The fight for climate justice is often urgent and unrelenting, demanding not only action but also deep personal resilience. For women and non-binary people of colour, it can also be isolating, and spaces of care are scarce and hard to find. That’s why Nicole Doray co-created “Colour in Climate,” designed to address this gap and create a space where women and non-binary people of colour could gather, rest, and reimagine their collective power.
Nicole, a long-time advocate at the intersection of climate and social justice, has supported grassroots activists, Indigenous communities, and equity-deserving groups for years. When she saw the need in her community for intentional, care-centered gatherings, she co-created Colour in Climate as a direct response, with support from the Assembly Grant provided by The Youth Harbour, a project by FES.
“We wanted to curate a space that felt really safe for folks,” she explained, “we wanted Colour in Climate to feel very organic and genuine and natural, like it was a bunch of friends coming together and supporting each other.”
Though Nicole had received funding from other youth- and climate-focused organizations in the past, FES’s grant stood out as something different. While other grants often came with rigid applications, strict reporting requirements, or expectations of visibility, FES offered flexibility and trust. The grant supported a one-day community gathering that prioritized belonging, rest, and care over output or publicity–a rare opportunity to design a project that centred people rather than performance.
The participant list was deliberately small and carefully curated, with recommendations and support from FES staff, helping to bring together individuals who shared values of community care. By removing the pressure to market the event or generate external visibility, Nicole and her collaborators were free to craft a space that felt genuinely safe and nourishing—one that honored the needs of the people in the room.
The Colour in Climate gathering welcomed 44 people of colour, representing a wide range of ages and united by their deep commitment to climate justice. Many traveled from across Ontario, Quebec, and rural Indigenous communities to attend.
“Our youngest attendee was about 15, and our eldest was 78; everyone’s main focus and passion is climate or climate justice in some way,” Nicole recalls, underscoring the power of community to connect people across ages.
The event was intentionally designed using principles of design justice, incorporating comfort food, music, art, and even a co-created playlist.
“It was all of these little moments that made people feel the space was created for them,” Nicole explained.
Participants left feeling seen, cared for, and re-energized in their climate justice journeys. As one attendee expressed, the gathering was less about sparking new ideas and more about affirming that “we’re not alone.”
Building on its early momentum, Colour in Climate has continued to evolve. In 2024, the team hosted two five-day retreats for women and non-binary folks of colour. These retreats deepened the focus on long-term connection and healing, reaffirming that rest and belonging are not luxuries but necessities for sustained climate action.
Nicole is now exploring how to transition Colour in Climate into a formal collective. This shift would create pathways to channel resources and opportunities to women and non-binary climate leaders of colour, while also building the capacity to take on larger, more systemic projects together.
For Nicole, the Colour in Climate gathering signaled an important shift in her journey–a reminder that meaningful change is not a solo effort, but shared and grounded in the power of community Reflecting on Colour in Climate, she shared,
“[This experience was] an affirmation that folks aren’t alone… that there’s room for this in the movement.”
Nicole’s story is a reminder that care and connection are not separate from climate action–they are the foundation that makes it possible. By supporting initiatives like Colour in Climate, FES ensures that changemakers most impacted by burnout and exclusion can continue to lead with resilience, creativity, and joy.
Every grant is more than funding; it’s an investment in community, belonging, and the future of climate justice.