Youth
Climate Lab

We are a Youth-for-youth lab dedicated to creating innovative projects for climate action.

WHAT WE DO

WE DESIGN, PILOT, AND SCALE EXPERIMENTS THAT TACKLE PROBLEMS FACED BY YOUNG PEOPLE AROUND THE GLOBE IN THEIR FIGHT AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE.

Young people shake things up and spark action beyond the status quo. Our work is focused on enabling youth to re-imagine and rebuild the flawed systems holding in place climate inaction, so that we can achieve a just, climate-resilient world. We do so by creating projects that focus on driving three large shifts.

SKills Shift

*We’re equipping youth on the frontlines to create the climate futures they deserve, no matter their geographies, disciplines or lived experiences.*
We’re helping youth hone the skills to be creative leaders, systems thinkers, radical collaborators, and creative problem solvers who can lead collective action, implement community-driven climate solutions, and thrive in an age of uncertainty.

Policy Shift

*We’re creating new-to-the-world Labs that bridge art-based approaches, radical collaboration, and climate justice to spark inclusive policy solutions.*
We’re designing projects that foster meaningful and disruptive collaborations, in order to create policy solutions anchored in intergenerational equity. We’re doing this by working with young creatives to include art-based approaches to build empathy, explore and uncover important narratives, and facilitate policy dialogues in new ways.

Finance Shift

*We’re fostering new pathways to catalyze finance and scale youth-led ideas everywhere.*
We’re convening an ecosystem of support, namely funders and partners, to develop innovative financing mechanisms to build the capacity of young climate leaders and entrepreneurs, and help them scale their transformative ideas.

read our impact report

watch us in Action

Website icons-4.png — INFILtration manual

The Infiltration Manual aims to demystify municipal governance structures and provide youth with practical knowledge and tools on how to take climate action at the local level.
*Check out other resources in the YCL Toolbox.*

Website icons-2.png — **PARTNER WITH US**

Partnerships are at the heart of everything we do. Since our inception, we’ve worked with a wide range of partners, including youth, civil society organizations, national governments, Indigenous communities and international organizations.
*Find out how to work with us.*

Climate Action CohortS

We’re bridging the gaps between policy decisions, community action, and youth engagement, while empowering the next generation of climate leaders.

Learn more about our current Cohorts and Collectives.

Website icons.png — YCL turns 3!

We’ve worked with our staff, Board of Directors, and partners to detail the impact we’ve had over the last three years, and where we want to go for the next three.
*Check out our Impact Report.*

Learn More About Our Work

CONNECT with us

Stay up to date on our new projects & opportunities by following us on social media.

Meet Hasina Kamanzi (@ha.ha.ha.sina ) the third artist from Part 2 of our Moving the Needle campaign🎨 Swipe to see some of her past work and her plans for the upcoming Virtual Gallery➡️

Well said🙌🏽 Go check out @larissa_speaks and her work at @ancestorsfuture if you haven’t already🌍

Introducing the second artist from Part 2 of our Moving the Needle Project: Monika Rumbolt (@nomadic_northerner_ )🎨 Swipe to see some of her past work and her plans for the upcoming Virtual Gallery🌍

Today is Indigenous Peoples Day!

We’re calling on you to action. Read a book by an Indigenous author, share Indigenous artwork, learn whose land you're on, learn about Indigenous organizations and celebrate the cultures, resiliency, and achievements of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples🌍 🎨: @chiefladybird

We’re excited to share Part 2 of our Moving the Needle Project, a creative space for youth to share their insights and ideas on how to accelerate the low-carbon transition here in Canada🌍

In Part 1, we created a video series and hosted policy jams across the country based on three big questions: “Where are we now?” “Where are we going?” and “How do we get there?“ Then COVID-19 hit. We pivoted to an approach that would welcome in diverse perspectives in an heavily hit industry.

Instead of in-person events, we decided to hire 5 young artists to answer these same questions using an art-based approach. What they’ve come up with so far is pretty is amazing, and we’re excited to share it in the upcoming weeks in a Virtual Gallery. But first, let’s introduce the artists, starting with Christina Su. Swipe to see an art sample and learn about her approach to the project🎨

Young people are leading the fight for a safe, livable future for all, yet lack access to the resources needed to scale their cross-cutting ideas, collaborations and solutions🌍
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Much of our work so far as been focused on delivering programs that provide early-stage entrepreneurship support. While we’re proud to have supported nearly 50 youth-led ventures, it's not enough to address the systemic barriers that have led to the lack of access to resources for youth. A shift is needed to tackle the uneven distribution of finance.
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Over the next few years, we will focus on fostering new ways to catalyze funds for youth-led climate ideas everywhere. We’re excited to work with partners around the globe to develop and facilitate innovative financing mechanisms to build the capacity of young climate leaders and entrepreneurs, and help them scale their transformative ideas💡
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For more info on this objective, check out our full report up on our website - link in bio✨

We have yet to see the intersectional and inclusive policy needed to rapidly decarbonize and leave no one behind. This needs to change, and young people – our ideas, passion and ingenuity– are the critical agents to do so🌍
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Over the last three years, we’ve designed projects that have sparked nearly 100 new, youth-led ideas and recommendations for ambitious climate policy. For the next three, we plan to do more.
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We will create new Labs that bridge art-based approaches, radical collaboration and climate justice to spark inclusive policy solutions. To do so, we plan to work with young creatives to help facilitate and mainstream ambitious solutions in new ways.
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For more info on this strategic objective, and the impact we’ve had so far, check out our full report up on our website - link in bio✨

Over the next three years, we're excited to focus our efforts on equipping youth, particularly those on the frontlines, with the tools needed to create the climate futures they deserve🌍
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Since 2017, we've developed projects that have helped youth from over 77 countries build a range of skills and take concrete climate action.
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By design, young people who are given these opportunity are often located in urban centres, with access to higher-education and resources. We recognize the importance of continuing to activate programs in remote and rural areas💡
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This is one of 3 strategic objectives that will guide our next chapter as an organization. Read more about these, and our impact so far in our full report - link in bio✨

Youth Climate Lab