
Background
In 2015, the United Nations (UN) announced 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as blueprints “to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all.” Three years later, the City of Vernon established a Climate Action Advisory Committee (CAAC) to help create an award-winning Climate Action Plan (CAP) that, by 2050, would see Vernon as “a leader in climate action, with no net greenhouse gas emissions, and resilient to the changing climate.”
CAAC members included teachers and students who were tasked with building awareness about Vernon’s CAP, and to kick-start student climate action in the community. They collaborated with other teachers passionate about climate issues and opportunities to create a cross-curricular, hands-on approach they delivered to grade 11 social studies students from four area high schools in the spring of 2022. About 120 students created 32 projects that were celebrated at the Vernon Youth Climate Action Projects & Summit.
CARE 2022
Rebranded as CARE for the 2022 fall semester, the program grew to include 160 students from grades 7-12 in a variety of subject areas. They worked with about 40 community mentors to create 42 projects in six categories: Nature & Biodiversity, Agriculture & Food, Energy & Buildings, Waste Reduction, Active Transportation, and Community Resilience.
Students Without Borders Academy worked with FOF to plan and deliver four major events that year, including spring CARE Kick-Off and Summit, and fall CARE Kick-Off and Summit.
CARE 2023
FOF hosted the first CARE Pitch Party in October 2023 at the Okanagan Science Centre to raise awareness about climate action and CARE mentorship. It was packed and great fun for all… especially the Thrift Stars Fashion Show. Community climate leaders from all sectors modeled fashions from local thrift stores… everything from jeans and jackets to wedding attire!
CARE 2024
CARE participation exploded in the spring of 2024! Fifteen teachers and 340 students collaborated with 60 mentors from all sectors to create 115 projects in the six categories. Projects were celebrated and judged at the CARE 2024 Summit by 60 local climate experts and advocates at the Vernon Curling Club.
Video courtesy of Phreeagent Creative Media
FOF also hosted Vernon’s first CARE Community Climate Expo at the same location the evening before the CARE Summit. Almost 80 exhibitors from local government, climate-focused businesses and non-profit organizations, local artisans, and some CARE students showcased their plans, policies, projects, and products. In 2025, the summit and expo will be combined to increase community engagement and impact.
CAREing again in 2025!
FOF is again collaborating with School District 22, City of Vernon, Regional District of North Okanagan, and other major sponsors and in-kind contributors to prepare for the next round of CARE projects and a summit in the spring of 2025.
We're also expanding into School District 23 (Central Okanagan). More news to come!
CARE Events
CARE Expo May 2024
CARE Summit May 2024
CARE Pitch Party October 2023
CARE Summit December 2022
CARE Kick-Off Event October 2022
Vernon Youth Climate Action Summit - June 2022
Be the CHANGE!
Lend a HAND!
Show You CARE!
CARE in Action
TRANSIT 4 TEENS
Grade 11 Vernon students Haylee Andal (middle) and Jade Ha (right) worked with UBCO professor and climate activist Mary Stockdale to build a project that promoted free transit for youth under 18. Their award-winning recommendations were recently endorsed by the Union of BC Municipalities, which would allow under-18s to ride all B.C. Transit and TransLink services free of charge.
Following their award-winning performance at the CARE Student Summit in the spring of 2024, Haylee and Jade decided to share widely what they’d learned about the benefits of free youth ridership. After presenting to Vernon council, School District 22 (SD22) trustees, and the local MLA, they met with the BC Transportation minister and Environment & Climate Strategy minister. They also provided province-wide training for youth across B.C. about the benefits of free transit ridership for youth under 18.
“We are so proud and excited for Haylee and Jade,” says SD22 superintendent Karla Mitchell. “Their initiative will have a tangible positive impact on the lives of youth as well as demonstrate how each of us can be an advocate for climate action."
E-Waste
CARE student Kunmi Faluyi collaborated with RDNO environmental coordinator Darren Murray to produce a short documentary video about electronic waste. It focused on how the growing amount of e-waste has large-scale impacts on human health, the environment, and the economy. This well-researched project highlights that e-waste is the fastest-growing solid waste stream in the world, and that its impacts have expanded to include the outcomes from intensive resource extraction and extensive energy consumption.
Ending on positive and empowering notes, the video shows steps we can take to address the e-waste problem, starting with how we use and manage our electronics, and ending with when to replace them.