in some way, helped Canada move towards a liveable future.

Reflecting back on my time as a member of the inaugural ECCYC, I feel so lucky to have been given the opportunity to participate in dialogues, conferences and events that focused on wide-ranging climate related issues both within and external to the government. Though, my most meaningful experience being a member of this Council was gaining a network of fellow youth who share a passion for change - I am forever grateful to have worked with and alongside each of them.

Being a part of the inaugural Youth Council was an invaluable opportunity to understand the extensive work within government and how young people can impact policy making. Climate change profoundly affects the health and wellbeing of Canadians, and involving youth as decision-makers is critical to fostering innovative and hopeful climate action and adaptation. My hope is for governments to continue improving youth engagement and uplift diverse perspectives, ensuring that climate solutions are equitable, just, and rooted in hope and action for a positive future.

Section 8: Closing remarks

In closing we would like to bring a note on grief and hope. Youth disproportionately bear the emotional and mental burden of climate change while being those who have least contributed to its cause. More than two-thirds across Canada are experiencing fear and anxiety related to climate change (Galway & Field, 2023). Much grief and anxiety stems from seeing a lack of action on climate change and experiencing more severe and frequent climate impacts, such as wildfires.

Considering these difficult realities, it is ever more important that Canada shows the courage needed to take ambitious actions. To quote Egyptian human rights activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah, who staged a hunger strike during UNFCCC COP27 and remains imprisoned to this day: “If the only thing that unites us is the threat, then each group will move to defend their interests. But if we meet around hope in a better future, this global awareness will be transformed into positive action. Hope here is a necessary action. Our rosy dreams will probably not come to pass, but if we leave ourselves to our nightmares, we’ll be killed by fear before the floods arrive.”

We hope that the ECCYC will thrive for many generations, continuing to push for radical and ambitious environmental action while fostering greater youth involvement in government. Furthermore, we aspire for this report to serve as a guiding framework for the establishment of similar environmental youth councils at various levels of government, industry, and civil society across Canada.

It has been an honour to be part of the inaugural generation of the Environment and Climate Change Youth Council. We look forward to witnessing the ongoing progress and impact of this important work.

• Abhay Singh Sachal
• Christina Joy McRorie
• Emily Ross
• Geneviève Doiron
• Katia Forgues
• Lydia Johnson
• Michael Girum
• Michal Davis
• Skw’akw’as Dunstan-Moore

Section 9: Annexes

Annex 1: Environment and Climate Change Youth Council (ECCYC) engagements 2022-2024

October 5 - 6, 2022, First ECCYC in-person meeting

The Council met for the first time in-person in Ottawa, where they met with Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Steven Guilbeault and other Government of Canada officials. Members also met with staff from International Affairs Branch to discuss Canada’s negotiating priorities at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties (COP) 27.

January 26, 2023, Meeting with Associate Deputy Minister Paul Halucha

Council members met with Associate Deputy Minister Paul Halucha, to discuss the upcoming ECCC101 information sessions, and had a discussion on the Minister’s Mandate Letter.

January 31, 2023 and February 9, 2023

Council members participated in the Minister’s Round Table (MRT) on Parks Canada: “Ecological Corridors” and “Indigenous Stewardship of Protected Heritage Places”.

February 2, 2022, Advisory Session on the National Adaptation Strategy

Council members provided feedback on engaging youth in the National Adaptation Strategy.

March 15, 2023, Advisory Session on Environment and Climate Change Canada’s (ECCC) Climate Awareness Campaign

Council members provided feedback on the development of ECCC’s Climate Awareness Communications initiative.

May 8, 2023, COP27 Debrief and context-setting session for UNFCCC COP28

ECCC sought the Council’s reflections on UNFCCC COP27, and insights on Canada’s plans and priorities leading up to the 58th session of the Subsidiary Bodies and UNFCCC COP28.

June 9, 2023, Focused youth discussion on a 2030 Biodiversity Strategy for Canada

This included Council members and ten other external youth from environmental non-governmental organizations. ECCC sought advice from the Council, along with other youth from across Canada on a 2030 Biodiversity Strategy for Canada.

June 14, 2023, Meeting with the Net-Zero Advisory Body (NZAB)

Council members met with members of the Net Zero Advisory Body to discuss what Canada needs to compete and succeed in a net-zero future.

August 8, 2023, Meeting with Assistant Deputy Minister (ADM) Michael Zinck, from the Public Affairs and Communications Branch at ECCC

Council members met with ADM Zinck to discuss their first year as a cohort.

August 14, 2023, Meeting with then ECCC Deputy Minister (DM) Chris Forbes

Council members met with DM Forbes to discuss their workplan topics, their role within ECCC, and how they could effectively provide advice to the Department.

August 24, 2023, joint meeting with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), and Environment and Climate Change Canada ECCC, Youth Councils

Councils met to share priorities and network.

October 30, 2023, Pre-Briefing on UNFCCC COP28 with Director General (DG) and Canada’s Chief Climate Negotiator Michael Bonser and the International Affairs Branch

ECCC sought the Council’s insight on Canada’s negotiating priorities ahead of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) COP28.

November 7-9, 2023, In-person Meeting in Ottawa

Council members shared their advice and perspectives on: ECCC’s Climate Communications initiatives, Environmental Literacy, UNFCCC COP28, Environmental Justice and Environmental Racism, and the Science Horizons Youth Internship Program. The Council also met with Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Steven Guilbeault and Member of Parliament Julie Dabrusin, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and to the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources.

January 12, 2024, UNFCCC COP28 Debrief with Director General and Canada’s Chief Climate Negotiator Michael Bonser and the International Affairs Branch

Council members met with officials from the International Affairs Branch to debrief on the experience of Council members and the Canadian delegation at COP28.

February 9, 2024, ECCYC-Secretariat administration meeting

The Council and Secretariat met to discuss their workplan, external connection opportunities, and reviewed their time at the November in-person meetings.

March 19, 2024, Advisory Meeting ahead of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution (INC-4)

ECCC sought the Council’s insights on the revised draft text of the international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment ahead of the fourth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution (INC-4), taking place in Ottawa April 23-29, 2024.

March 28, 2024, Advisory Meeting with the Indigenous Science Division, ECCC

Council members shared perspectives on weaving Indigenous science with Western science and best practices for consulting Indigenous youth in policy development.

March 28, 2024, Advisory Meeting on Environmental Justice and Environmental Racism

ECCC sought the Council’s insight on Environmental Justice and Environmental Racism, including Bill C-226 an Act Respecting the Development of a National Strategy to Assess, Prevent and Address Environmental Racism and to Advance Environmental Justice. Council members offered input on policy development, including approaches to engagement and consultation.

May 10, 2024, ECCYC-Secretariat Administrative Meeting and ECCC Youth Engagement Framework Review

Council members and the Secretariat met to discuss upcoming meetings and plans for the remaining months of their term. Members also provided advice on ECCC’s planned external web content for youth.

May 17, 2024, Engagement Session with DG and Canada’s Chief Climate Negotiator Michael Bonser and IAB on the 60th Subsidiary Body Session in Bonn, Germany

Council members met with Michael Bonser and representatives from IAB ahead of the 60th Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice and the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SB 60) of the UNFCCC in Bonn Germany (the Bonn Climate Change Conference) and the upcoming UNFCCC COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan.

June 4, 2024, Advisory Meeting on Environmental Literacy

Council members, members of the Prime Minister’s Youth Council, and external youth from the Council’s networks met with the Literacy and Engagement Division at ECCC to discuss youth perspectives on issues raised during youth engagement sessions on a National Framework for Environmental Learning.

June 25, 2024, Policy Wrap-Up Session

The Council met with Branches of ECCC that had engaged with the Council during their term, to share how the Council’s input had informed or will inform various projects, policies and plans at ECCC.

Annex 2: Conferences the ECCYC participated in 2022-2024

November 6 – 18, 2022

Two members attended UNFCCC COP27 in Egypt and participated in a youth panel on November 10, 2022 titled “Climate Education: bridging the gap between knowledge and action” with Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Steven Guilbeault at the Canada Pavilion and delivered a closing statement on behalf of the Indigenous Peoples caucus in the closing plenary. Another member participated with the Northern Canadian Delegation (Students on Ice cohorts).

December 7 - 19, 2022

Six members attended Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Conference of the Parties (COP) 15 as part of Canada’s Delegation. At COP15, all members met with Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Steven Guilbeault, and Canada’s Ambassador for Climate Change, Catherine Stewart on December 7, 2022.

February 27 – March 1, 2023

One member attended GLOBExCHANGE in Toronto. One member attended the First Nations-Canada Joint Committee on Climate Action (JCCA) meeting in Ottawa. The JCCA is made up of First Nations' representatives from all regions of Canada, representatives of the Assembly of First Nations, and Government of Canada officials from numerous federal departments.

March 22 – 24, 2023

Two members attended the United Nations Water Conference in New York City.

May 15, 2023

Four members participated in an ECCC-led Climate Action Awareness Fund (CAAF) Climate Action Project Roundtable Panel.

June 2023

One member attended the 58th Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice and the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SB 60) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Bonn, Germany (The Bonn Climate Change Conference); participated in a panel on Indigenous and Urban Approaches to Climate Adaptation for the Commission for Environmental Cooperation meeting in Victoria; and attended the JCCA in Ottawa.

August 21 – 26, 2023

One member attended the Seventh Assembly of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) conference in Vancouver.

September 17 - 22, 2023

Two members attended Climate Week in New York City.

October 2 – 6, 2023

One member attended the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Adaptation Futures conference.

November 30 - December 13, 2023

Two members attended UNFCCC COP28 as part of the Canada Delegation; two other members attended COP28. Members hosted an event at COP28 on December 8th, titled: Intergenerational Climate Panel: From Disillusionment to Systemic Collective Action.

April 23 –29, 2024

One member attended the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution (INC-4).

May 27, 2024

Two members participated in the Youth Roundtable to inform Canada’s next Climate and Biodiversity Finance Commitment.

June 24-26, 2024

One member participated on the Youth Climate Justice Panel at the 31st Annual Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) Session and Public Forum in Wilmington, North Carolina.

Annex 3: Youth Council social media

The Council kept audiences engaged and promoted their work on their social media platforms:

• X
• Instagram