Climate-related fear, distress, and grief are creating an emergent mental health crisis among young people. Taking community-based climate action is a proven method of reducing eco-anxiety.
Youth for Climate Justice (Y4CJ) is a mentorship program designed to equip diverse youth with the skills, tools, and knowledge they need for lifelong climate justice advocacy. The program empowers youth groups (ages 12–18) across Metro Vancouver to design and launch meaningful climate justice projects in their communities. These empowering experiences, along with transferable skills and supportive mental health strategies, continue to benefit youth long after the program ends.
Metro Vancouver youth bring different levels of experience, confidence, and skills to climate action. Y4CJ offers a flexible support system that allows participants to identify their own needs and choose the most relevant resources, including:
- Hands-on mentorship and guidance
- Training workshops
- Storytelling workshops
- Guidebooks
- Seed funding
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Register to express your interest today!
Are you an individual, club, or group interested in learning how to lead meaningful climate justice projects in your community? Fill out the survey below to indicate your interest in the Y4CJ program and a member of our team will contact you.
Stay tuned for our yearly Onboarding Day, which we host every Fall to bring together youth across metro Vancouver and kick off the Y4CJ program!
If you have any further questions you can email [email protected].
Fill out the Y4CJ Participant Form
Program Resources
BTCEA staff have created and cataloged a collection of resources designed specifically for our youth mentorship programs. These materials draw on our experience in climate action, community organizing, and education, as well as consultations with diverse youth to better understand their needs and the barriers they face.
We’re sharing these tools publicly so youth teams, educators, and individuals can use them to support meaningful climate action in their own communities.