Despite wanting a job that would help combat climate change, it wasnsa国际传媒檛 until Ben Simoni got his graduate degree that he was able to break into the budding industry.
The requirement of multiple degrees plus internships on top of that is what he considers an unreasonable path for those who want to make a living by helping the environment.
Simoni is the executive director of Youth Climate Corps BC, which pays a living wage to young people as it gives them training and inserts them into six-month job contracts in fields like clean-energy retrofitting, ecosystem restoration or responding to climate disasters.
The group has been deploying 17 to 30-year-olds into B.C.sa国际传媒檚 climate change-fighting ventures since 2020 and in November pitched Victoria council on starting a Capital Region program. Despite limited funding, itsa国际传媒檚 already injected 80 youth into jobs where theysa国际传媒檝e completed over 7,000 days of climate action work.
Graduates of the program now hold full-time jobs across a range of sustainable industries, which Simoni said demonstrates the corpssa国际传媒� aim to put a generation of climate-affected youth in the driversa国际传媒檚 seat.
sa国际传媒淲hen we think about key stakeholders in the future of our communities, youth are right up there and right now theysa国际传媒檙e not necessarily being treated that way,sa国际传媒� Simoni said.
sa国际传媒淚f we want to be resilient to climate catastrophes, we have to build up the leadership in our communities and thatsa国际传媒檚 a big part of what this program is about.sa国际传媒�
The non-profitsa国际传媒檚 push for funding support comes as governments want masses of Canadians to retrofit their homes with emissions-reducing tools like heat pumps. Simoni said a project like that takes months in Nelson, where hesa国际传媒檚 based, due to a shortage of those who can do the installation.
It highlights the important environmental initiatives governments are committing to, Simoni said, but also how theysa国际传媒檙e falling short in growing a workforce of youth that will enable the green economy. Preparing the next generation with green job skills is vital for the economy amid a transition away from fossil fuels, he added.
Last month, the International Energy Agency said global demand for oil, coal and natural gas will peak this decade, coinciding with what the watchdog called a sa国际传媒減henomenal rise in clean energy.sa国际传媒�
Victoria hasnsa国际传媒檛 committed to supporting a local program but Simoni said early talks with city staff have been positive. Possible jobs in the capital could include preparing the city for worsening climate events and helping homeowners switch off heating oil sa国际传媒� an expensive and higher-emitting option.
Youth Climate Corpssa国际传媒� focus on tangible, on-the-ground solutions can also help inspire a younger generation that feels helpless right now, the executive director said.
sa国际传媒淵oung people are going to be disproportionately affected by climate change throughout their lives, a lot of them suffer from eco-anxiety,sa国际传媒� he said.
He points to a study in the major medical journal, The Lancet, that found children and young people sa国际传媒� who have little power to elicit change sa国际传媒� are vulnerable to anxiety as they face climate change harming their health and future.
The study surveyed 10,000 global youth aged 16 to 25 and 60 per cent said theysa国际传媒檙e sa国际传媒渧erysa国际传媒� or sa国际传媒渆xtremelysa国际传媒� worried about climate change. That same proportion holds the view that governments are not protecting young people, the planet and future generations, and the majority think governments are both failing and betraying youth.
sa国际传媒淵oung people across our country are feeling this, theysa国际传媒檙e feeling the anxiety that comes with living in a time of climate emergency,sa国际传媒� Victoria MP Laurel Collins said during a Dec. 5 news conference, where she called on Ottawa to fund a Canada-wide Youth Climate Corps.
The Island lawmaker bolstered her call with an Abacus Data poll from November that found a majority of Canadians across the political spectrum support creating a national program. The poll also found about 1.3 million people aged 18 to 35 would sa国际传媒渄efinitelysa国际传媒� enroll and 65 per cent from that age group would consider joining.
sa国际传媒淭his is a program that can give them hope, it can give them a path forward to engage, but it is also a tangible way for us to reduce our emissions, to make our communities more resilient and to deal with the aftermath of devastating climate events,sa国际传媒� Collins said.
The demand for youth climate employment is strong in B.C. as Simoni said their postings for five positions consistently get flooded with over 30 applicants.
sa国际传媒淭here doesnsa国际传媒檛 seem to be much of a shortage of young people that want to work in climate and work on things that benefit their communities,sa国际传媒� he said.
Simoni hopes they can help shift the narrative around climate change to focus on the opportunity of building the economy and creating jobs.
The B.C. corps partners with local governments, environmental organizations and Indigenous groups to have the youth work in roles that are unique to each communitysa国际传媒檚 needs.
In Kamloops, the youth are advising homeowners on programs available to fire-smart their homes or equip the dwellings to better handle extreme heat. Others in Vancouver are restoring wetlands and helping kids learn how to safely ride bikes.
The program also offers variety as training ranges from skilled trades work on how to do emission-reducing retrofit installs, to learning about traditional ecological knowledge from the Masa国际传媒檃mtagila People on North Vancouver Island.
Working in climate empowers youth because they want jobs that align with their values, Simoni said. Their members also enjoy getting to give back to their hometowns.
sa国际传媒淭heysa国际传媒檝e been able to stay in their rural communities and be connected with jobs that are really meaningful to them and their communities.sa国际传媒�
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