join us sept. 11-15, 2023

Janelle Lapointe (she/her) is an Afro-Indigenous climate justice and Indigenous rights activist from Stellat’en First Nation, currently the interim Director of Public Engagement and Mobilization at the David Suzuki Foundation and a guest on Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) andxʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) territories. She leans on her lived experience growing up on her small reserve in Northern British Columbia to ensure that intersectionality is at the forefront of environmental narratives, to build power and help others see their stake in fighting back against the status quo. She has spent the last few years Frontloading* a new mass movement organization, to unite everyday people from Canada, Quebec and many Indigenous Nations across the lands to demand a Green New Deal that takes power from the hands of the billionaires and returns it to us all. (Easy stuff!)

Joins us to hear Janelle talk about Love and Compassion in the climate movement on Sept. 11 at 7pm ET.

Christine Boyle (she/her) is a second term Vancouver City Councillor with OneCity Vancouver. She has been a leading voice at her Council table on climate action, affordable housing, Reconciliation, and more.

Christine is a community organizer and an ordained United Church Minister, born and raised on unceded Coast Salish territory. She spent many years doing national multi-faith climate organizing, including efforts focused on divesting from fossil fuels and investing in building retrofits and clean energy. Christine also worked at the Columbia Institute’s Centre for Civic Governance and supported the development of GreenJobs BC. And she spent many years working at First United Church in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, and supporting kids and families at Grandview/ ¿uuqinak’uuh Elementary School in East Vancouver.

She has a BSc in Urban Agriculture and First Nations Studies from UBC, and an MA in Religious Leadership for Social Change from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California, and is raising two kids in East Van with her husband, Seth Klein.

Join us with Christine to hear about climate action at the municipal level on Sept. 11 at 7pm ET.

A third-culture-kid and aspiring climate scientist, Jaden (they/them) first became curious about and interested in nature at a very young age, travelling around the world as a little kid. Fast forward a few years, during their BSc degree, they discovered an intense passion for addressing the challenge of climate change, but it was only on their final term abroad in London in Fall 2019 — serendipitously, coinciding with the record-breaking global climate strikes — that the galvanizing magic of climate activism ignited a flame within them. Jaden has been an avid climate activist since then, organizing with various (primarily youth-led) climate orgs. at universities and beyond. While climate change is a wicked problem to tackle, Jaden is especially passionate and excited about galvanizing fellow young people into climate action, helping them recognize their change-making potential, as youth have a brighter, sustainable future to fight for! Jaden completed their Climate Leadership Corps Training in April 2021, and is ecstatic to join the Climate Reality Canada team as the new Youth Engagement Coordinator. Jaden has an undergraduate degree in Environmental Science and Psychology (Hons. BSc) from the University of Toronto and is currently a master’s student at the University of British Columbia’s Institute for Resources, Environment & Sustainability (MSc).

Join Jaden for our Artbuild Workshop on Sept. 12 at 7pm ET.

Miranda (she/her) has a deep sense of appreciation for the natural world. This led to degrees in Environmental Studies at York University, where her master’s research focused on the intersections between biodiversity conservation and digital science communication. Her passion for the environment was further fueled by investigating eco-system approaches to disaster reduction in Belize and conservation in Costa Rica. Miranda co-founded The Community Climate Council, a local non-profit focused on climate literacy. Through her work, she aims to inspire and inform others on local environmental issues, so that we can collectively drive solutions towards climate and community resilience. In her free time, she can be found on the trails making new nature discoveries.

Join Miranada to talk about greenwashing and fighting the fossil fuel industry on Sept. 13 at at 7pm ET.

Albert Lalonde (they/she/he) has been co-spokesperson for the Pour le futur collective, behind the Friday climate strikes in Tiohtià:ke/Mooniyang (Montreal) high schools since 2019. They are a founding member and former co-spokesperson of CEVES (Student Coalition for an Environmental and Social Shift), a union of the student groups that have been organizing the global strikes and protests for climate justice in Montreal, Quebec City and Sherbrooke since 2019, including the historic September 27, 2019 demonstration that brought more than 600,000 people to the streets throughout the province. Albert is suing the Canadian government for its responsibility in the climate crisis along with 14 other young people (La Rose v. Canada). They work as a project manager for the David Suzuki Foundation's Climate Awareness Lab .

Join Albert to talk about youth-led legal actions to hold governments and fossil fuel companies accountable on Sept. 13 at 7pm ET.

WCC is a charitable organization that inspires exploratory writing in community to empower every voice, celebrate every story, and change the world. Our unique exploratory writing workshop method empowers the authentic voices of one and all, including traditionally underserved populations and underheard individuals nationwide. 

Join us for a writing and storytelling workshop themed "Land, water and soil" on Sept. 14 at 11am ET.