This webinar was hosted by YouthREX.

HERE’S HOW THE HOSTS DESCRIBE THIS WEBINAR:

Climate change is a crisis – an urgent political, social, economic, environmental, and existential issue. Youth wellbeing is uniquely impacted by this crisis, as young people have limited access to institutional power to intervene and are set to inherit the worst of its effects as they age. Wellbeing is also contextualized on individual, community, and collective levels that are inseparable from the ecosystems of which we are a part – when land, water, and non-human species are impacted by climate change, so are youth.

The effects of the climate crisis on youth wellbeing vary and are disproportionate. Recent research shows that young people are experiencing a range of emotions, from sadness, helplessness, guilt, distress, anxiety, and worry, to feelings of betrayal by adults in positions of power. As a result, many youth are taking on leadership roles, amplifying the experiences and issues that are critical to their peers, and organizing to resist and effect change, all of which can take a considerable toll.

This webinar explored critical understandings and hopeful practices to support youth wellbeing in the climate crisis, followed by an engaging discussion with our special guests – including practitioners, researchers, and young changemakers – on how these understandings and practices can be taken up and applied in your work with youth.

Our guests included:

• Swelen Andari, Senior Manager, Climate Resilience & Youth Mental Health, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH)
• Laura Glover, Youth Worker, Therapist, Researcher, and PhD Student, School of Social Work, York University
• Willo Prince, Education Coordinator, Indigenous Climate Action
• Mariam Sarikaya, Youth Climate Collective, Lakeshore Arts
• Abhay Singh Sachal, Founder & Executive Director, Break The Divide
• Fraser Thomson, Staff Lawyer, Ecojustice

This event also featured a performance by poet Robyn Kaur Sidhu.

Read more about all of our guests.