The Canadian Youth Delegation is a project of the CYCC, and acts as the voice of the Canadian youth climate movement at international United Nations climate conferences. Made up of twenty dedicated and inspiring young people from across the country, the delegation represents the demands of an entire generation working to create a just, safe, and livable future for all.
We are going to COP17 in Durban, South Africa for several reasons: to represent the youth climate movement in Canada, to hold our leaders accountable for their actions, to seek justice for those suffering the effects of climate change, and to seek solutions to one of the biggest challenges humanity has ever faced. Not only are we a group traveling to South Africa for two weeks, but we are active community organizers working to empower our communities to fight for climate justice, to give more strength to the existing climate movement, and to act in solidarity with frontline communities in Canada and across the globe.
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The CYD is made up of three teams: Media and Communications, Action and Strategy, and Policy and Research. The media and communications team is in charge of connecting with existing media outlets, creating the CYDaily newsletter throughout the negotiations in Durban, producing the CYD podcast, and helping other CYD members deal with media interactions. The Action and Strategy team plans CYD actions focused around various climate issues, create strategic plans for the CYD, and help everyone stay aligned with this strategy. The Policy team works to follow different policy streams in the negotiations, translate them into terms non-policy buffs can understand, and help the CYD create an official policy stance.
Click here to sign up for the CYDaily – the CYD’s newsletter produced daily in Durban throughout the negotiations, November 28-December 9.
Find out more about the roles of each team here.
All members of the CYD are also working to create a public discourse about climate change and climate justice. This includes delivering workshops about climate science, climate justice and real solutions to grade 5-12 classes across Canada, organizing community discussion groups around climate justice, and partnering with other climate-related organizations. The goal of these activities is to spur debate about what climate change means for Canadians, to broaden the diversity of the youth climate movement, and to increase the capacity of the CYCC.
It is crucial to acknowledge that we will not be able to stop climate change in the halls of any international meeting until we create a mass, self-empowering, grassroots movement that is demanding and creating a more just world. We need as many people as possible organizing and taking action at home; find out how you can get involved here.