HOW WILMOT YOUTH ARE COMBATING THE CLIMATE CRISIS

NITH VALLEY ECOBOOSTERS YOUTH ADVOCATES HOSTING INFORMATION SESSION ON JUNE 8

When Lyndsay Dajka joined the Nith Valley EcoBoosters in 2021, members of the group were thrilled because she was a youth.

"I've always been very passionate about the environment," said 17-year-old Dajka. "I've always wanted to make a change and make a difference with the climate crisis."

Dorothy Wilson, a member of Nith Valley EcoBoosters, said

that while the group is interested in informing everyone about the environment, it's important to get lots of youth involved "because the long-term health of the environment is really going to be of critical importance to them."

Shortly after, Dajka took on the project of birthing the Nith Valley EcoBoosters Youth Advocates subgroup.

The group aims to help schools in Wilmot and Wellesley become climate action leaders by helping them with background work.

"Often it's very tricky to find funding, to get through the loads of the policy work, to connect with the right people in the right organizations who can get the job done. So our job is to take that load off of the schools," she said.

According to a 2022 report by Learning for a Sustainable Future, only 34 per cent of educators feel that they have enough knowledge and skills needed to teach climate change.

The group is going to a school in June to have environmental lessons and activities with the students.

"Our hope with this new project is to help them out and use our own knowledge to teach what they might have some struggles with," Dajka said.

On June 8, the group is having a recruitment event to increase the number of climate action projects at schools.

It was through this event that 18-year-old Xuan-En Tan joined the group in 2021.

"I didn't know where I could help or a place that other people that cared just as much as I did about climate change met or what they did to help and fight the climate crisis in their own communities," she said.

Tan said she's built confidence and gained education on the issues affecting her immediate community. "We really get involved in the community, like delegating at town council meetings and just hosting different events and being present in the community."

Dajka and a few other members of this five-person group are in Grade 12 and will be graduating next year.

"We're hoping to get a new group of youth in, who we can mentor and prepare them for the next couple of years when they'll be running the program," Dajka said.

Tan encourages other youth to take part because "there's always something to contribute because the climate crisis is such a huge issue that we need people from all different age groups and all different skill levels to help."

Dajka also shows her passion for the environment in other ways, including being a part of the eco club at her school and helping to plan rallies that have taken place as a result of the Bill 23, More Homes Built Faster Act, introduced by the provincial government.

"Climate action is really important for youth because it's our future that we're talking about. We're the ones who are going to have to live with whatever decisions are made now that are going to impact the future," she said.

Even though Dajka will no longer be a part of the Youth Advocate group by next year, she said she plans to continue being an activist "as long as I live."

"I am planning on going into environmental engineering so I can make an impact in my job field and hopefully there will be more volunteer opportunities in the future for me that I can use to take action," she added.

To register for the event, visit bit.ly/3OSlKOl.

STORY BEHIND THE STORY: When reporter Seyitan Moritiwon learned about the Nith Valley EcoBoosters Youth Advocates information event, she wanted more insight into how the group came about.