Youth Climate Action Conference

While on maternity leave in winter 2022, elementary teacher Hilary Coburn of Owen Sound had an idea for a one-day conference to bring together students from local elementary schools to inspire them to tackle climate action. With support from local climate action teams, the Youth Climate Action Conference was born.

The Youth Climate Action Conference (YCAC) is a one-day conference that serves as a platform for students, educators, and community organizations to come together, learn, and collaborate on climate action projects. The organizers focus on creating a safe space and offering engaging activities for students to learn about how people of all ages can make a difference through their actions.

YCAC 1.0 in March 2023 - 5 Schools! 

In March 2023, the inaugural conference brought together 50 students from 5 local schools at the Harmony Centre in Owen Sound. It featured more than half a dozen speakers in the morning, then students worked with local volunteer facilitators to develop their own action plans in the afternoon. To read more about the inaugural event, check out the Sun Times article!

YCAC 2.0 in November 2023 - 10 Schools! 

Recognizing that holding the conference earlier in the school year would allow students more time to implement their projects, the organizers decided to host the second conference in November 2023 at Sydenham Campus in Owen Sound. This time, with leadership from The Sustainability Project, partnership from Grey County, and support from several other community organizations, YCAC 2.0 brought together 60 students from 10 schools across Grey and Bruce. Check out the highlight reel or full recording from the second conference!

YCAC 3.0 in November 2024 - 27 Schools! 

The third Youth Climate Action Conference, on November 7, 2024, was the biggest yet – bringing together over 130 elementary students and more than 30 educators from 27 schools across Grey and Bruce! For YCAC 3.0, The Sustainability Project and Grey County partnered with Learning for a Sustainable Future (LSF), a national charity that has been working for over 30 years to integrate sustainability education into Canada’s school system. LSF brought a wealth of expertise and federal funding, which supported supply coverage to allow teachers to participate, a full day of professional development for teachers, and event coordination support. Participating schools also received access to a library of virtual workshops to keep learning with their whole class and $500 in action project funding. 

The Sustainability Project raised over $10,000 in sponsorships from local community organizations, climate action teams, municipalities, and individuals to support the conference and youth action projects. Thank you to Community Foundation Grey Bruce, Georgian College, Owen Sound Field Naturalists, Saugeen Nature, Stewardship Grey Bruce, Wiarton Rotary Club, Township of Georgian Bluffs, Township of Southgate, Municipality of Grey Highlands, and Municipality of Arran-Elderslie, as well as individual donors.

Combined with LSF’s contributions, the event was able to leverage over $40,000 in funding and collaboration from 20+ organizations.

Following the conference, students went back to their schools and communities and used the $500 grant from the conference to implement their own project! The 2024-2025 action projects resulted in:

• 582 students reached directly, 7,204 students reached indirectly, 266 teachers reached, and 5,676 parents/community members reached
• 1,116 kg of waste diverted from landfill, including 741kg of organic material and 1,028kg of compost produced
• 20 trees planted, 104 plants/shrubs planted, and 46 animal habitats (e.g. bird/bat houses, insect hotels) installed
• 13 climate/sustainability events held at school
• 500 items upcycled/repurposed

To learn more about these projects, check out the 2024-2025 YCAC Action Project Final Report.

Now we're getting ready for YCAC 4.0 at the Bayshore on Tuesday, October 28, 2025!