Students Call For Action On Climate Change
Two peers and myself organize a day long action training called "Countdown to Copenhagen" to help students learn about and get involved in advocacy campaigns to stop climate change.
U of T wrote an article about our training. Pretty cool!
http://www.news.utoronto.ca/student-life/students-call-for-action-on-climate-change.html
Students call for action on climate change
Organized training session for student environmental activists
By Tammy Thorne, posted Friday, October 9, 2009
Two U of T students are leading the climate change charge on campus.
Through their work with Climate Action Network Canada (CAN-C) Jessica Bell and Lauryn Drainie organized a day-long activist training event on the St. George campus on Oct. 9 called Countdown to Copenhagen.
"It's to give students the skills needed to mobilize on campus for climate change," said Bell. "We want to take people from interested to active."
Well-known environmental organizations like Greenpeace and the Sierra Youth Coalition taught students about lobbying, campaign strategy, media work, peaceful civil disobedience and direct action.
The 40-plus registrants connected with fellow potential environmental activists and learned what it takes to be an effective lobbyist, among other things.
"The first thing we do is outline all the opportunities that people can choose from to get involved in the Canadian climate change movement, which can range from writing a story for the student newspaper to raising funds to go to Copenhagen to participate in all the activity there. I mean, it's quite an experience to go and see history being made. It's not often that international negotiations like this happen."
The University of Toronto Environmental Resource Network (UTERN) and the Centre for Environment will provide some funding for about 10 students to attend the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen on Dec 7 to 18. It is hoped that world leaders will agree on a binding framework to deal with climate change globally.
Bell's motivation is rooted in her belief that Canada, more so than other countries, need to be a leader - not a laggard - when it comes to taking action on climate change.
"We are in the unique position to pressure the Canadian government which is one of the few countries that is stymieing negotiations internationally right now," said the 31-year old Master's student.
Bell came to Toronto in January 2009 to study adult education and community development at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education after working as a political activist for seven years in the United States.
"I've lived in Australia, the United States and Canada and all of those countries are the worst of the worst when it comes to climate change. It's kind of funny because I'm in a new country but it's the same issue: rich countries that have a lot of their industry invested in resource extractions like oil and coal who are fighting every step of the way when it comes to actually doing the right thing and reducing emissions," she said.
As climate fellow for the Climate Action Network Canada, undergraduate Lauryn Drainie also played a key role in organizing the event and more broadly in helping mobilize students on climate change.
The 21-year-old environmental policy major attended the international UN Climate Negotiations in Poznan, Poland last December and worked closely with youth and negotiators from small island developing states (SIDS) in the South Pacific.
"I was shocked at how under-represented they were in the negotiations, especially as they will be the first and worst hit by climate change," she said. "When I returned to Toronto I decided that I would devote my entire year to campaigning and mobilizing for Copenhagen."
Drainie is also one of the organizers behind the "Voices for Climate Justice Speaking Tour" which will be held at Hart House on Oct. 20 from 7 to 9 p.m.
U of T wrote an article about our training. Pretty cool!
http://www.news.utoronto.ca/student-life/students-call-for-action-on-climate-change.html
Students call for action on climate change
Organized training session for student environmental activists
By Tammy Thorne, posted Friday, October 9, 2009
Two U of T students are leading the climate change charge on campus.
Through their work with Climate Action Network Canada (CAN-C) Jessica Bell and Lauryn Drainie organized a day-long activist training event on the St. George campus on Oct. 9 called Countdown to Copenhagen.
"It's to give students the skills needed to mobilize on campus for climate change," said Bell. "We want to take people from interested to active."
Well-known environmental organizations like Greenpeace and the Sierra Youth Coalition taught students about lobbying, campaign strategy, media work, peaceful civil disobedience and direct action.
The 40-plus registrants connected with fellow potential environmental activists and learned what it takes to be an effective lobbyist, among other things.
"The first thing we do is outline all the opportunities that people can choose from to get involved in the Canadian climate change movement, which can range from writing a story for the student newspaper to raising funds to go to Copenhagen to participate in all the activity there. I mean, it's quite an experience to go and see history being made. It's not often that international negotiations like this happen."
The University of Toronto Environmental Resource Network (UTERN) and the Centre for Environment will provide some funding for about 10 students to attend the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen on Dec 7 to 18. It is hoped that world leaders will agree on a binding framework to deal with climate change globally.
Bell's motivation is rooted in her belief that Canada, more so than other countries, need to be a leader - not a laggard - when it comes to taking action on climate change.
"We are in the unique position to pressure the Canadian government which is one of the few countries that is stymieing negotiations internationally right now," said the 31-year old Master's student.
Bell came to Toronto in January 2009 to study adult education and community development at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education after working as a political activist for seven years in the United States.
"I've lived in Australia, the United States and Canada and all of those countries are the worst of the worst when it comes to climate change. It's kind of funny because I'm in a new country but it's the same issue: rich countries that have a lot of their industry invested in resource extractions like oil and coal who are fighting every step of the way when it comes to actually doing the right thing and reducing emissions," she said.
As climate fellow for the Climate Action Network Canada, undergraduate Lauryn Drainie also played a key role in organizing the event and more broadly in helping mobilize students on climate change.
The 21-year-old environmental policy major attended the international UN Climate Negotiations in Poznan, Poland last December and worked closely with youth and negotiators from small island developing states (SIDS) in the South Pacific.
"I was shocked at how under-represented they were in the negotiations, especially as they will be the first and worst hit by climate change," she said. "When I returned to Toronto I decided that I would devote my entire year to campaigning and mobilizing for Copenhagen."
Drainie is also one of the organizers behind the "Voices for Climate Justice Speaking Tour" which will be held at Hart House on Oct. 20 from 7 to 9 p.m.
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