UPDATE
Pivot Greeners Tom Scanlan and Heather Wilson had the honour of presenting the St James Town Climate Action CREW with their first-place Canadian Youth Climate Action Award plaque and cheque on June 22, 2024, in Wellesley Park. It was inspiring to hear about the incredible work of these dedicated volunteers and learn about their plans for the future. Congratulations once again to our first-place winners!
Congratulations to the St James Town Climate Action CREW for winning the first place Canadian Youth Climate Action Award. This is a Toronto-based, intergenerational group whose goal is to prepare high-rise, low-income racialized residents to be ready before, during, and after extreme weather emergencies occur. In the appraisal of the judges, this program is very likely to save lives. At its core, it is about neighbours taking care of one another.
The 12 youth volunteers who are part of the SJT Climate Action Crew have a strong commitment to the Heat Wave Project, and in particular a commitment to supporting vulnerable residents who may need extra support during emergencies. There is a strong intergenerational support aspect of this work, which brings together seniors and youth who can support and learn from each other. The project recruited and integrated the perspectives of multiple generations including seniors (who are particularly vulnerable during extreme heat events) and youth, whose perspectives are often overlooked in policy decisions.
This year they want to train and support local youth volunteer leaders to learn how neighbours can help prevent heat-related illnesses and deaths and how to prepare for emergency events such as a power outage, heatwave, or a storm. They also want to create a youth leadership hub in their neighbourhood to train and support local youth volunteers to take leadership roles in community emergency preparedness for extreme weather events, which will be a model for learning and greater scale-up.
Learn more about the St James Town project here.
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