Ongoing Program
Regina Youth Climate Justice Coalition
The Regina Youth Climate Justice Coalition is a 10-month mentorship and leadership-building program for youth in Regina, co-facilitated by the David Suzuki Foundation and Break The Divide. It aims to fill a major gap: Regina, unlike many Canadian hubs, does not yet have a sustained youth climate justice organizing scene. Through climate emotions facilitation, this project builds spaces of vulnerability, belonging, and community connection; linking emotion, justice, and organizing into collective action.
By September 2026, the coalition will have cultivated 15 trained youth organizers, capable of leading campaigns and sustaining collective action.
Objectives
Core Purpose
- Build a more sustainable, just, and resilient Regina against climate impacts.
- Place youth at the centre of decision-making, as leaders and organizers.
- Create spaces of belonging, healing, and emotions facilitation for youth to process the climate crisis together.
- Launch and sustain a youth-led climate justice organizing movement in Regina.
Anticipated Outcomes
- Climate Justice Coalition: Building youth-led coalition in Regina actively organizing around climate justice
- Youth Capacity and Leadership: 15 trained youth climate justice organizers feeling empowered, connected, and ready to mobilize action beyond the program.
- Movement Building: Stronger partnerships with schools, existing local environmental organizations, and community groups.
- Campaigns: 2–3 youth-led goals focused on issues like municipal advocacy, public transit, pollution reduction, climate education, or disaster preparedness.
- Community Impact: Greater awareness in Regina of climate resilience, climate emotions, climate justice, and the necessity of youth leadership.
Activities and Audience
Core Activities:
- Monthly and bi-monthly in-person gatherings for community-building, learning, mentorship, and collective planning
- Leadership sessions will be 2 hours long each and include take-home actions for youth participants of the program
- Leadership sessions will include climate emotions check-ins, connections to identity and community, and structured coaching and presentation for skill-building
Audience:
- 15 diverse youth in Regina aged 12-25 as a part of our Core Climate Justice Leadership Cohort
- Additional youth and adult collaborators on climate action campaigns and beneficiaries
Key Themes and Topics:
The Youth Climate Justice Cohort will engage in interactive training sessions led by mentors and community leaders. These sessions will equip participants with practical skills and knowledge in the following areas:
- Climate Emotions Facilitation: Building capacity to recognize, process, and hold space for emotions related to the climate crisis.
- Connection with Identity and Community: Exploration and sharing of environmental identities, connection to communities, and how to build inclusive and welcoming climate spaces.
- Project Development: Designing and launching local projects, including goal setting, strategy building, and team structuring.
- Storytelling and Relationship Building: Crafting compelling personal and collective narratives to inspire action and deepen community connections.
- Team Building and Recruitment: Developing strong, inclusive teams and learning strategies for effective recruitment and engagement.
- Public Speaking and Advocacy: Strengthening communication skills to speak with impact in community forums, including presentations to city council.
- Organizational and Leadership Skills: Gaining practical tools such as budgeting, meeting facilitation, and agenda setting to support effective organizing.
Working Timeline
August–September 2025: Recruitment & Setup
- Finalize venues (Heritage Community Association, Thomson School, Floral Conservatory).
- Recruit 15 youth leaders as participants of the program through past school dialogue participants, community networks, and youth organization lists.
October–December 2025: Foundations
October:
Date: Wed, October 15 @ 5 pm
Initial Gathering: Climate emotions circle, introduce program, discuss climate justice, create shared norms, community-building activities; Homework: climate justice and emotions mapping
November:
Gathering 2: Wed, October 29 @ 5 pm
Climate emotions and justice check-in, team-building activities, leadership presentations highlighting different forms of leaders; Homework: reflecting on leadership style
Gathering 3: Wed, November 19 @ 5 pm
Storytelling workshop and environmental identity;community-building activities; Homework: craft your climate story.
Let them know budget at city hall will be coming
– booking the basketball court for after
December:
Gathering 4: Wed, December 3 @ 5 pm
Storysharing + guest speakers on climate justice (for example Hampton Project, Shawn Koch); fun exercises for cohort.
January–April 2026: Focus & Strategy
January:
Gathering 5: Wed, January 14 @ 5 – 7:30 pm
Connecting with emotions and goals; SMART goals + theory of change; Homework: research on goals.
February:
Gathering 6: Wed, February 4 @ 5 – 7:30 pm
Goal determination and early strategy design (ex. SWOT Analysis).
March:
Gathering 7: Wed, March 4 @ 5 pm
Finalize strategy, define team structures, begin recruitment.
April:
Gathering 8: Wed, April 1 @ 5 pm
Training in budgeting, recruitment, meeting facilitation; teams create structures based on individual leadership styles, determine steps to recruit allies
Late April–August 2026: Campaign Development & Implementation
Late April:
Gathering 9: Day Long-Training Date;
Climate Change 201: Thinking about different climate solutions
Organizing training day
Teams meet with advisors (Abhay, Cameron, others).
May:
Activities: team-building, recruitment, refining strategies
Skills for them to be more sustainable, recruit more people to join
Indigenous-led nature walk in spring for connection to land.
May–June 2026: Implementation
Teams meet 3+ times with advisor support.
Action items: advocacy, campaigns, town halls, community projects.
July–August 2026: Continued Action
Youth continue campaigns with light support check-ins.
Actions gain momentum across Regina.
Potential Campaign Areas (TBD)
Municipal Climate Advocacy
- Push the City of Regina to adopt stronger climate policies, implement sustainability commitments, and engage youth voices in municipal climate planning.
Climate Education
- Deliver workshops and dialogues on climate change, climate justice, and climate emotions.
- Build broader public awareness of emotional resilience in the face of the climate crisis.
Public Transit & Pollution
- Advocate for expanded, affordable, and sustainable transportation options.
- Mobilize around reducing urban pollution and creating healthier communities.
Disaster Preparedness & Emergency Response
- Build youth-led strategies for emergency response and community preparedness.
- Develop plans for resilience in the face of increasing climate disasters (e.g., heat waves, flooding, drought).
Creative & Cultural Expressions
- Use art, storytelling, and cultural sharing to spread awareness and inspire community action.
- Create public-facing projects that highlight youth voices and experiences of climate change.
Program Photos
Program Partners
