Amber Church, CYCC National Director

Amber is the National Director of the Canadian Youth Climate Coalition and a M.Sc. student in Earth Science at Simon Fraser University.  She studies glacier retreat, climate change, water, and natural hazards in the Yukon.  She founded and co-chaired the International Polar Year Youth Steering Committee (now the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists – APECS).  The committee’s goals are to involve youth in all aspects of polar research and policy, to increase collaboration between the sciences, arts and education, and to foster respect for different ways of knowing.  Amber’s passion is climate change.  She was part of the official youth delegation to the UN Climate Change Meetings and was one of 200 Canadians selected by the Climate Project Canada to be trained by Al Gore to present an updated version of the award-winning Inconvenient Truth slideshow.  She was recently honoured to be named part of the Canadian Youth Delegation to COP 15, the United Nations Climate Change Meetings taking place in Copenhagen in December 2009.  She travelled to Antarctica in 2006 with Students on Ice as part of their education staff and joined them again in August 2008 for their Arctic Expedition.  She is currently working with SFU’s Adaptation to Climate Change Team and the Canadian Parks Council, volunteering with Me to We and Apathy is Boring, and in her free time facilitates workshops for Waterlution, a non-profit organization who brings young professionals together around complex water issues.  She and her husband, Tyler Kuhn currently live in Whitehorse, Yukon, while they try to pool enough financial resources for their next adventure.

Contact Amber at: cycc.director@gmail.com

Kimia Ghomeshi, CYCC G20 Campaign Coordinator

Kimia Ghomeshi is an Iranian-Canadian currently based in Toronto, Ontario. Her passion and commitment to environmental and climate justice was sparked after her participation in a Community Environmental Leadership Program in high school, and further ignited through her volunteer experiences in Costa Rica and Panama where communities are facing the devastating effects of large scale agricultural production. She graduated from McGill University in 2005 with an Honours degree in International Development Studies, focused on the Latin American region. Inspired by TakingITGlobal’s dedication to youth development and global issues, she worked as their National Program Manager for three years and coordinated the Creating Local Connections Canada program. She’s also happily involved with Rainforest Action Network’s Freedom From Oil campaign, and the Canadian Commission for UNESCO’s Youth Advisory Group. Kimia has a love for languages (with an undeniable crush on the Spanish language), laughing from the gut, travelling, and is always down to try something new.

Contact Kimia at: cycc.organize@gmail.com

Sarah Jane Saska, CYCC Green Jobs Campaign Coordinator

Sarah Jane is a proud feminist, currently based in Ottawa, Ontario.  Her interest and commitment to environmental and climate justice began during her time at Queen’s University, where she grew as an advocate and activist and became part of a stellar community.  Throughout her undergrad, she studied feminist, queer and transgender theory and explored eco-feminism.  She quickly identified the intersections and need for solidarity between the feminist and environmental movements and has been working to help folks understand that climate change is a women’s right’s issue.  She graduated from Queen’s University in 2008 in Women’s Studies and Commerce, with a certificate in Sexual Diversity studies, and has just completed her masters at the University of Ottawa in Gender Studies.  Inspired by Oxfam’s dedication to Gender Justice, she interned for their Policy and Outreach position doing LGBT and gender policy, assisting with their environmental audit and working on the Women’s Rights and Climate Change campaign.  She was also involved with Climate Action Network Canada, assisting during COP.  As CYCC’s Green Jobs Campaigns Coordinator, Sarah has the great task of moving Canada forward, towards a greener economy and a much greener future.  Sarah has a love for blogging, queer legal rights, her friends and family, and the Tragically Hip.

Contact Sarah at: cycc.greenjobs@gmail.com

Maryam Adrangi, CYCC National Campus Outreach and Convergence Organizer

Maryam is an Iranian-Canadian who grew up in beautiful British Columbia, running around taking advantage of the trees and mountains. Her love for the mountains inspired her to study Environmental Geology. But studying about rocks and the environment just was not enough. She began working with youth and mobilizing her community to take action to protect the beautiful land and environment she grew up to love. Before moving to Toronto, she worked with the Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter as the Education Program Facilitator in Halifax. With this position, she was able to go to Ecuador to work on environmental education projects, focusing on wildlife and forestry conservation. She is currently working with the Council of Canadians’ Ontario-Quebec region, as well as with local community groups to organize around environmental justice and climate justice issues. When she isnt organizing, she is exploring Southern Ontario by bike and hanging out with her basil and dill plants.

cycc.convergence@gmail.com

Adam MacIsaac, CYCC Social Media Coordinator

Adam has worked in various positions in many places around the globe but still is strongly connected to his place of birth in the small province of Prince Edward Island, Canada. With his passion for youth engagement and community involvement, Adam was the Prince Edward Island Youth Engagement Coordinator on the Creating Local Connections Canada initiative from TakingItGlobal.org. Throughout Adam’s experience ranging from organic farms in rural Prince Edward Island, to Fair Trade Coffee and Cacao collectives in the Dominican Republic he has developed a strong understanding of food security and environmental impacts from climate change domestically and internationally. He is in his third year of sitting on the Executive Committee with the Sierra Youth Coalition which is Canada’s largest youth environmental organization. During a short International Development Internship with CIDA project, Adam worked at addressing environmental issues impacting youth internationally and has built upon that experience while working on a United Nations Development Programme project which created a youth summary of the 2007/2008 United Nations Human Development Report. Adam has attended the past two United Nations Climate Change Conferences with the Canadian Youth Climate Coalition’s Canadian Youth Delegation project. In April 2008 Adam received training from the Climate Project Canada and Al Gore to present the Academy Award winning documentary “An Inconvenient Truth” and was a panelist during a round table discussion at The Royal Commonwealth Society along with Canadian environmentalist Dr. David Suzuki. In early 2009 Adam undertook a United Nations University course while traveling to Japan, Vanuatu, Tonga and New Zealand while concurrently conducting a research paper on youth engagement for COP 15. He joined the Adopt A Negotiator.org project run by tcktcktck and has attended the UNFCCC intersessions of 2009 in Bangkok and Barcelona session tracking Canada’s lead negotiator Michael Martin and was the Media Coordinator for both the Canadian Youth Delegation to Copenhagen and Adopt A Negotiator project at COP 15.

Skye Augustine, CYCC G8/G20 Campus Outreach Organizer, Victoria

Skye is from Vancouver Island, and is a West Coaster through and through. She is from Chemainus First Nation and fittingly, her Hul’q’umi’num’ name, Hwsyun’yun means ‘easily laughing one’. She is completing her BSc in Geography at the University of Victoria. Recently, she acted as regional coordinator for Power Shift Canada, and is an active volunteer with Common Energy and Sierra Club BC. Skye’s love of the ocean is reflected in her work with Parks Canada, where she investigates aboriginal resource management along the coast. When she isn’t striving to save the world, you can find Skye rock climbing, kiteboarding or armed with her violin.

David Bush, CYCC G8/G20 Campus Outreach Organizer, Halifax

David moved from Toronto to Halifax 10 years ago and hasn’t looked back. David is a grassroots community organizer. Working with groups on and off campuses, David has developed a passion for social and environmental justice. He has been privileged enough to take part in the last two G8 counter summits in Japan and Italy. He uses those experiences to inspire and mobilize Haligonians to fight for a just and sustainable community and world.

Caleigh Christie, CYCC G8/G20 Campus Outreach Organizer, Winnipeg

Caleigh is Co-President of the Geography and Environmental Studies Students Association at the University of Winnipeg and is a physical geography student. Growing up in Manitoba’s Whiteshell provincial park, Caleigh has always been passionate about the natural world around her. Since entering university, Caleigh has upped the anti in terms of her environmental activism. In an effort to spark attention and awareness about the Climate Summit in Copenhagen last December, particularily among the student body, Caleigh played a crucial role in planning and organizing several on-campus forms of activism. These included a Freeze Flash Mob, and various petition signing campaigns such as the KyotoPlus Petition and the Seal the Deal Campaign. With the upcoming G8G20 Summit in Canada this June and her recent job acquisition with the Canadian Youth Climate Coalition, Caleigh looks forward to “stirring things up” again on campuses across Manitoba.

Cameron Fenton, CYCC G8/G20 Campus Outreach Organizer, Montreal

Born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta, Cameron now lives in Montreal, Quebec, where he is finishing a degree in Anthropology. A grassroots social justice organizer and independent journalist, he works with the Dominion News Co-operative, and has had work published on Canadian foreign policy and climate change in a number of independent media outlets. Growing up in Edmonton Cam developed a strong tie to counter-culture movements and the potential for personal and societal change from the grassroots. He helped to found Hold it Down Productions and Dedication Records, a promotion company and record label promoting international collaborations between independent, alternative bands. Cam is looking forward to working with other dedicated youth to fight for climate justice in Canada and around the world.

Taryn Hancock, CYCC G8/G20 Campus Outreach Organizer, Edmonton

Taryn is 22 and lives in Edmonton. She is a student at the University of Alberta and is passionate about achieving justice and equality in all areas where it is necessary, ranging from reproductive rights to feminism to queer rights to animal rights. She recently became involved with environmentalism in December 2009 when the necessity of reaching a fair, binding and ambitious deal at the Copenhagen Summit became clear to her. She participated in two sit-ins at MP offices and since then has devoted herself to environmentalism and climate justice, focusing on the evils of the tar sands, which are shamefully in her backyard. In addition to activism, she loves writing poetry, cooking and baking, riding her bike around town and listening to live music.

Meghan Larson, CYCC G8/G20 Campus Outreach Organizer, Halifax

A coastal girl at heart Meghan grew up on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Today she calls Halifax home and is excited to bring her passion and experience in student organizations to CYCC. New to the youth climate movement, Meghan first got involved last year as part of the outreach and recruitment team at Dalhousie University for Power Shift. Along with a group of 40 other students from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick she travelled to Ottawa for the conference and has been working hard ever since to keep climate change and more importantly climate action on the minds of local and national politicians. Her favourite climate action to date: Carrying a 45ft banner (or the Biggest Banner of All Time) around Halifax calling for Climate Action Now!

David McColl, CYCC G8/G20 Campus Outreach Organizer, London

David was born in London and raised by his parents along with three other siblings. He has always lived in London, first attending Hillcrest Public School, then A.B. Lucas Secondary School, and now the University of Western Ontario. Leadership and policy has attracted him since a young age. He entered his teenage years with reckless abandon, only to find meaning in life isn’t carved by free will and careless pursuits, but by meaningful relationships with people. His earliest concerns for the environment were deforestation and climate change. An early, basic understanding of available technologies made him realize that alternatives to existing technologies were real possibilities. Also early in life, around the seventh grade, he was exposed to Dr. David Suzuki, and became further concerned about climate change and issues such as genetic modification.  Educationally, David decided to focus on subjects he found challenging and consequently very interesting. Math, science, and technology were his key focus in highschool. Throughout highschool, David became increasingly frustrated and disappointed by government inaction on climate change. He decided to study Integrated Engineering because it allowed him to continue challenging himself and participate in a meaningful program which would allow him to contribute to society.  David is open to opinion and debate, but will not allow organizations and people to define him. He believes in human generousity, and consequently, in ecological and social integrity. As a result he has participated in a handful of environmental and social projects while studying the subject he loves. In terms of the environment, David has worked with many groups to act consciously to improve the environment or educate people about it. Projects have included: trash cleanup, which he believes is really not that awarding of a job, but is simple and enjoyable; gardening tour planning with Post-Carbon London; transition to a post-carbon world with Post-Carbon London and Transition London, which has been a positive and refreshing experience; and EnviroWestern’s radio show and e-zine. Most recently, largely as a consequence of becoming a member of Engineers Without Borders, he has learned of the great influence government has on people. EWB works to improve the lives of people in Africa. He has been involved in a great variety of EWB’s campaigns ranging from education to debates to advocacy to recruitment to fundraising. He became more involved with the community, both at the university and in the city, and began learning how to engage the public effectively. He is beginning to extend his ability to act effectively by interacting with a large number of organizations, including the London Activist Assembly. He is a supporter of the RBC oil sands divestment campaign run by London’s Mobilization for Climate Justice. Politically, he supports strong environmental and social/economic policy.  David looks forward to meeting and speaking about environmental issues with all the folks here at CYCC, and just with folks in general.

Sarah McEwen, CYCC G8/G20 Campus Outreach Organizer, Winnipeg

Sarah lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She is a recent graduate from the University of Manitoba with a degree in Environmental Science (Honours). From a young age, Sarah was curious about her surrounding environment, especially the animals she met along the way. Over time her interests in conservation and environmental sustainability intertwined with social justice and human rights. Sarah is excited and passionate about raising climate change awareness, among other environmental and social issues. She looks forward to working with the CYCC to continue the youth movement coming out of COP15 and build momentum towards the G8/G20 meetings this year!

Sterling Stutz, CYCC g8/G20 Campus Outreach Organizer, Waterloo

Sterling is a second-year student at Laurier University in Waterloo ON. She is passionate about social justice focusing on anti-colonialism, environmental justice and creating a world free of patriarchy. She has worked with various campus and community organizations including the Laurier Women’s Centre, AW@L, Laurier for Palestine and the War Resisters Support Campaign.

Christina Warne, CYCC g8/G20 Campus Outreach Organizer, Peterborough

Christina has actively pursued relationships with the natural world from a very young age, which began with tree climbing and bird watching when she was 4 years old. By the age of 6 she was a self-proclaimed “tree hugger” and as she grew older she began to focus her interests and take action on social issues such as animal liberation and environmental justice. Christina has always enjoyed sharing relationships with animals (both human and non-human) and as a registered veterinary technician and undergraduate student of Environmental Studies at Trent University in Peterborough Ontario, she happily shares her life with three cats and many other wonderful friends.

Ian Wearmouth, CYCC g8/G20 Campus Outreach Organizer, Medicine Hat/Calgary

I have been really involved in a lot of different forms of social justice and both animal and human rights. I started my journey into activism and social justice when I was 15 when I learnt about the plight of animals in the food industry thus starting my journey into y new life style that of both activism and of vegetarianism. Since then I have been involved in many great NGOs such things as Amnesty international, Greenpeace ,  Victoria order of nurses,  and at one time Ran my reptile rescue, I think it’s very important to stand up for both animal rights and human rights and through non-violent direct action is the best way to do this that is why I joined the  CYCC G8/G20 Campus Outreach Organizer Team.

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