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*All recordings are available for 60 days.
July 25
*All registrants will be provided with a link to the recording and presentation slides following the session. The recording will be available for 60 days.
Youth Climate Lab (YCL) leaders discuss their non-profit organization's beginnings, the reasons and motivation for the work and the societal gaps they noticed and were determined to fill by creating the organization.
YCL was founded in 2017 as a response to the absence of opportunities, spaces and resources for young people to take ownership of the climate crisis. They envisioned a world where young people - no matter who they are or where they are from - were supported to catalyze local and global action rooted in climate justice.
During this webinar, YCL considers how to pivot and expand as an organization and particular challenges that exist within youth organizing and how to grow from them. They share key moments in their journey to become a leading youth organization and the structures and mechanisms that were created to ensure continued success. Finally they talk about how they build out and evaluate success in youth engagement within their current work and into the future. After sharing the inspiring YCL origin story and the secrets of their success presenters engage in a lively Q and A.
The Climate Solutions Innovation Forum is a new multi-year program that highlights newer innovative environmental nonprofits who share the story to inspire emerging leaders and/or to expose seasoned leaders to new ways of affecting change and reaching new audiences. CSIF shines a light on less traditional policy-oriented NGOs, youth led organizations as well as recently emerged culturally-focused ENGOs mostly at the fringes of the mainstream.
We thank the Ivey Foundation for their funding support of this series.
Our Presenters:
CORY WITTER is Executive Director of Youth Climate Lab. Cory creates the organization's strategy, ensures equity is integrated and practiced in all facets of YCL’s work and builds relationships to expand the impact of our work. Cory has worked in the nonprofit sphere since 2017 with a focus on finance, operations, and business development for youth-focused organizations. Her passions revolve around climate justice, food security, LGBTQ+ social justice, mental health, and empowering/supporting youth to be change makers in their communities. Cory graduated with a first class honours degree in international development and economics from Dalhousie University with certificates in intercultural communication and indigenous studies. In 2024, they graduated from John Molson School of Business with a diploma in business administration.
ANA GONZALEZ GUERRERO is co-founder and former Managing Director of Youth Climate Lab and currently Senior Manager, Climate and Cities at MaRS Discovery District in Toronto. She led an Innovation Fund across six countries through the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ (FCM) and worked closely with local-level actors through the Municipalities for Climate Innovation Program. In 2017, Ana co-founded Youth Climate Lab, where she oversaw the operations, programs, and co-led the vision and strategy of the organization. She is the Vice-Chair of the Tamarack Institute’s Board of Directors, and served as an advisor to Canada’s National Adaptation Strategy. Ana holds an MSc Sustainability, Enterprise and the Environment as a Linbury Trust Scholar from the University of Oxford.
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