Third annual conference empowers Grey Bruce youth for climate action

On November 7, over 130 elementary students and more than 30 educators from 27 schools across Grey and Bruce counties gathered at the Harmony Centre in Owen Sound for the third annual Youth Climate Action Conference (YCAC). The event provided a platform for students, educators, and community organizations to come together, learn, and collaborate on climate action initiatives.

The conference featured a keynote presentation by two Grade 8 students from Arran-Tara Elementary School, Jana Lott and Nina Pieterman.

"Leaving YCAC last year, we were inspired by the speakers and the other students," said Lott and Pieterman. "This motivated us to start the Trees for Tara project. We teamed up with other classes at our school and planted 100 trees and shrubs."

Over the course of the day, students attending the conference participated in hands-on workshops that explored various climate topics such as how to make shorelines more resilient, composting, and how to use state-of-the-art climate modeling to experiment with different factors that impact climate change. 

At lunch, youth visited interactive booths from community organizations, such as the Grey Bruce Public Health, Owen Sound Field Naturalists, Georgian Bluffs Climate Action Team and Stewardship Grey Bruce. In the afternoon, students began planning their school and community action projects. In a very energized session at the end of the day, students shared their project ideas, such as planting trees, starting or revitalizing school gardens, or starting a composting program at their school. Each school that attended will receive $500 from Learning for a Sustainable Future towards implementing this project and students will have an opportunity to share their work at Owen Sound’s Earth Day event in April 2025.

While students were in their sessions, teachers participated in a full day of professional development on how to connect climate to their curriculum, led by Learning for a Sustainable Future. One of the event organizers, Samantha Gawron from Learning for a Sustainable Future shared, “We are excited to have the opportunity to work with so many local educators, who will shape and inspire students for years to come, amplifying our impact.”

The conference was made possible through financial support from the Government of Canada as well as over $10,000 raised by The Sustainability Project in sponsorships from local community organizations, climate action teams, municipalities, and individuals.

To learn more about Grey County’s Climate Action Plan, Going Green in Grey, visit grey.ca/climate-action. For more information on the conference, visit the Sustainability Project’s website at ycac.info.

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For more information, contact: 

Megan Myles, Grey County Climate Change Outreach and Engagement Coordinator at Megan.Myles [at] grey.ca (Megan[dot]Myles[at]grey[dot]ca) or 519-370-7060

Jo-Anne Harbinson, The Sustainability Project Co-Chair at scaleupprojects [at] gmail.com (scaleupprojects[at]gmail[dot]com) or 519-270-6548.

Additional Background 

After a successful inaugural conference in March 2023 that brought together 50 students from Owen Sound schools, The Sustainability Project and in partnership with Grey County and other community organizations, hosted over 60 students from 10 schools across the region at Sydenham Campus in November 2023. For more information, see the highlight reel on Grey County's YouTube Page or the media release on the County’s website. 

This year, for the third conference, The Sustainability Project and Grey County are partnering with Learning for a Sustainable Future (LSF), a national charity that has been working for over 30 years to integrate sustainability education into Canada’s school system, to deliver the conference. LSF brings a wealth of expertise and federal funding, which has supported release time for educators to participate, action project funding and event coordination. Participating schools will also receive access to a library of virtual workshops to keep learning with their whole class and $500 in action project funding. 

The Sustainability Project has raised over $10,000 in sponsorships from local community organizations, climate action teams, municipalities, and individuals to support the conference and youth action projects. Thank you to Community Foundation Grey Bruce, Georgian College, Owen Sound Field Naturalists, Saugeen Nature, Stewardship Grey Bruce, Wiarton Rotary Club, Township of Georgian Bluffs, Township of Southgate, Municipality of Grey Highlands, Municipality of Arran-Elderslie, as well as individual donations through the Small Change Fund.