FBC Youth Program
The FBC Youth Program supports BC youth to engage in sustainability initiatives, deepen their understanding of complex issues, gain skills and show leadership to serve the places where they live, study, work and play.
FBC Youth Director & Advisory Committee
Youth engagement and capacity building are important in all our work!
A Youth Director, Ann Duong, serves on FBC’s Board to bring a youth voice to discussions and consensus-building.
FBC initiatives for BC youth are shaped by a Youth Advisory Committee, which also supports the Youth Director and provides input on sustainability issues.
Check out highlights below and learn more on the FBC Youth website!
Down to You Podcast
Take a listen to the DOWN TO YOU podcast! In this unique podcast series, youth guests from throughout BC have shared their work to reduce their climate footprint inspiring ideas for a net-zero future.
Listen & subscribe on your favourite podcatcher, or visit the Down to You podcast site!
Co-Creating a Sustainable BC
Want to change the world? See how BC youth are doing it, starting with their own communities!
Co-Creating a Sustainable BC (CCSBC) is a multi-year initiative of the FBC Youth Program. CCSBC supports youth participants as they deepen their understanding of the social, economic and environmental aspects of sustainability. They take what they’ve learned to design and implement projects that will have a direct and positive impact in their own communities. By the end of the program, participants come away with greater confidence to advocate for change and to realize a shared vision of a healthy and thriving community.
Over several successful years, it’s been a valuable experience for all!
2023-2024 Youth Cohort Projects
Seeking inspiration? See the youth-led CCSBC projects that rolled out in 2024!
Local Food Growing with Kids & Community
– Fraser Valley Youth Cohort Project
Fraser Valley kids show enthusiasm for learning about growing fruits and vegetables close to home and in a habitat-friendly way. Photo: Cherry Tam, FBC.
Dig in! One of five school workshops on veggie gardening. Photo: Cherry Tam, FBC.
In Spring 2024, the CCSBC youth cohort in the Fraser Valley developed and hosted five classroom workshops and two community-wide workshops at local community gardens in the Fraser Valley to talk about local food growing.
School events reached 120 elementary and middle-school students eager to learn about growing fruits and vegetables in a sustainable and habitat-sensitive way. It was also a way to see how, even in an urban context, positive actions can contribute to sustainability, food security and environmental stewardship.
Community workshops drew both adults and children Families took away tips on sustainable growing, plus seeds and supplies for their home gardens.
In all, the Fraser Valley youth encouraged over 250 people of all ages to get growing!
Check out Climate Stories — in the Human Library!
– Prince George Youth Cohort Project
Prince George youth host a human library event. Photo: Md Sultanur Ashikin.
Don’t want to judge a book by its cover? When it comes to people, that means skipping the superficial and getting to the substance. It means a real conversation!
The Human Library concept originated in Denmark in 2000 and has since expanded to 80 countries. It offers a way for a reader to “check out” a person, rather than a book, and to learn about a life experience different from their own.
The Prince George youth cohort created a human library event with a focus on climate change impacts. Working with Eco Living Community and the University of Northern British Columbia, they opened the library door during UNBC’s Green Week.
Climate is expected to drive more extreme weather events, including long, hot dry summers and related risks, such as drought and wildfires. Two people volunteered to share their experiences as Initial Attack Crew Supervisors in the Prince George fire zone during a past wildfire season. The human side of headline news really matters — and this was a chance for 40 people to drop by and learn about life on the front line of wildfires, a community safety issue of concern to all.
Cozy Care Initiative
– East Kootenay Youth Cohort Project
Youth in the East Kootenay cohort wanted to help unhoused and low-income people in Cranbrook better protect themselves from the cold temperatures and weather extremes. This inspired them to kickstart the Cozy Care Initiative.
They first reached out to Community Connections Society and Street Angels in Cranbrook to get an idea of what is most needed. Next, they created five donation stations in their own neighbourhoods to collect quality winter gear and they took in extra donations from Mission Thrift in Cranbrook. They gathered the goods, sorted by size and assembled care packages, adding new items like socks and hand warmers. They also created an educational pamphlet on climate readiness and local support resources.
Special thanks to all helping on the project, including Mission Thrift, and to the Cranbrook Foodbank, which distributed the packages to those in need.
CCSBC’s East Kootenay youth assemble care packages for distribution in Cranbrook. Photo: Lindsay Sackett, FBC.
Contacts
Reach out to the Youth Program by contacting:
Sonja Dodig
Youth Program Manager
Cherry Tam
Manager, Youth Initiatives
Top banner photo: Fraser Valley youth cohort on a tour of Archway Urban Farm in Abbotsford. Photo: Cherry Tam, FBC.
