​Local students gather in Owen Sound for Youth Climate Action Conference

Students from Ripley-Huron Community School, Huron Heights Public School, St. Anthony’s School, all in Kincardine, and Sacred Heart High School in Walkerton, were among the 125 elementary students, 20 secondary students, and 27 educators from 25 schools across Grey and Bruce counties gathered with 55 volunteers at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre in Owen Sound, Tuesday, Oct. 28, for the fourth annual Youth Climate Action Conference.

The event provided a platform for students, educators, and community organizations to gather, learn, and collaborate on their climate action initiatives.

The day opened with drumming by the Saugeen Ojibway Nation (SON) drummers, followed by remarks from SON chief Conrad Ritchie and Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation acting chief Jessica Keeshig-Martin.

Grey County warden Andrea Matrosovs introduced the keynote presentation by St. Mary’s High School (Owen Sound) teacher John Watkins and students of the Green Industries program. Watkins and his students shared their experience designing, installing, and planting several new community garden spaces at their school with support from the Town of The Blue Mountains Youth Climate Action Fund, inspiring the elementary school audience that positive change can happen.

Over the course of the day, students participated in workshops that explored water, land, and energy themes, facilitated by local organizations, such as the Grey Sauble Conservation Authority, and the SON Coastal Waters Monitoring Program, as well as local community civic leaders.

Through one workshop, students planted a mini-forest (right) of 160 trees and shrubs on the Bayshore property. Students also participated in a Change-making 101 workshop in which they explored what brings them joy, their super-power, and what’s needed in the world to help them come up with an action project.

“So many local people have worked together to listen to some of the most eager students from 25 schools across both school boards,” said Leigh Grigg of The Sustainability Project, a local non-profit. “And it doesn’t stop when the buses come at the end. Each school eco-team leaves with seed funding of $500 to make its project idea a reality at its own school.

“We could not have offered this opportunity to the amazing kids who came, without all the grassroots fund-raising we undertook throughout the year, and the generous support from the community, notably Bruce Power, Community Foundation Grey Bruce, Stewardship Grey Bruce, Town of Blue Mountains, and many others.”



Students participate in workshops that explore water, land, and energy themes



The day concluded with students sharing their project ideas in an energized session, ideas that included creating pollinator gardens, an educational campaign to promote sustainable development goals to fellow classmates, and restarting a school composting program.

While students were in the workshops and the change-making sessions, their teachers participated in a full day of professional development on how to connect climate to their curriculum, a session led by Canadian charity Learning for a Sustainable Future (LSF).

The conference is created each year by a large collaboration of grassroots event organizers from various sectors, including youth. The Sustainability Project, with support from LSF, alongside civic leaders from Grey County, City of Owen Sound, Bluewater District School Board, Bruce-Grey Catholic District School Board, and representatives of local climate action teams, wrote grants and sought out financial contributions to make it a reality. This year, there was also a Youth Action Council that helped steer the direction of the event.

For more information about the conference or to learn about becoming a year-round school mentor for student action projects, visit www.ycac.info.