PowerShiftCanada_Workshops_English

Workshop Descriptions Workshops Anti - Oppression Visit Another Planet Anti-Oppression Campus Organizing Student Unions for Sustainability A hands on, lived experience on being from another planet to give participants the experience of living as members of traditionally oppressed groups. Amanda Whitten - Women’s Resource Centre from University of Ottawa Why Student Unions should be part of a sustainable campus process; a review of top of Student Unions across Canada that are fully involved. Pascale Geoffroy - Sierra Youth Coalition 41 Indigenous Solidarity Activism: The Role of Allies How can non-Indigenous activists support struggles in affected communities. Eriel Deranger - RAN, Dave Vasey - RAN-Toronto,CSR-Toronto Campaign Planning General tips on planning and running a successful campaign. Vincens Côté - Sierra Youth Coalition Anti-Oppression & Respecting People’s Experiences Talking about Change: Behaviour Change, Motivation Theory, and Outreach This workshop is meant to be a basic introduction to some of the ideas behind anti-oppression and doing anti-oppression work. The workshop will lay down the foundations of what anti-oppression means, how the ideas behind anti-oppression can be put into practice (i.e. strategies), and why anti-oppression is so important to the idea of respecting people and people’s lives. SACOMSS - The Sexual Assault Centre of McGill Students Society A daunting part of working on climate change is changing people’s mind and behaviour. This workshop will give you an overview of behaviour change theory, and tools for raising awareness of climate change on your campus. Tria Donaldson & Jamie Biggar - goBeyond How Post-Sec Institutions Can Save the World Building Safe Spaces Training on how to make a space safe for staff, volunteers, and clients Marcelle Kosman The campus sustainability movement has emerged as one of the biggest forces for action on climate change and sustainability. Yet, to date most of this activity has been focused on campus. Today, we have an opportunity and responsibility to take post-sec institutions beyond the campus, and catalyze regional transformations. Jamie Biggar - U Vic Graduate Student Hosted by the Canadian Youth Climate Coalition How to Engage Campus Administration Don’t agonise, organise! Workshops This workshop focuses on techniques that will allow you to increase the awareness of your project with higher administration on campus, and to gain higher level buy-in. Jonathan Rausseo - University of Ottawa The workshop will go over strategies for effective on-campus organising Noah Stewart & Katherine Giroux-Bougard Effective lobbying Working by Consensus Sometimes working to build a better world seems to involve spending a lot of time in meetings. The way we discuss ideas and make decisions in meetings is just as important as the actions we take afterwards. In this workshop, we’ll look at the consensus decision-making model as one approach that can help make space for everyone, bring out the wisdom in a group and strengthen our movement to keep working together over the long term. We’ll go through the process step by step, explore when this type of decision-making is appropriate and discuss what it takes to make it work. You’ll leave with the tools to facilitate and participate in consensus-based decision-making, as well as with a bit of practice under your belt. Erica Young - Manitoba Environmental Youth Network The workshop will go over strategies for effective lobbying. Noah Stewart & Katherine Giroux-Bougard Climate Science& Solutions Renewable Energy in Canada 42 Community Asset Mapping - Community Organizing Canada’s Energy Future: nuclear, fossil, or renewables? As we move into the climate change era, what choice do we have? The choice to be made is now – either be stuck with more nuclear energy for the next 60 years and its waste for another million, subject the planet to more GHG emissions by burning up all the remaining fossil fuels – OR transition to a 100% renewable electricity grid. What would that look like? This session will discuss the renewable targets we need in Canada and the federal and provincial policies guiding renewable energy development. Angela Bischoff- Ontario Clean Air Alliance & Tim Weis - Pembina Institute This workshop follows the Community Asset Mapping approach to help groups recognize shared assets and move forward with projects using the positive attributes they identify together. Cheryl Ripley - Falls Brook Centre The Science of Climate Change This panel discussion will explore the latest findings in climate science. Leading Canadian scientists will discuss the science behind climate change and the implications that the science has for Express yourself on www.powershiftcanada.org climate policy. This is an exciting chance to hear from our top experts involved in academia and government about the current climate science, communicating it to the public, and applying it to policy. Don’t miss this great opportunity to learn more and ask some questions to our stellar panel! John Smol - Queen’s University , Jacinthe Lacroix - Environment Canada Workshops Communications/New Media Communication: Planning and Tips 43 What can we learn from the past? A climate change perspective from talking trees and gyttja! How to make your actions successful: tips about planning an efficient communication strategy. Pascale Geoffroy - Sierra Youth Coalition Media for Change The science of climate change is largely based upon our understanding of past climatic conditions gleaned from sources such as tree rings, ice cores or lake sediments. The now infamous hockey stick diagram used extensively by the IPCC in their earlier assessments was developed partly from tree ring growth records. But, how do we obtain these records and interpret them? This workshop will explore these tools and illustrate the usefulness of natural archives such as tree rings to investigate past changes in climate. Dr. Michael Pisaric - Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON Reel Youth (RY) is a not-for-profit, media empowerment program supporting young people to create and distribute films about their visions for a more just and sustainable world. In this workshop participants can check out films that other youth have made to address issues in their community, learn more about these issues, and discuss the importance of the youth voice in media to affect change locally and globally. Mike Sheehan - Reel Youth Social Media for Environmental Change Want to connect your organizing efforts with a global network of inspired youth? Learn how to amplify your energies by harnessing the power of new media technologies. Emily Briggs, Chiara Camponeshi & Liam O’Doherty - Takingitglobal Credibility in a Bewildered World If scientists are so sure that humans are causing climate change, why is the public still confused? Why do your friends and relatives still think that global warming might be natural, or even nonexistent? In this interactive workshop, Hosted by the Canadian Youth Climate Coalition Kate from ClimateSight.org explores the societal and journalistic fallacies which have repositioned climate change as an equal-sided controversy, from which everyone is encouraged to form their own opinion. Hopefully it isn’t too late to move the public conversation to something more appropriate to a scientific question. Kate -Climatesight.org Look Mom, I’m on TV!: Gaining National Attention for Grassroots Campaigns Online Workshops New media at COP15 We need YOU! Blogging, podcasting, radio, video, and print media are key to connecting Canadians with the UN climate negotiations and ensuring that our government is held accountable for their actions in Copenhagen, and back home, We need people from all across the country to make sure the message gets out. Come learn more about the CYD’s new media strategy, gain some media skills, and, more importantly, find out how you can join the media team. Canadian Youth Delegation (CYD) This workshop will cover Social Marketing/New Media tools such as Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube and Blogs and how to use them effectively for your campaign. It will discuss the art blog outreach and how to win messaging wars online and will provide an introduction to Google Analytics and Search Engine Optimisation. Adam Miron -Director of Social Marketing Pondstone Communications 44 Label Game/Leadership Wheel Participants will have some time in another’s shoes and feel the effects of stereotyping in our diverse world. Kathryn Meisner and Luke Nares - Me to We Intro to Eco-Journalism The “Intro to Eco-Journalism” workshop will cover why this form of media communication is important as a form of activism and change making. This workshop will give a brief overview of the history and future of eco-journalism. Also, it will give basic training into finding stories; pitching those stories to media outlets; and working in print, broadcast, online (including blogging) journalism. Emily Hunter- Freelance Eco-Journalist Effective Communication About Climate Change This workshop will review recent polling data, discuss which storylines and narratives engage the majority of Canadians and end with top ten tips for speeches, presentations and media relations. Tzeporah Berman- Executive Director, PowerUp Canada “Old” Media Skills In this hands-on workshop, we’ll be building skills for traditional media: print, radio, TV, etc. Canadian Youth Delegation (CYD) Express yourself on www.powershiftcanada.org Workshops “New” Media Skills This hands-on workshops will build skills for new media work - blogs, social networking, webvideo, etc. Canadian Youth Delegation (CYD) Campaign Strategy – How we decide what to do and when to do it to win campaigns Drawing on examples from over 15 years of campaign experience with grassroots groups, Greenpeace International, ForestEthics and now PowerUP Canada Tzeporah will outline key strategy considerations and skills like powermapping, matching your skills and resources to your big ideas and identifying SMART campaign goals. This workshop will help you design effective campaigns and initiatives on climate change. Tzeporah Berman - Executive Director, PowerUp Canada Film/Documentary Skills Come build skills for producing film/ documentaries with members of the CYD. Canadian Youth Delegation (CYD) 45 Community Organizing Inspiring Community Action through Solidarity In this workshop you will gain a broader understanding of community organizing (what it is and what it isn’t). We will present different approaches to building common priorities with community members and challenge some of the common approaches that parachute climate campaigns into communities. We will also develop your skills as organizers to make the links between local and national change. This workshop will involve role-plays, individual action planning, and tools for community organizing. Jeca Glor-Bell - President Sierra Club Canada & Lindsay Telfer - Director Sierra Club Prairie Brainstorming Our Toolbox This workshop will draw on the knowledge and experience of the whole group to develop a list of ideas, tactics and events that participants can take with them for effective climate change campaigning in their own communities and schools. Tzeporah Berman- Executive Director, PowerUp Canada Creative Activism Creative Tactics How do you keep environmental organizing fun, effective, engaging, and creative? All shall be revealed within... Liam O’Doherty - TakingITGlobal Hosted by the Canadian Youth Climate Coalition Domestic Actions and the Tar Sands with the CYD It will take public pressure to see the climate bill C-311 passed this fall in Parliament. By organizing monthly demonstrations and creative actions across Canada in the lead up to Copenhagen, we can hope for greater media coverage and awareness-raising around the urgency of the climate crisis, and have growing dissent towards the lack of effective governmental action and cohesive plan at the UN climate talks. Come learn more about the CYD’s plans for domestic actions and find out where you can be directly involved. Canadian Youth Delegation (CYD) climate change. It needs everyone’s support to get hundreds of thousands more people signed on to their petitions and raising awareness about Canada’s current inadequate approach to reducing our greenhouse gas pollution. The Adopt-an-MP campaign developed by CYCC is a great way of educating our MPs about KyotoPlus and encouraging them to push for bold climate legislation this fall in Parliament. Come find out what the CYD’s strategy is and how you can get involved. Canadian Youth Delegation (CYD) 46 Workshops Greenpeace Action Planning **please note this is a full day workshop In this full day, hands on workshop participants will actually plan and simulate an action from start to finish. Groups will cover affinity group work, roles and responsibilities, legal and action planning, and role plays. By the end of the workshop participants will have developed and be able to carry out an action. Mike Hudema- Greenpeace Canada Serious Play: an Activist Role-Play in Solidarity with Mine-Affected Communities This workshop will be a role-playing game where participants break out into groups and are given roles within a certain mining case study, based on a real-life campaign. Within each group, 4-5 participants will role play as activists from Canada and leaders from affected communities. With the goal of gaining support for your campaign, participants can earn (and lose) energy and support points by interacting with a number of players, representing the government, the media, major shareholders, and the public. Sakura Saunders - Protestbarrick.net, Non-Violent Direct Action 101/ Action Planning 101 Adopt-An-MP and KYOTOPlus with the CYD The CYD is also working on KYOTOPlus a growing coalition of citizens, organizations, and politicians who are in favour of strong governmental action on Introduction to Nonviolent Direct Action: Non-Violent Direct action is at least partially responsible for most of the social and environmental liberties we enjoy today. From a woman’s right to vote, to the 8-hour work day, to the fight for civil rights all of these struggles involved peaceful civil disobedience and direct action. This training provides an interactive introduction to Nonviolent Direct Action and Civil Disobedience. Express yourself on www.powershiftcanada.org Participants will identify the benefits and drawbacks of using NVDA, clarify their personal beliefs about what nonviolence means, and jump into action with few role plays. Mike Hudema- Greenpeace Canada Workshops To the Ends of the Earth: Exploring the Effects of Climate Change in Polar Regions Education 47 Act for Impact This workshop will introduce you to the process of fighting corporate power. We will be dissecting the distribution of power within the corporate model and investigate the different ways activists can engage with corporations. The focus will be on various parts of corporate involvement in environmental issues, mainly using the Tar Sands Industry as an example. You will gain useful skills to communicate with corporations and learn how to effect change in your community. Maryam Adrangi, Indra Noyes, & Crystal Metham - Rainforest Action Network Toronto An exploratory educational presentation and workshop program about the Arctic, Antarctica and climate change. Videoconferencing with the Canadian Arctic will enable northern youth to share their thoughts, stories and perspectives with southern youth regarding health, culture, climate change, conservation, sovereignty and indigenous rights. Participants will be asked to answer such questions as “What does the Arctic mean to you?” and challenged to make climate commitments. Tim Straka, - Education Program Director- Students on Ice Expeditions Perspectives on Environmental Education “Sustainable Campus” Certification This workshop will be about Sierra Youth Coalition’s new initiative: “Sustainable Campus” certification for universities. Learn about how we developed this project, which criteria we chose to evaluate universities and the challenges related to certification. At the moment, it is a successful project in Quebec, but it aims to be Canada wide in a year or two. Discussions, comments and questions are welcome! Geneviève Dufresne - Sierra Youth Coalition In this workshop Lisa will share the experiences and perspectives of an environmental educator and graduate student engaged in theories, movements and ideas around sustainability education, transformative learning, youth agency, and democracy and education. Lisa Glithero - EYES Project and the University of Ottawa Hosted by the Canadian Youth Climate Coalition Environmental Education Awakening The Dreamer Symposium schools, communities and internationally. Jeremy Dias - Founder and Executive Director of Jer’s Vision & The International Day of Pink Workshops The Symposium is the single most profound and effective motivational tool where activists and non-activists alike become informed, hopeful, inspired and empowered to commit themselves to action towards a more just, sustainable and fulfilling world. Climate Change and Climate Justice: An Indigenous Perspective Climate change is estimated to affect many Indigenous communities around the world more than other groups, despite being the least responsible. This workshop will gather Indigenous youth from Canada to discuss how Indigenous (Aboriginal) Peoples are affected by climate change, how they are adapting to it, and what we all can do to support Indigenous communities. The discussion will also touch on Indigenous Peoples from around the world, from Africa to the Amazon. Ben Powless - Indigenous Environmental Network & Lynzii Taibossigai - CYD 48 Environmental Justice Indigenous Solidarity and Environmental Justice This workshop will take participants through basic terminology and definitions of Environmental Justice, Environmental Racism and walk through how to be an ally and work towards Indigenous Solidarity within the Environmental movement. Eriel Tchekwie Deranger - Tar Sands Campainger - Rainforest Action Network. Cooperation, Communication and Ecological Thinking The Intersections: How everything we are talking about is related-and what to do next The goal of this workshop will be to look at the intersections of environmentalism and discrimination. The workshop takes a local and international look at how systems of what we are talking about work together, and Next Steps...what can we do to make a difference in our Cooperation and synergy are a natural part of human societies and all living systems. If someone said to you “You’re bad and stupid,” would you feel motivated or inspired to connect with what was important to you and to change your way of life? (I wouldn’t!) Similarly, when we communicate with others about climate crisis, we can begin to create “power with” partnership and inspire meaningful change, instead of getting stuck in “power over” domination, violence, blame, helplessness or hopelessness. We will be exploring these themes through movement, personal Express yourself on www.powershiftcanada.org Workshops reflection and discussion - playfulness, curiosity, honesty, open hearts and minds are welcomed! Bonita Ford Listen-up everyone...please... pretty please! - Effective group facilitation skills Group facilitation skills are essential for anyone who wants to work collaboratively in groups and organizations today. If you want to increase your understanding of group dynamics and improve your skills at making groups work more effectively, this workshop is for you! You will learn: strategies to encourage individual participation Ways to implement ; participatory decision-making processes About the role of a group ; facilitator and its impact on group dynamics Essential skills, tools and ; techniques needed to be a successful facilitator. Val Cortes, - Leadership Development, Coordinator Student Life Programs, University of Toronto Islands on the Edge: A look at climate change in the Caribbean 49 The workshop will have a twenty minute film with a brief talk about some of the climate justice issues around the vulnerabilities of the Caribbean to climate change. Claire-Helene Heese-Boutin - Caribbean Studies Student Union at U of Toronto Facilitation & Leadership They are such &#*!” Leading through conflict How do you prevent conflict with someone in your group? How do you approach someone with something they don’t want to hear, without making them defensive or angry? Effective communication is essential to maintaining good relationships within groups, and to managing disputes when they arise. This participatory workshop will emphasize learning interpersonal communication skills through role-play and practice. You will learn: How to listen effectively and make people feel heard; Strategies for de-escalating tense situations; Ways to raise concerns without making people defensive or angry; How different communication styles can contribute to conflict and affect group dynamics. Val Cortes, - Leadership Development, Coordinator Student Life Programs, University of Toronto Perspectives on Leadership for Social Change The terms leader and leadership are thought to be essential these days, but often lack meaning. In this workshop you will learn about leadership, from its early beginnings to a new approach of leadership for social change. You will explore a new model that will guide your leadership development as an individual, when working in a group and as a member of society. Val Cortes, - Leadership Development, Coordinator Student Life Programs, University of Toronto Facilitation Training Being able to facilitate diverse groups of people is a fantastic skill to have. In this hands-on workshop, we’ll be building skills for becoming an effective facilitator. Canadian Youth Delegation (CYD) Hosted by the Canadian Youth Climate Coalition Food & Agriculture Climate Change and Adaptation in South Asian Agriculture tion activities will be used to illuminate some points, including a food web exercise. The last third of the workshop will focus on practical skills and actions participants could take to participate in a climate-friendly food system, including gardening, farming, and buying local. Sarah Mohan - USC Canada Staff, Workshops This workshop will look at the concept of resilience and what a resilient food system looks like. In particular, we’ll examine what impacts are being felt by small-scale farmers in rural South Asia, and how they are adapting their agricultural practices to climate change. We’ll discuss different visions of adaptation, including how farmers can cooperate with scientists to resist corporate domination of the input market. This workshop will draw on the experience of USC Canada’s partner organizations and friends in Nepal and India Kate Green - USC Canada Staff Green Jobs/ Economy The Triple ‘E’ Crisis in Canada 50 Eating Local for Global Change This crisis of the economy, environment and energy mix together to make these times extraordinary. Simply put, the environmental crisis of climate change cannot be overcome without taking up the challenge of building a green economy and industrial strategy that is increasingly fuelled by renewable energy alternatives to fossil fuels. Tony Clarke - Polaris Institute This workshop will examine the greenhouse gas emissions of, on the one hand, the industrial farming method - including the footprint of transportation, soil degradation, livestock - and the emissions from the alternative, local ecological agriculture. The workshop will draw on the experience of USC’s Seeds of Survival program, showing how organic agriculture can feed the world, and exploring the concept of food sovereignty. We’ll explore themes food sovereignty. We’ll explore themes of control and power in our food system, in particular at how the WTO’s TRIPS agreement is privatizing our food system and making it harder for us to move to a greener food future. Popular educa- Preparing for Green Jobs David Berliner is a recent graduate of UofT and is currently employed in a ‘green job’ as a sustainability coordinator at UofT. He will be exploring what green jobs are, and the skills necessary to land a ‘green job’ in the future. David Berliner - University of Toronto Green Jobs Discussion CLC Young Worker Working Group Members will lead a discussion on the need for a green economy. Canadian Labour Congress Young Workers Working Group Express yourself on www.powershiftcanada.org Workshops Making A Living By Making Change: Social Enterprise for a Green Economy Greening the Economy Politics and Strategies 51 This workshop is designed for people with ideas for social/environmental change, but who need help on how to start an organization or business to address environmental issues. It will help participants grow their idea from vague to concrete, and help them to map out their resources, and to make actionable steps. It will also clarify the lenses through which to make decisions about growing their enterprise (ie financial, team, mission integrity, legal, etc.). When participants leave the workshop, they’ll know what their idea is, what their next steps are, and what to consider in developing their enterprise. Assaf Weisz - Young Social Entrepeneurs of Canada The workshop will look at various political and practical strategies to organize around green job creation including community based and economic sector strategies. Nick De Carlo CAW Canada, Representatives from the Jane Finch Green Anti Poverty Coalition and the Toronto based Good Jobs for All Coalition Jobs in the Renewable Energy Sector The renewable energy sector is set to become one of the biggest job growth sectors in Canada, as well as an important part of the fight against climate change. This workshop will recognize the opportunities for a range of careers in renewable energy for young people looking to build a career. Tim Weis - Pembina Institute Labour unions in Canada has been a strong advocate for a just transition to a green, clean energy economy in Canada, as a pathway out of the economic and environmental crisis we are facing today. Trade union representatives will share strategies on how Canada can restructure from a fossil fuel-driven to low-carbon economy and creates new jobs while addressing pressing economic and social inequities. Nick DeCarlo - Canadian Auto Worker’s Union, Andrea Peart - Canadian Labour Congress, Andy King - United Steelworkers, Moderator: Erin Harrison Canadian Labour Congress A Just Transition to a Low-Carbon Future Practical Solutions Green Jobs in Agriculture This session will be a panel discussion on climate change and agriculture, and fulfilling green job opportunities that exist in sustainable agriculture from the perspective of food activists, farmers, and researchers in the field. Aric McBay - New Farm Project Creating Green Jobs through Extended Producer Responsibilities of products and a special focus on End of Life Vehicle Recovery and Recycling. Ken Bondy - CAW National Coordinator Hosted by the Canadian Youth Climate Coalition Grassroots Action for a Green Energy Act for Ontario In 2008, the Ontario Sustainable Energy Association and a coalition of farmers, First Nations and environmental organizations joined forces to advocate a Green Energy Act for Ontario - legislation that would make Ontario a leader in renewable energy, reduce our pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, create meaningful green jobs and enhance economic development for rural, remote and Aboriginal communities. In this session, Roberto Garcia will discuss how OSEA’s members are developing their communities’ local renewable energy resources and why Community Power is essential in the transition to a 100% sustainable energy economy. He will discuss how the Green Energy Act establishes the supportive policies and regulatory framework to allow Community Power to flourish in Ontario. Roberto Garcia - Manager of resource development at the Ontario Sustainable Energy Association Workshops Green Technology Thinking about PHEVs: can the car of the future save us from our climate crisis PHEVs, or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, may be an important climate-saving technology. But are PHEVs really the answer to human-induced global climate change? This workshop follows our year-long research project aimed at understanding how people drive in Winnipeg, MB, and brings to light some fundamental questions and myths about how we move ourselves around. This workshop will make participants assess their own driving styles, and will make them more aware the impact CO2 emissions from the transportation sector have on climate. Ryan Smith and Dave Capelle University of Winnipeg Department of Geography 52 Carbon Markets 101 Health & Community Re-Fresh!/Re-Jaillir!--“How to Build a Bottled Water Free School!” This series of workshops will introduce participants to the carbon market, issues surrounding carbon markets and how carbon credits are produced and traded. Howie Chong - Carbonzero Ever found yourself wondering “What’s up with bottled water?! Whatever happened to water fountains”? Join the Re-Fresh!/ Re-Jaillir! Team in a bi-lingual workshop on environmental and social justice campaign building. You will have the opportunity to take a close look at a campaign to ban bottled water at your school, while also being provided with the necessary tools to Express yourself on www.powershiftcanada.org create your own campaign around sustainability! Re-Fresh!/ Re-Jaillir! is a workshop geared towards fostering youth involvement in raising awareness and action on water privatization issues locally, Nationally and Internationally. Elly Adeland, Tanya Roberts-Davis & Cameron Grey - Polaris Institute Decorporatization of Campus Food She’s been in the trenches for more than 2 decades, and she’s still inspired and motivated to bring on the revolution. But she’s seen many of her activist friends burn out. What does activist burn out look like? What are the risks of activism, and and how can we most successfully avoid those risks? Learn about and share your ideas with others in the activist movement. Angela Bischoff - Greenspiration Workshops 53 Have you noticed that there is a lack of healthy & ethical food available in schools? This workshop addresses food security from a campus based perspective, using the hot yam! as an example. The hot yam is a volunteer run campus based community group providing torontonians with ethical local organic vegan meals that are made with love. We will be looking at the environmental and political challenges that the yam works to overcome. Learn how to start a positive food initiative in your school context. Kira Kastener & Indra Noyes Change Yourself, Change the World Land is Connected to Bodies: reproductive justice, the environment, and YOU! In theory we know that land rights and body rights are connected, but what do we know about this in practice? Come out to this interactive workshop where we’ll talk about what reproductive justice has to do with the environment, and what YOU have to do with it. Jessica Yee - The Native Youth Sexual Health Network As one changes one’s self, one also changes the universe. As activists, a lot of our efforts go into pushing for large scale changes: greening the energy grid, putting a price on carbon, signing international treaties. These efforts are often directed at large monolithic institutions and can be very tiring. We should all be reminded of the change we can enact simply by examining our own lives and adopting an ecological outlook. Inspired by Buddhist and Tantric philosophy, this interactive workshop will empower participants to realize their own ability to affect change by being the manifestation of a positive alternative. Brett Rhyno - University of Toronto The Youth Green Squad: Growing Food and Making a Difference in Toronto’s West End Activist Burnout and Sustainable Activism Sustainable Activism - is that an oxymoron? Angela Bischoff doesn’t think so. Greenest City’s Youth Green Squad is a summer leadership program that employs at-risk youth who are 15 to 18 years old. Grounded in the culturally diverse west-end neighbourhood of Parkdale, Toronto, youth have the opportunity to learn about environmen- Hosted by the Canadian Youth Climate Coalition tal leadership, sustainable agriculture, and connecting with their community. This workshop will not only describe this award winning program, it will also cover the practicalities of engaging and employing youth in your community. Marilyn Brownlee - Urban Agriculture Manager at Greenest City High School Life Balance tion on our school’s energy use? What is an indicator anyways? And what do our gym uniforms have to do with sustainability? This workshop will provide participants with a brief introduction to the Project and the opportunity to develop some valuable skills towards transforming our schools into models of sustainability. Erica Nickel - Sustainable High Schools Project, Sierra Youth Coalition Workshops Globalization 101 Stress management/Time management & life balance - how to keep your school work, paid work, volunteer work, and in balance with the personal aspects of your life – friends, family, spirituality, hobbies, having fun, etc. Huma Khan & Rohit Mehta - Peel Environmental Youth Alliance Environmental Education/Outreach in school system Come gain skills for designing environmental education or outreach in the school system. Canadian Youth Delegation (CYD) Corporations - there’s more of us than there are of them. Learn what we can do to take power back from trans-national business and put it into the hands of the people. This workshop introduces participants to what economic globalization is and how it affects youth. Participants explore issues and create critical analysis around economics, trade, colonialism, consumerism, sweatshops, and climate change and how these are all related under the umbrella of globalization. Kaitlin Pelletier & Bianca Baggiarini Check your Head 54 International La Traversée Africaravan Sustainable High Schools 101 Are you passionate about sustainability but feel like you’ve been spinning your wheels? Are you tired of working night and day to fundraise for a composter only to find out that your head custodian already purchased one? The Sustainable High Schools Project begins with the premise that an assessment of our current sustainability is critical in creating effective, efficient sustainability projects. But where do we start? Where do we go to get more informa- A voyage of discovery, outreach, solidarity, hope and fearlessness across Africa, employing a sustainable means of transportation: the bicycle. Together, Africans and non-African friends and allies will bike across the continent in four years. Come and discuss this project with its instigator, Amadou Touré. Discuss Express yourself on www.powershiftcanada.org your ideas and reflections and see how you might collaborate or participate in its realization, and maybe even help connect it with the rising climate justice movement! Amadou Touré & Kristian Gareau Workshops community-based adaptation planning, drawing on the CARE International Climate Variability and Capacity Analysis principles and practices. John van Mossel Climate Wrongs and Human Rights 55 In failing to tackle climate change with urgency, rich countries are effectively violating the human rights of millions of the world’s poorest people. Such rights violations could never truly be remedied in courts of law. In this workshop, we will look at how continued excessive greenhouse-gas emissions primarily from industrialized nations are – with scientific certainty – creating floods, droughts, hurricanes, sea-level rise, and seasonal unpredictability. The results are failed harvests, disappearing islands, destroyed homes, water scarcity, and deepening health crises, which are undermining millions of peoples’ rights to life, security, food, water, health, shelter, and culture. Human-rights principles must be put at the heart of international climate-change policy making now, in order to stop this irreversible damage to humanity’s future, Hasnat Ahsan - Oxfam Canada Climate Change and Development What is the Canadian Coalition for Climate Change and Development (C4D)? Come learn about C4D and Paul’s inside perspective from the Pembina Institute on what climate change means to development and humanitarian organizations and what they’re doing here in Canada. Paul Cobb - Pembina Institute CYD Copenhagen Project Team Join the Copenhagen Project Team to help us prepare for our work on the ground in Copenhagen. Do you have ideas for creative actions or a certain message you want us to bring? This is your chance to work with us and contribute to the Canadian Youth Delegation’s efforts for Copenhagen. Come prepared to share your ideas and contribute your message and thoughts! Canadian Youth Delegation (CYD) Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation Hot Topics at COP15 Come learn about climate change impacts in Africa, national adaptation plans of action, and community-based adaptation planning! John will share his experience managing the project Building Nigeria’s Response to Climate Change and from training sessions focused on hands-on approaches to Come for the latest update of what’s hot on the international climate change negotiation stage. PJ’s got tons of climate policy experience that he’ll be sharing in this session to psych you up for COP15 this December. PJ Partington- Pembina Institute Hosted by the Canadian Youth Climate Coalition International Movements for Justice in Mining This is a workshop specifically on Climate Change and Mining, and put mining in a Canadian context and then looks at it’s impact on climate change. Sakura Saunders - Protestbarrick.net United Nations - “Seal the Deal” Campaign Seal the Deal! is a powerful new campaign by the United Nations to encourage governments to agree on a fair, balanced and effective climate agreement when they meet in Copenhagen this December. This workshop looks at the campaign and how you can get involved in brining Seal the Deal across Canada. Participants will have a chance to share their thoughts on why sealing a deal in Copenhagen is important and explore ways to incorporate the Seal the Deal campaign into their own local campaigns. Tshirts/Hats will be distributed to youth interested in being part of the Seal the Deal campaign. Ms. Khairoon Abbas - United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Regional Office for North America (RONA) activities in the areas of capacity building, environmental awareness, and information exchange. This regional network of youth educating youth will produce well-informed leaders of tomorrow who are prepared to tackle global environmental issues. This workshop will explain the application process for joining the North American Tunza Network as a Regional Representative. Ms. Khairoon Abbas -United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Regional Office for North America (RONA) 56 Workshops Lobbying How to Lobby like a Pro Lobbying is one of the single most effective ways to influence your government. This workshop is designed to increase participants’ knowledge of how the lobbying process works while providing hands on experience to guide participants on how to lobby like a pro. Andrea Peart - Canadian Labour Congress & Kiavash Najafi - N.D.P. Organizing & Strategy Strategies for Action: How environmentalists can learn from resistance movements of the past Join the United Nations Environment Programme Youth Network! This workshop will discuss the youth initiative of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), called TUNZA, which means “to treat with care and affection,” in Kiswahili (a sub-regional language of Eastern Africa). Tunza is a global initiative that is meant to develop Aric McBay will discuss strategies and tactics that can be used by the modern environmental movement while drawing on the successes and failures of historical resistance movements. Aric McBay Express yourself on www.powershiftcanada.org Workshops Politics and Policy How the Environment Affects Poverty Come learn more about this innovative approach to global mitigation pathways! Joanna Dafoe 57 What can be done to prevent the decline of natural resources and the poverty that results from that? We will look at the economic results of environmental decisions and the problems caused by new technologies. Michael Rosenberg - Economics of Technology Working Group Introduction to UNFCCC Climate Conferences This session will explain the complex workings of international climate negotiations, and give participants a window into the process underlying COP15. Caroline Lee & Adam Scott - Canadian Youth Delegation (CYD) Adaptation Financing Financing is one of the four “pillars” of the climate action plan developed at 2006’s UN climate conference Bali, Indonesia and is critical to a successful agreement in Copenhagen. How big is the global north’s climate debt to the south, and how might we begin to repay it? What does the World Bank have to do with it? Come discover the ins and outs of adaptation financing! Dana Stefov - Canadian Council for International Co-ordination Climate Politics in Quebec Quebec has a unique political ‘climate’ when it comes to climate change. This workshop will explain some of the politics and policies of the province of Quebec. Catherine Gautier- Canadian Youth Delegation (CYD) Forests and Land Use - 101 ‘REDD/LU-LUCF and Agriculture’ Global Mitigation Pathways: Greenhouse Development Rights We know the world needs to reduce our GHG emissions, but by how much and by whom is a contentious issue. The Greenhouse Development Rights Framework is designed to support an emergency climate stabilization program while, at the same time, preserving the right of all people to reach a dignified level of sustainable human development free of the privations of poverty. A significant part of climate change is caused by deforestation and land use changes. REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries), LU-LUCF (Land Use - Land Use Change and Forestry), and agriculture are vital areas of climate negotiations. This session will help make this complex topic clear. Dean Medeiros & Thea Whitman Canadian Youth Delegation (CYD) Hosted by the Canadian Youth Climate Coalition Climate Mitigation Strategies and Policy This session will cover renewable energy, energy efficiency and other mitigation strategies, as well as the policies behind them. Alex Doukas & Adam Scott Canadian Youth Delegation (CYD) Climate Change impacts in Canada Workshops A summary of how climate change will impact different regions of Canada - a panel discussion. Rosa Kouri Tar Sands 101 Carbon Trading and the Flexible Mechanisms An introduction to the tar sands, their environmental impact, and the policy surrounding their continued development Alex Dukas & Maryam Adrangi Canadian Youth Delegation (CYD) Lessons learned from U.S Climate Policy International carbon trading, the clean development mechanism and the joint implementation mechanism are essential elements of international climate change policy. This session will explore how they work and what role they play in international climate change negotiations. Zoe Caron - World Wildlife Fund Canada 58 This session will share some of the lessons that can be learned from U.S. climate policy. Rhiya Trivedi & Maryam Adrangi Canadian Youth Delegation (CYD) International and Domestic Climate Policy Climate Justice 101 This workshop will explore themes of climate justice at the international, domestice, and interspecies level including: inclusiveness of UNFCCC process, gender-dimension, compliance offsets as CO2 Colonialism, indigenous commuinties, equity concerns in Cap & Trade and Carbon Tax policies, class-dimension of emissions profile, intergenerational-dimensions of climate change, impacts on arctic communities, problems of ecosystems and biodiversity valuation, environment ethics, etc. Andrew Cuddy -Pembina Institute, Canadian Youth Delegation Policy guides our actions and will be key to our success in the fight against climate change. This session delves into Canadian climate change policies, as well as the broader international political situation at the level of the United Nations Climate Change Negotiations. This session assumes that participants have some familiarity with climate change policy as it delves deeper into both domestic and international political workings. Dale Marshall - David Suzuki Foundation Main Currents in Canadian Climate Policy Why has Canada’s performance on the climate change issue been so appalling? Canada has always presented itself to the world as a leader and a good global citizen, regarding environmental Express yourself on www.powershiftcanada.org 59 problems as well as more generally. But for climate change, its emissions have been growing faster than almost any other rich country, and successive governments, whether Liberal or Conservative, have failed to take serious decisions to control them. Many will suggest that its much more difficult for Canada to reduce its emissions than for other countries – because of the cold, the distances, or the dependence on the oil industry. But I try to show, by comparing Canada to other countries, that at the root of Canada’s failure is a lack of imagination, by politicians and businesspeople alike, about the possibility of transforming the economy through “decarbonising” it. This could give us some hope that citizens movements and activists can be the basis for a political transformation on this issue. Mathew Patterson Workshops learn how to bust all of the common myths around global warming. Zoe Caron - World Wildlife Fund Canada 2d Sociometry - A Creative Tool For Dialogue 2d Sociometry is a facilitation tool for mass dialogue that allows participants to place themselves along two axis: agreement and understanding. The technique is effective for exploring issues and making decisions, and it makes it easier to come to solid agreement and solid understanding for a whole group. Jamie Biggar From treating the symptoms to curing the disease? From Paris Hilton to DiCaprio to Twilight Vampires to former Prime Ministers – Celebrity and Opinion Leader Progressive policy through engagement for a cause Drawing on successful grasstop and youth participation celebrity organizing experiences this workshops discusses the benefits and pitfalls of celebrity engagement and some best practices for opinion leader engagement. Tzeporah Berman- Executive Director, PowerUp Canada Can the climate change solutions that are currently being proposed get us to a totally climate neutral world? If not, what are practical strategies to make it politically possible to transform our society and economy? Jamie Biggar This workshop will explore how Canadian youth can more efficiently engage in public consultation as well as discuss how the youth environmental movement can better achieve its goals. Emily Briggs - TakingItGlobal, Ellen FieldEducation Alliance for a Sustainable Ontario, Sarah Burger - Fondation québécoise en environnement, Stephanie Levy - Evergreen, Amber Church - Canadian Youth Climate Coalition, Monique Lefebvre - Canadian Environmental Network Global Warming 101 This session will give you the basics so that you can understand global warming, relate it to your daily life, and be inspired to start working on solutions to this complex issue. Learn the latest facts about science, politics and policy and Hosted by the Canadian Youth Climate Coalition Power Shift World Cafe Join others like you who are passionate about building a sustainable world as we explore stories about the great work that is being done out there – both stories that you brought with you and new stories that you’ve heard over Power Shift. The World Café discussion format (www.theworldcafe.com) is a perfect way to connect with more people who are doing interesting things and it’s also a great way to experience what it could be like to tap into the collective intelligence. If you are looking for facilitation and communication tools to take back to your community, this is a great opportunity to experience the unique World Café conversational format. There is no observer status in this session. Jen Hunter-President of The Learning Catalyst & Green Party of Canada Candidate for Ottawa Centre Sustainable Campuses; Erica Nickels -Regional Coordinator, SYC Sustainable High Schools Workshops National Strategizing Session After an inspiring weekend at Powershift, what is the most important work we can be doing when we return to our communities? This workshop is a space for students working on sustainability projects on their campuses to create a national strategy and identify the issue they will mobilize around for the rest of this year. This workshop is the cornerstone of the Sustainable Campuses National Conference, come and play a significant part in directing the focus of this youth-run project. All are welcome. Laura Read - National Coordinator, SYC Sustainable Campuses; Geneveive Dufresne - Quebec Regional Coordinator, SC Sustainable Campuses 60 Campus Sustainability Assessment Framework Sustainable Campuses National Conference Avoiding Activist Burnout Activists work passionately for their cause, often reaching a point where they feel exhausted, ineffective and burnt out. This is an interactive workshop to help activists in different stages of their careers identify and prevent activist burnout in themselves and their colleagues. Participants will leave with practical strategies for remaining an engaged and passionate activist! Laura Read - National Coordinator, SYC Assessing the baseline of operations at an institution is the first step in transforming it into a more sustainable place. The Campus Sustainability Assessment Framework (CSAF) can be used by any campus group to audit the sustainability of their school. Come join the Sierra Youth Coalition in an introductory and instructional session on how to use the most comprehensive campus based sustainability auditing tool. Not only will this tool provide a holistic view of social and environmental sustainability, but it empowers students to have the numbers to back up our demands for a more sustainable future. Sierra Youth Coalition Express yourself on www.powershiftcanada.org Workshops Multi Stakeholder Processes This workshop will walk you through the theory and practice you need to establish a collaborative process for a sustainability initiative on your campus. Carly Joynt -Sierra Youth Coalition 61 Hosted by the Canadian Youth Climate Coalition