Developing youth sustainability leaders of today and tomorrow

Young people care deeply about the fate of the planet, its people, and their future. Given the opportunity, youth have great power to influence positive change in their communities. The IMPACT! Sustainability Champions Training program is a call to passionate, motivated youth who are looking for an opportunity to make a difference.

In partnership with many organizations, The Co-operators and The Natural Step Canada are collaboratively offering the IMPACT! Sustainability Champions Training across Canada.

This offering is one of the main elements of IMPACT! The Co-operators Youth Program for Sustainability Leadership, recognized by Canada’s Clean50 as the Top Project for 2015 for its outstanding contribution to sustainable development and clean capitalism.

Apply to the Sustainability Champions Trainings

Change makers wanted

This is an incredible opportunity for youth across Canada who care about sustainability and want to make a difference in their community. Participants will deepen their sustainability understanding, enhance their confidence as leaders, and be empowered to develop or advance meaningful sustainability projects and social enterprises.

This inspiring program is a high-impact offering that builds the capacity of young leaders to act strategically to address the environmental, social, and economic challenges facing their communities. Through the program, youth develop and implement new initiatives, or take a leadership role to scale up existing initiatives, to effectively respond to these issues. Together, the participants will help build healthy and vibrant communities.

The program is anchored by a 2.5-day in-person workshop in several regions across Canada. Following the workshop, each participant is expected to develop and implement a local sustainability project or social enterprise that will help improve their community. Participants receive top-notch training, project development tools, as well as mentorship for 4 months following the workshop to ensure their initiatives have the highest chance of success. Participants will also learn about funding opportunities to launch or scale up their initiatives.

Source: The Natural Step