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!
“I’m 14, today. It’s my birthday,” said one of the 20 high school students crowded around a few cafe tables. We weren’t gathered for a birthday party. We were gathered to write letters to Vancouver City Councilors to urge climate action. Since when is this something teens do...especially on their birthday?
After introductions, we spread out to every corner of the cafe to write. Vancouver City Councilors were about vote on whether the city should formally request that fossil fuel companies contribute to paying for climate change adaptation costs. The students were writing to urge Councilors to hold Big Oil accountable.
I’m not a high school student. I’m 23, studying Economics and Math at UBC. I thought I’d put together the letter-writing session to offer support to teens who’ve never done this kind of thing before. But I never expected such a strong turnout (kudos to the two other adults who showed up as well!). Nor did I expect the teens to write 69 letters in total, and for three of teens to actually deliver speeches to City Council as well. Partially thanks to the strong youth voice, the motion passed.
Why do climate policy issues like the Climate Accountability Motion matter to today’s teens? Well, as one high schooler wrote, “the people with the most power aren’t doing their part, are not taking responsibility for their own actions... and [are] jeopardizing our whole future.”
What did you do on your 14th birthday? Back in 2009, on my 14th birthday, my friends and I gathered in my basement to celebrate. We didn’t bring up climate change. We weren’t anywhere close to writing letters. But that’s because today’s young people are growing up in a different age. It’s an age where their futures are defined by a single issue that adults, by and large, are ignoring.
“I turned fourteen today, but instead of celebrating with my family and friends, I’m asking for my future. I want to live, grow old, have a family: something that shouldn’t be a luxury.”
No, having a future should not be a luxury. And confronting this existential crisis should not be a burden only felt by children. But teenagers are the ones leading by making personal sacrifices and taking action. Every one of us must take inspiration, and do the same.
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.
