Stories & Updates

5 tips for navigating conversations with young people on the climate crisis

 I delivered a Pro-D workshop to BC high school teachers this past fall on BTCEA's signature educational program, Student Leadership for Change. Over the hour long workshop our conversations kept coming back to the tensions many teachers felt as to how to teach about the climate crisis; Teachers were worried about presenting the facts about climate change in a manner that does not overwhelm students, while also not downplaying the major changes required by society to turn things around.

This group of teachers are not alone in wrestling with this challenge. Indeed, this has been an ongoing struggle in the world of climate communications. And rightly so, the climate crisis brings with it a lot of devastation, particularly for young people whose futures will be most impacted if swift action is not taken.

Announcing! New blog series: The complex world of climate change communications.

How exactly do we broach the subject of the climate crisis with students? Is there some sort of balance to be stricken between teaching the realities of the scale of the crisis while also maintaining a sense of positivity and hopefulness? How do we deal with rising eco-anxiety among youth that comes with learning and experiencing the climate crisis? These are the questions that teachers shared with me this fall.

The concerns that teachers expressed about wanting to teach students about the climate crisis without sending them all spiraling into a wave of eco-despair is well-founded. As we welcome in 2020, we enter a decade where the 2019 UNEP Report: Closing the Gap asserts greenhouse gas emissions globally have to fall 7.6% each year to maintain a chance of limiting warming to the 1.5°C Paris Target, designated as the safe limit for humanity. The scale of change and transformation that this requires is unprecedented, and can feel totally overwhelming, and even impossible. However, there is hope in that we do know the solutions, and public opinion on climate change is changing, and rapidly.  

December 2019 Newsletter

We hope you are having a wonderful start to December! Here’s our last update for 2019

New partnerships, classroom workshops, fundraising campaign, speaking in the community, and looking towards the New Year!

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Donor Story: Kim and Stuart

Hi. Kim & Stuart here. We’re steadfast supporters of Be the Change Earth Alliance and Verity is  the embodiment of why we believe  bringing eco-social education to our youth is so important. We want Verity to enjoy the same rejuvenating experiences in nature as we’ve enjoyed our whole lives...not wildfires, floods and millions of starving people all over the world.

We’re constantly looking for ways to reduce our carbon footprint: riding a bike to work, conserving energy and water, reducing waste, cutting way back on air travel and needless consumption. But we’re frustrated knowing this is just a drop in the bucket. We need critical mass - the population, business and industry need direction from government. Seeing politicians being non-responsive is maddening. We agree with Greta – politicians need to tell the truth to rally collective action. Seeing climate-aware youth in the street gives us renewed inspiration. This generation will soon be able to vote.

Donor Story: Investing in our youth

My name is Andrew Davidson, I’m an Investment Advisor based in Vancouver. 

To me, meaningful investment includes investing in combating the climate crisis. There is no clearer return than a clean and healthy world.

As with tackling many pressing issues, starting with education can be transformative. I encourage you to invest in Be the Change Earth Alliance because there really is no downside to investing in climate action and students.  

Donor Story: Creating systems change

Hi, I’m Suzanne Barois. I am pleased to have an opportunity to speak on behalf of Be the Change Earth Alliance and commend this grassroots organization for all the good work they do.  

My husband and I have attended BTCEA’s Annual General Meeting each year and have met most of the board members and staff. We have always been impressed with how much this small organization is able to do with the resources they have and inspired by the calibre of their work. The volunteers are enthusiastic, and the staff is highly motivated in their work with the teachers and students. I feel that every penny we invest in this organization is put to good use and much appreciated. 

Donor Story: Supporting collaboration and critical thinking

My name is Michael Goodman, and I’m proud to say I’ve donated to Be the Change Earth Alliance. 

I’m 69. Climate change feels like my generation’s problem. And yet we’ve left our youth to deal with it. How better to solve this problem than by supporting them? 

Let’s help our youth discuss these problems and consider how they can reshape our country to do better. I donated to Be the Change Earth Alliance because I think that without discussion and thought there can be no action. Be the Change helps youth come to grips with the climate crisis and discover how they can make a positive impact on our world.  

Donor Story: Supporting Transformative Change

My name is Kate Sutherland. I donate every year to Be The Change Earth Alliance and have been an avid supporter since the early days. 

I love its grounded, practical, and strategic use of key levers for transformative change: activating HEAD (sharing key info), HEART (connecting to others and to values) and HANDS (recommending a range of potential actions). I so respect how the work keeps deepening and evolving, as the team learns and iterates its offerings.

And I care deeply about the braiding of three crucial strands in the BTC vision: to support a socially just, environmentally sustainable and personally fulfilling human presence on this planet. 

Federal Election Reflections

It has now been a week since the Federal election.  After spending the 6 week election period involved and volunteering in canvassing and Get out the vote efforts to ensure we get voters to consider climate change when they cast their ballot, it has taken me a bit of time to fully decompress and assess what the outcomes of this important election means in the context of climate justice. I know for many of us committed to working towards justice, there were many moments in this election that left me feeling deeply disappointed and frustrated with the state of debate on issues in Canada, and that made clear to me how much work we still need to do in the fight for ecological justice, indigenous justice, racial justice, economic justice, gender justice, across Canada but also around the world.