{"id":30418,"date":"2024-09-27T06:25:00","date_gmt":"2024-09-27T06:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.theyouthharbour.org\/?p=30418"},"modified":"2025-02-25T21:12:56","modified_gmt":"2025-02-25T21:12:56","slug":"empowering-communities-fostering-climate-solutions-and-advocating-for-action","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theyouthharbour.org\/fr\/empowering-communities-fostering-climate-solutions-and-advocating-for-action\/","title":{"rendered":"Renforcer les communaut\u00e9s : Encourager les solutions climatiques et plaider en faveur de l'action"},"content":{"rendered":"\n[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.23.4″ background_color=”#F3F4E4″ custom_padding=”0px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.23.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”–et_global_body_font||||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ width=”80%” width_tablet=”80%” width_phone=”100%” width_last_edited=”on|phone” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin=”||-2px|||” custom_padding=”||35px|||” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]

Engaging a community in climate action poses unique challenges. How do you get a community to mobilize on climate change issues affecting them? What happens when you get all ages, especially youth, involved in voicing their concerns on civic policies affecting their environment? The <\/span>Community Climate Council<\/span><\/span><\/a> (CCC, for short), has emerged as a platform for Peel residents, especially youth, to demand bold climate policies while fostering community-driven solutions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The organization’s genesis traces back to 2019 when Miranda, CCC\u2019s CEO and co-founder, and four other young women participated in the Youth Challenge International. Through consultations with Peel residents and climate experts, they identified three primary concerns:<\/span><\/p>\n

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  1. They wanted to see more young people participate in the council chambers. They noticed that there was no youth representation in council discussions and their voices weren\u2019t reflected in the agenda items.<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Improve climate and political literacy to make \u2018politics talk\u2019 more accessible and less intimidating for people to participate in.<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Finding ways to address the increased loneliness and disconnect caused by a predominantly suburban area.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Increasing community participation was key to resolve the above. The CCC’s inaugural climate strike in 2019 drew over 250 participants, including political leaders from various parties, underscoring the community’s unmet needs. Recognizing the post-strike demand for ongoing engagement, the CCC was formally established in 2020, creating a grassroots space for community collaboration.<\/span><\/p>\n

    However, what about after the strike? There needed to be a space for people to congregate and continue sharing solutions on the climate crisis. That\u2019s why the CCC was officially formed in 2020; creating a space for and by the community.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    One of CCC’s distinguishing features is its youth-led, inclusive structure, funded by community donations. While youth-led climate movements remain scarce in Peel, the CCC pioneers climate justice and political advocacy in the region. Grounded in three pillars\u2014climate literacy, political advocacy, and community engagement\u2014the CCC aims to democratize climate action.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u00a0Their team is a reflection of the diversity of their community; Peel is known for having a primarily BIPOC, radicalized immigrant community. And yet, in the larger climate change movement across the GTA and even across Canada, it\u2019s still predominantly led by privileged white representatives. One way to address this is to increase climate literacy and political literacy in underrepresented persons, especially youth who get left out of solution-making in climate policy talks.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Miranda emphasizes, “Improving climate literacy means empowering people to engage with political representatives.” Despite facing challenges during the pandemic, the CCC adapted its programs to hybrid and in-person formats, navigating volunteer retention and burnout issues. Miranda stresses the importance of embracing rest for sustainable activism, a departure from the relentless productivity culture.<\/span><\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.theyouthharbour.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/20190927_140146-scaled.webp?_t=1724707391″ title_text=”20190927_140146″ align=”center” _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _module_preset=”default” width=”80%” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin=”||20px|||” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _module_preset=”default” width=”80%” width_tablet=”80%” width_phone=”100%” width_last_edited=”on|phone” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin=”||-2px|||” custom_padding=”19px||35px|||” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]

    The Youth Harbour Action Grant<\/span><\/a><\/span> provided crucial support, enabling the purchase of essential tools like a QuickBooks account, facilitating the transfer of their web domain and email subscriptions and procuring materials for their annual strike, including vertical banners for increased visibility, business cards, and necessary supplies. The CCC achieved significant milestones, including the ability to compensate volunteers with honorariums for their contributions during front-facing events, covering expenses such as transportation and lunch\u2014an unprecedented feat for a volunteer-led organization. Additionally, they successfully:<\/span><\/p>\n