Youth aim to plan green

By Alicia Wachon

Young Canadian leaders are proving that the youth of today have the power to shape the green plans for tomorrow. The IMPACT! Youth Sustainability Leadership program hosted its annual in-person training workshop on March 24 and 25 at The Natural Step Canada, a non-profit organization located on Bank Street in Centretown.

The workshop has been uniting youth across Canada since 2011 under the same goal: maintaining a healthy, green planet for future generations. It also empowers youth aged 19 to 30 by offering opportunities to network and share their innovative ideas for sustainable growth.

Kaitlyn Gee, a 19-year-old Carleton University student, attended the workshop for the first time this year. She said that although she has attended youth networking events in the past, IMPACT! will differ because of the support it gives in the form of mentoring sessions and project development tools such as financial planning.

“I think it’s all about youth engagement, and that’s something that I’m so interested in,” said Gee.

“I think when we’re able to bring (in) more youth voices, we’re actually bringing them into the dialogues that surround environment sustainability, so it’s allowing a look at new ideas.”

Last month Gee started her own online project called Passion is Power.

The initiative aids students interested in sustainability topics by introducing them to international non-profits where they can work together on issues, such as reducing economic waste or conserving wildlife. Gee said she is looking forward to bringing ideas back to her hometown of Leamington, ON, to actively engage more youth.

“I’ve always found that if you do something that you’re really passionate about, you’re going to have success no matter what. So, it’s just instilling that mindset into people to encourage them,” Gee explained. “I want to be able to link them with that larger picture.”

Madeleine Maltby is a 2014 alumni member of IMPACT!’s program. She is also the co-founder of Backyard Edibles with her partner, Matthew Mason-Phillips. Their business embraces urban farming in small, under-used areas, such as backyards or front gardens.
“When you begin working with the soil and with the land, sustainability just becomes second nature,” she says.

Maltby appreciated the mentors who helped her understand the financial numbers and planning needed in starting a business.

Kim Kirton, also an alumni member, received funds to found Balance Lifestyle & Co., a company that creates ethical and environmentally friendly clothing. Kirton’s business shut down for economic reasons; however, she said the leadership conference introduced her to the concept of social enterprise, something she said she is still learning about today while working on her next project.

Both Kirton and Maltby said they believe leadership programs that cater to youth can produce positive outcomes for sustainable living innovation.

“With our changing planet and knowing that we as a species have greatly influenced this change through our activities, I believe a lot of youth of today feel a need to take action into their own hands,” Maltby said.
“We have a special sense of optimism for the future and that is something that can grow into something infectious when fostered in the correct environment,” said Kirton. “I think society is starting to realize that individuals don’t have to wait until they graduate or until they are an adult in order to create change.”

The IMPACT! message continues to resonate with both past and present youth, never pulling away from the fact that there is still one common goal in mind.
“It’s about sustaining what we have because it’s so great,” says Gee. “Why would we want to wreck it?”