Having been a part of advocacy since elementary school and been actively involved in stewardship community efforts for the past seven years, I have seen young people’s passion first hand. The twenty-one young women who make up the Women for Nature 2021 mentee cohort are each taking action for environmental justice. 

This year the mentorship program introduced mentee sessions to allow current and alumni mentees to interact and grow their network.  

The first session was on building community and featured Amira Elwakeel and myself. We each shared how we found community in the environmental space. Amira has been doing incredible work in her school and community. She started a Parks Canada Club at the University of Calgary and an environmental group in her community, “ColumbiYA”. Amira’s work represents the initiative young people are taking towards environmental justice.  The session also featured a networking component where I got to learn all about the mentee’s projects. It was so great to hear all the amazing things these young women are doing. Across the country, young women are empowering their communities and fighting for environmental justice. 

The second session featured two incredible mentees, Fallon and Caitlin. They talked about adapting to change. Caitlin was in the process of creating environmental lessons for in-school learning when the pandemic hit, she quickly pivoted her project to translate her initiative to online learning. Fallon was in the process of creating community gardens but faced challenges due to the pandemic. Both of these Nature Leaders were able to adapt and persevere through difficult times. The pandemic has been a significant challenge for many of the mentees, both panellists shared how they adapted during this challenging time.  The session led to a great discussion and I learnt about the phenomenal work of these fellow young women.

Overall, these sessions have created a platform to connect and engage like-minded women. They provide a space to share success, struggle and advice. If you would like to hear more about their environmental projects and their tips and advice about creating change your community, check out the videos above!