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In this section you will find ideas for climate action grouped under five different, but interconnected, strategies. Each strategy has merit, and each has already been implemented by youth in the TDSB.
Where should we start?
The best place to start is with a strategy that you and your peers feel comfortable with, and that you believe can have an impact on your community.
Your “community'' could include your school, parents of students in the school, people in the neighbourhood, local businesses, local faith groups, or sports groups. Regardless of the strategy that is applied, targeting community action campaigns towards an audience that you are familiar with and have already established a relationship with will make it easier for you to gain their trust.
To develop a climate action project that will best serve the needs of your community, consider taking the following steps:
1. IDENTIFY YOUR COMMUNITY'S NEEDS
1. IDENTIFY YOUR COMMUNITY'S NEEDS
Begin by gathering available information to inform the focus of your climate action project. Identifying your community’s priorities will help to ensure that your climate action project is meaningful and relevant. To gather information, consider the following:
Review TransformTO,Toronto’s climate strategy, to familiarize yourself with Toronto’s targets and start thinking about how you can help share and achieve them.
Do a walk around your local community and consider the following questions:
What opportunities exist to make it easier for community members to reduce their carbon footprint? Think about buildings, electricity, transportation (e.g. promoting public transit, safe walking and cycling).
What are local organizations (e.g., businesses, faith groups) doing to reduce their carbon footprint?
Are there some interesting projects and initiatives already underway that you could learn about and help with (e.g. tree planting, naturalization, food waste reduction programs)?
Does your community organize any festivals or events that you might be able to influence?
Does your community need to get together to talk to each other about climate change?
What are your community's needs? (e.g., food security, access to public transit, access to housing, access to information in different languages)
Survey your group members to see what people care most about and what kind of climate action they think your group should take for maximum impact.
Survey other youth in your school (EcoClub, class or people in the hallways). Ask them what kind of climate action they think is most needed in your local community. At the same time you can ask them if they are willing to help with a campaign.
Make an inventory of the different skills and interests of people in your group, and think about using those as a starting point for action. If people aren’t too sure of their skills, invite them to take the Story of Stuff’s Changemaker Quiz. This online tool can be used to help people understand the special skills they can contribute to any campaign.
Once you have an idea or two, review the different strategies being proposed in this guide to see which one is best suited for your interests and skills.
2. CREATE A PLAN
2. CREATE A PLAN
Regardless of the strategy you choose to start with, making a plan can help guide the successful implementation of your climate action. A well developed plan will help you think through what you are realistically trying to accomplish, who your target audience is, and the roles of each group member. It will also help you think strategically about how your action is actually helping Toronto to achieve its climate targets in TransformTO. Some of this information will come in handy for communicating about your climate action project.
Remember to remain flexible - you may need to make changes to your plan as you go along.
Consider using this Community Climate Action Plan template to help with your planning (make a copy in your own Google account to fill it in).
3. CHOOSE A STRATEGY
3. CHOOSE A STRATEGY
4. WORK WITH PARTNERS
4. WORK WITH PARTNERS
Toronto is a large and diverse city, and there are many groups of people and organizations that may be willing to partner with you or provide some resources to help with a climate action initiative. When you begin to think about who you would like to partner with, consider people/organizations that are:
Already doing climate action work - they can provide you with resources and information
Already doing social justice work in the community - they might be open to working with you on climate justice oriented action, even if this is not their usual area of work
Connected to groups that you want to target as part of your climate action work (e.g. local businesses, faith groups, sports groups, community groups, neighbourhood groups)
If you’re planning to organize any climate action that involves working with community partners, there are some basic things to consider first. This section covers these basics, and also provides a list of some key climate change community partners in the Toronto area.
Some general tips for working with community partners
Find out as much as you can about the organization and their programs before you reach out to them for help or partnership. Be informed and ready!
Think about what you can offer to them, not just what they can do for you.
Whether you reach out to them by text, phone, email or in person, be polite and respectful, and explain clearly who you are and what your group is hoping to do.
If you don’t hear back from an individual/organization after your first attempt, try again. Trying another form of communication may also help.
A teacher or other adult may also be able to help you connect with community partners.
Types of Community Partners
Many organizations in the city of Toronto are keen to work with and support youth-led climate action. For some examples of the types partners you might want to connect with, refer to the overview of community partners.
TDSB Educational Partners
TDSB Educational Partners
The TDSB has formal educational partnerships with a large number of environmental groups in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), who offer educational programming in-person or online during instructional time, and in some instances offer extra-curricular opportunities as well.
We have a shortlist of partners who expressed a desire to help groups with a Youth Climate Action Grant submission.
To find other programming of interest to you, check out the TDSB Educational Partnership (PIMS) website and search using keywords such as “environment”, “ecology” or “climate”. Alternatively, if you know of an organization and want to find out if the TDSB already has a partnership with them, type the organization’s name into the search box.
Key Climate Change Community Partners in the GTA
Key Climate Change Community Partners in the GTA
There are a large number of organizations in the GTA working directly on climate change and climate action that may be able to assist you with information or actions. The following is a list of some of these organizations, but it’s definitely not an exhaustive list. Please let us know if there are any community partners you think should be added to this list.
City of Toronto Environment and Energy Division
The City of Toronto's Environment and Energy Division manages the city's climate action strategy, TransformTO. The City’s Live Green Program provides information and resources for community climate action.
The local chapter of the global Fridays for Future, a youth-led grassroots organization. Fridays for Future Toronto aims to create a space for youth to advocate for a better world that uplifts marginalized voices, follows the principles of climate justice and empowers youth to demand a future that is sustainable and just for all.
A federal not-for-profit organization dedicated to supporting climate action. Project Drawdown works to demystify climate action and accelerate the implementation of climate solutions.
TDSB Environmental Sustainability Community Advisory Committee (ESCAC)
Formed in 2010 as part of the Go Green Climate Change Action Plan, ESCAC was created to help inform the TDSB's environmental policies and programming.
The Atmospheric Fund (TAF)
TAF is a regional climate agency that invests in innovative, promising low-carbon solutions for the GTA and helps scale them up for broad implementation.
A network of over 40 different local climate action groups dedicated to fostering collaboration among diverse, action-oriented organizations working in Toronto to prevent climate breakdown, strengthen climate resilience, and advance climate justice
Toronto Environmental Alliance (TEA)
TEA campaigns locally to find solutions to Toronto's urban environmental problems. As a not-for-profit organization, TEA advocates on behalf of all Torontonians for a green, healthy and equitable city.
Toronto Youth Environmental Council (TYEC)
TYEC was established in 2013 and hosts conferences, events, and awareness campaigns to inspire youth to take action against environmental issues happening both globally and in the city of Toronto.
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