Empowering Youth Environmental Action

Building on the momentum generated by the Paris Climate Agreement, TakingITGlobal is continuing to support environmental action on a global level. 

We are preparing to support an international youth delegation to COP22 in Morocco this December and are collaborating with leading organizations like the Canadian Youth Climate Coalition to strengthen the presence and impact of youth on the ground during (and leading up to) negotiations. 

Advancing the educational outcomes realized through the #Decarbonize program, we are in the planning phases of a global mobilization to explore water issues from a youth perspective. Water is crucial to life on this planet, and connects every facet of our world. From plastic pollution in the oceans, to protecting sharks and whales, to aquaculture, floods and drought  there are so many elements of this complex issue to explore! We are very excited about the synthesis and collaboration we will enable from different student perspectives around the world.

We recently implemented an Interfaith Sustainability bus tour in the Greater Toronto Area bringing together the vast spectrum of cultures and beliefs to collectively explore our responsibility to our planet. Based on the premise that misunderstandings, intolerance and prejudice occur when groups do not have contact and meaningful interactions with each other, we came together to explore, to share and to learn about our common environment and how different faiths orient themselves towards ecological issues. Visiting five different faith sites allowed us to connect a dialogue about interfaith contact and to understand cultures and faiths outside of our own experience. One of the participants commented: "This tour has enabled me to see the presented religions in a new light; the speakers have sure put a new spin on their respective doctrine, explaining how religious texts can be used as a guide to how we should all treat the environment. As stated by other participants, interfaith programs like this one can also be useful in dispelling a few myths perpetuated by mainstream media regarding some religions, and in facilitating dialogue as well."