January Newsletter: Sharing Gratitude & Excitement for 2024!
Happy New Year! We hope you had a memorable holiday season and a positive start to 2024. At Be the Change, we are energized and excited for the year ahead!
Hello friend and community member,
In grade 8, Burnaby South Secondary student Simon Lin dreamt up his own food scraps diversion program: he walked the halls with a sandwich board and a bin and asked students to fork over their food waste. Last year in grade 12 and with Be The Change’s support, he led a team of 20 students to help the Burnaby School District successfully implement their food scraps composting program at Burnaby South.
In a time when we are facing immense global environmental and social challenges, today’s youth want to know what is going on and how to truly make a difference. That’s where we come in. Be The Change helps students find practical, empowering ways to grow as leaders and environmental stewards, through in class education and school initiatives, such as Waste Watchers.
But just like raising children, empowering youth takes a village. We need your help to continue providing environmental education and support to B.C. students.
Be The Change is excited to be launching the COMMUNITY FOR CHANGE CAMPAIGN TODAY to raise $25 000 to support sustainability education and build our community of committed engaged citizens. With your support we will empower Student Leadership in Sustainability in schools throughout BC and across Canada. Canadian tax receipts are issued for all donations over $10.
Please help us start off strong with your donation! Click here to help support other students like Simon with the tools to create real change!
“Thank you for supporting sustainability… composting food scraps for waste diversion has always been something that I have dreamed of. With the essential toolkits, waste-audit support, documents and resources from Be the Change Earth Alliance, this vision has at last become reality. The bins would not have been implemented without BTCEA’s support.”
–Youth leader and Waste Watcher’s participant Simon Lin
Learn about the different ways we plan to give back to our ‘Community for Change’ supporters here.
THANK YOU so very much for your generous support in helping BTCEA continue this needed work!
Please pass this along to others you think may be interested in joining our community to support a more thriving, just, and sustainable world!
Latest posts
December 2023 Newsletter - ⛄‘Tis the season to celebrate at Be The Change!⛄
As 2023 comes to a close and school winds down for winter break, we’re taking a moment to reflect back over the past year. 2023 was a very regenerative time for BTCEA! We developed and delivered our Climate Action, Resilience, and Emotions (CARE) program in communities on the frontlines of wildfires in our province. And as an organization, we prioritized creating space to discuss what decolonization could look like both internally, and in our programming. Here are the highlights:
Oct 2023 Newsletter - Check out our mid-October climate-justice resources!
Hello,
An introduction from Communications Coordinator, Lucy Wicken
Dear Be The Change community,
As we approach mid-October, I’m reflecting on the changing seasons, from the warm and active days of summer to the cooler and quieter days of autumn. Personally, I’ve noticed a desire to slow down, take on fewer responsibilities, and stay inside where it’s cozy. Have you felt this way too?
As 21st century humans living in a world that operates under capitalism, white supremacy, and other oppressive systems, we can be made to feel guilt or shame about listening & responding to our needs. We are expected to maintain the same energy and productivity levels throughout the year, no matter how cold or dark the days are, how heavy world events feel, or how much we’re struggling in our personal lives.
This is where the concept of regenerative education comes in. Introduced to the BTCEA team by former staff member Jake, regenerative education calls on us to slow down and turn inward to consider our connection with the natural world. It asks us to examine the living systems that are breaking down due to violent human activity (such as fossil fuel extraction, destruction of Indigenous lands, and human-caused flooding and wildfires) and connect this breakdown with our own high levels of stress.
