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Youth Conferences
Climate Change Connection has provided tailor-made conferences for youth across Manitoba since 2004.
Youth Conferences on Climate Change have three objectives:
- Educate participants about climate change science, impacts, and solutions
- Motivate participants into taking action
- Activate participants with the tools to successfully make change in their personal lives, schools, and communities.
*Climate Change Connection is now officially a partner of the zerofootprint challenge. This exciting partnership will assist Manitoba schools in measuring their carbon footprint. Please contact Susan at (204) 943-4836 if you have any questions or visit our partners website, zerofootprint challenge.
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Host a Youth Conference on Climate Change
Here is your chance to educate, motivate, and activate the youth at your school to take action on climate change. It is easy and will have a lasting impact.
Schools will be accepted on a first come first serve basis.
Invitation
Information Package
Application form
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Why youth?
Our youth will inherit climate change. Although impacts are being felt now, more troubling effects are projected to occur in the next 50 -100 years. What can youth expect? More severe weather events, the spread of disease, and water shortages, to name a few. Youth also will inherit the outcomes of all our current decisions and actions to address climate change.
Finally, youth will inherit the habits and mindsets that led to climate change unless they understand how greenhouse gas emissions - individual and societal - are created, and how they can be reduced. They need the information and skills to communicate their stand on climate change, as well as be a part of the solution, now and in the future.
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What happens at the conference?
Youth Conferences are day-long events. The day is broken up into education and action.
During the morning, the participants hear from experts about climate change issues, impacts, and solutions. The morning also consists of interactive games and personal pledges.
During the afternoon, the teachers and the students part ways. The teachers learn about local resources and tools to get their schools taking action and the students focus on skill building and action planning. The afternoon provides participants with lots of time to interact, work in groups, and learn how they can take action at home and in their schools.
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Who is invited?
Invitations get sent to the Principal, Head of Geography, and Head of Science at each school in the surrounding catchment area. In the past, each school was allowed to bring one group of students. A group consisted of one teacher and four students. Now that the conferences are in-house, the schools can decide the number of students and who is invited.
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How much does the conference cost?
Most conferences will have minimal cost. In the past, we have provided lunches for partipants and that has been the largest cost. Climate Change Connection will provide host schools with money to support a portion, possibly all, of the cost of hosting a Youth Conference on Climate Change.
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Handout documents
These are one-sheet documents that we handed out or made available during recent Youth Conferences:
To see presentations made in past conferences, click here.
To see activities from past conferences, click here.
Click here to download a copy of the very useful Climate Change Youth Guide Into Action booklet (3.6 MB PDF) from Taking It Global.
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Past Conferences
- Elie Youth Conference (St Paul's High School, Elie, MB) - March 24, 2011
- Maples Youth Conference (Maples Collegiate High School) - January 14, 2011
- Elmwood Youth Conference (Elmwood High School) - December 2, 2010
- Sisler Youth Conference (Sisler High School) - April 22, 2010
- Arctic Climate Change Youth Forum (Winnipeg) - February 5th, 2010
- North Central Manitoba (Onanole) Youth Climate Change and Leadership Conference - September 25, 2009
- Learning for a Sustainable Future Conference (Sisler High School) - April 30, 2009
- South Central Manitoba (Manitou) Youth Conference on Climate Change - April 13, 2009
- University of Winnipeg Take Action on Climate Change - Dec 12, 2008
- University of Winnipeg Youth Conference on Climate Change - Dec 5, 2008
- Western Manitoba (Neepawa) Youth Conference on Climate Change - Mar 13, 2008
- St.James Assiniboine, Pembina Trails, & Louis Riel School Divisions - Dec 7, 2007
- River East Transcona, Seven Oaks, & Winnipeg School Divisions - Nov 30, 2007
- Eastern Manitoba (Beausejour) Youth Conference on Climate Change - Mar 9, 2007
- University of Winnipeg Youth Conference on Climate Change - Dec 15, 2006
- Western Manitoba Youth Declaration on Climate Change – Feb 24, 2006
- Pembina Valley Youth Declaration on Climate Change – Feb 10, 2006
- Winnipeg Youth contribute to COP 11/MOP 1 - Nov 25, 2005
