Fall 2021 | Lab 5: Activating Our Climate Community
What are climate stories and why are they important to Metro Vancouver?
Each year, the alarm for urgent climate action gets louder, yet we don’t see the massive systemic changes that we need to change our trajectory. The increase in extreme weather events throughout BC and Canada, the Fairy Creek blockades against old growth logging, the climate conversations leading up to the recent election, the disproportionate effects of the pandemic on vulnerable communities: all of these events, among others, heighten the eco-anxiety and grief about climate change being felt many people, particularly youth.
While our stories are deeply personal, they are informed and shaped by the communities we are a part of, by choice or otherwise; and we have opportunities to inspire climate action in these communities. The places we gather, the friends we have, our places of employment and sports teams, our communities of faith, book clubs, hobby clubs, spin/dance/yoga classes: these ware just a few examples of communities where we have influence and I’m sure as you’re reading this you’re quietly listing off others…
Each of these communities represents a unique opportunity to bring climate to the forefront of conversation. Here are opportunities to deeply understand the needs of the community you are a part of to create a custom communication strategy and narratives for the greatest impact.
We know that climate conversations can not be had in isolation, they draw on principles of justice, equity, and decolonization, as well as the impacts felt across a variety of social, economic and environmental levels.
Since these declarations are largely symbolic gestures, we asked:
- Who is missing from conversations around climate change and how do we embed a strong equity lens within this work? How can we centre those who are most impacted as we design solutions and activations?
- What can we learn about what works well when communicating on climate change, and embed that into inspiring climate action within our communities?
- How do we weave hope into our narratives, while still holding space for climate anxiety and grief?
- How can youth voice their concerns and meaningfully engage with local governments to advance initiatives that trigger positive change at the local level?
- What role do community activations play in creating systemic change?
We answered these questions with our fifth Envirolab cohort, and explored the challenges and opportunities for cities across Metro Vancouver to proactively work with youth in adapting our ecological, social and economic systems. By learning with local knowledge keepers and experts in the fields of local governance, economics, sea-level rise, community engagement, landscape and ecological restoration, climate adaptation, population displacement, and more, participants were equipped to design projects, actions, and/or products that addressed the urgency of our community to rethink and refocus what it means to develop climate communication strategies and initiatives.
Session Dates
The 13 sessions were hosted over 14 weeks beginning November 2021 and ran virtually until February 2022; sessions ran 6-8:30pm PST:
Cohort Welcome + Community Building
Session 1: Welcome Night – NOV 17th
Inspiration & Knowledge (diving deep into the subject area)
Session 2: Climate Change & Climate Communications pt.1 – NOV 24th
Session 3: Climate Change & Climate Communications pt.2 – DEC 1
Session 4: Understanding our the audience & community – DEC 8
Ideation & Innovation (understanding the problem space towards solution building)
Session 5: Sharing the narrative – DEC 15
WINTER BREAK
Session 6: Building our Community Activations – JAN 5
Session 7: Building your vision – JAN 12
Session 8: Understanding your impact – JAN 19
Session 9: Project Development – JAN 26
Implementation & Action (project development)
Session 10: Climate Comms & Sharing your story – FEB 2
Session 11: Community Feedback – FEB 9 [week 1 of delivering your community activation project]
Session 12: Project Narratives – FEB 16 [week 2 of delivering your community activation project]
Session 13: Peer Feedback Night + Cohort Celebration – FEB 23
Final Event Nights (public community presentations) – MARCH 9
CityHive’s Envirolab program supports young people in Metro Vancouver, ages 18-30, from a variety of backgrounds to dive deep into pressing urban sustainability challenges & opportunities in their communities, and create projects that address these challenges.
With generous support from the Lawson Foundation and Vancity Community Foundation, CityHive is hosting 5 labs in the span of 3 years between 2019-2021. The first lab in Fall 2019 focused on Lighter Footprint, and the second lab in Spring 2020 on Climate Emergency, the third lab in Fall 2020 on Zero Waste & Circular Economies, and our fourth lab in the summer or 2021 on Climate Adaptation. As our team at CityHive adjusts to the regulations of the COVID -19 pandemic, Labs 3-5 were hosted virtually.
CityHive would like to thank our Steering Committee partners for their support and guidance. Our Envirolab themes have been developed and selected with great support and insight from our Steering Committee partners. The themes represent some of the most relevant and pressing environmental gaps, opportunities and challenges existing within Metro Vancouver.
STEERING COMMITEE
PARTNERS
This program wouldn’t be possible without the generous support of:
FAQs (You’ve got questions & we’ve got answers!)
When does the program start and how long is it?
The program starts on November 17th, 2021, and runs weekly on Wednesday evenings through until February 28th, 2022. We will take a break at the end of December and start again the first week of January.
How long does the program run each week?
The program is hosted virtually for 2.5 hours each week. See complete schedule and dates below. You can expect to spend between 1-4 hours of additional time outside of program time working on your ideas and running your community activation in 2022.
How do I apply?
You can apply using the link at the top of this page to complete a written application. You can also choose to complete a 3-5 minute video application here. Applications are open until October 31st @ 11:59 pm PST.
How much does it cost to join?
Our programs are free to you! There is zero cost to join the Envirolab. We do offer additional honorariums and financial support (up to a maximum of $150 per participant to support you during the duration of the program).
I haven’t been a part of a program like this before – is that okay?
The Envirolab is meant to be an entry point into climate action, in fact, we encourage youth who have never been a part of this type of program to apply! It’s very much encouraged. We work with a great team of facilitators and knowledge holders to make sure content is accessible and inclusive to all participants – regardless of level of knowledge coming into this program.
I don’t live in Vancouver, is that okay?
CityHive runs programming for youth from all across the Metro Vancouver area. Our programs are place based because we want to support building meaningful connections with our peers in our communities. We welcome participants drawing on experiences and perspectives they hold from regions outside of Metro Vancouver but at this time are not able to welcome participants who live outside of this region to attend
Who will I meet?
We bring together a diverse group of 25-30 youth with a range of backgrounds. You will meet other youth participants who are just as eager as you to take climate action, local government officials and decision makers, thought leaders and subject matter experts as well as have chances to meet members of the community, past program participants and our amazing team of facilitators.
What do we do during the program sessions?
GREAT question! Our program sessions are pretty jam packed. Our sessions are hosted virtually – always leaving time for sufficient breaks – and encourage active participation. We blend together content delivery and workshops with dialogue, group discussions, breakout sessions and peer to peer learning. You can expect that we will deliver a presentation and invite you into conversation with your peers as we learn together.
What’s the goal of this program?
This program is designed to do three things: (1) support you in building a network of connections and relationships across the Metro Vancouver region, (2) catalyze collaborative, meaningful youth led action by working on a climate action project that you can deliver in your community, and (3) develop a solution driven community activation that creates real world impact in your community.
Will I get to work on a project with my peers?
YES! Working with your peers is part of the learning process in the Envirolab! This lab is different in that you will work with a group of peers for part of your learning, but you’ll work individually to run an activation project in your community. WHY you ask – everyone holds a deep connection to a very personal and different community. By tapping into these communities we hope that each of the Envirolab participants will be able to run multiple activations.
Everyone is talking about Climate Change and I feel overwhelmed – wanting to participate but not knowing what to do. Will this program help?
Many individuals who experience eco-anxiety feel stressed about the effects of climate change on themselves, their families, community, and the planet. Increasing media attention on climate change help to spread awareness of the importance of climate action, but this can also worsen climate change-related anxiety and overwhelm that we feel on a daily basis. This program aims to bring together youth in a safe environment to explore how their personal experiences and climate stories can be the catalyst for action. For more information about eco-anxiety – check out this article from Mind Map BC. And check out these great resources for working with climate emotions from All We Can Save here