The Starfish Canada is raising the next generation of young leaders who will define what it means to care for nature and each other across Canada.

Environmental identity in Canada is felt alone, but rarely practiced together.

Nine in ten Canadians say nature is who we are, yet Canadian institutions have not prioritized the building of spaces to practice environmental identity and the investment in a national community that reinforces a culture around it.

The Starfish Canada is an award-winning, national charity supporting children and youth in turning environmental values into action. We build the belonging, narrative power, and intergenerational community infrastructure to support young people in becoming active environmental leaders.

We are raising the next generation of young leaders who will define what it means to care for nature and each other across Canada. By 2035, we will engage 2.35 million Canadian aged 5-25 – or 25% of all young Canadians, creating Canada’s largest environmental culture initiative in history.

Leadership Programs (ages 18-25)

Climate75 leadership program

Climate75 is an eight-month transformative leadership program that equips 75 young leaders (ages 18-25) with the skills, mentorship, and resources needed to drive impactful climate action in local communities across Canada. Expanding on our award-winning Top 25 Environmentalists Under 25 award, this program builds a deeply connected network of changemakers working toward a just and sustainable future. As with all programs at The Starfish Canada, at least 75% of participants will be from equity-deserving communities (BIPOC, 2LGBTQ+, and/or persons with disabilities). Youth are onboarded into the program through workshops each January.

These bonds are solidified through our Climate75 Summit, a five-day immersive experience. Held at the Cheakamus Centre in Squamish, BC, youth leaders engage in hands-on learning, mentorship sessions, and community- building activities designed to foster long-term collaboration and action. At least 50% of programming is run by members of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh/Squamish Nation, incorporating traditional knowledge into the program.

From April to August, youth leaders take the lessons they learned at the Summit and apply them to their own local practice of climate action and resilience. Each leader will select into one of three skill development streams: writing, speaking, or facilitating for climate action. Youth will dive deeper into that skill and produce a capstone project based on their selection, immersing themselves in tools and techniques needed to build resiliency as a climate leader.

Editorial program

In our award-winning youth journal, we provide youth writers with the essentials to develop their journalistic practice and create online content for our journal. To support a diversity of learning styles, our process uses a staged approach:

1. Writers onboard into our program and take part in online modules to learn and develop skills in online communications. Course content includes search engine optimization, styles of journalistic writing, ethics in journalism, and climate storytelling in online spaces.
2. Writers are then paired with an editor to receive mentorship and coaching through the journalistic process, including topic selection and curation, thesis development, writing structure and style, and co-editing articles.
3. Once their first article is completed and published, writers join a community of practice where they can support each other in new article ideas and build their writing craft.

Writers receive a link to an ePortfolio of their published works with The Starfish Canada, providing them with a tangible artefact of their work to support career development. Articles are available in French, English, or both languages. Text-to-speech software is embedded into every article to support readers with visual accessibility needs. We are an approved publication by Heritage Canada.

Education programs (ages 5-18)

The Starfish Canada engages equity-deserving and underserved youth (ages 5-18) using problem-based inquiry and experiential education approaches to ensure that learning is fundamental to their leadership journey. These early learning programs and interventions are well-known to foster a strong sense of confidence, identity, and connectedness. For those from equity-deserving communities, these outcomes are strongly correlated to better mental health and higher self-esteem.

We provide comprehensive workshops offerings for any age and classroom, ensuring our engagements support students during their specific point in their leadership journey. We are proud to partner with school districts in British Columbia (Vancouver, Surrey, West Vancouver, Victoria) and Ontario (Toronto, Peel, Grand Erie).

The Starfish Canada is committed to furthering the impact and legacy of our ocean- based programs, including our summer camps in Vancouver and our after-school collaboration with səlilwətaɬ /Tsleil-Waututh Nation. Serving youth ages 6-10, these programs ensure youth engage in exciting, hands-on activities that teach them about marine life, conservation, and environmental stewardship.

Through all our programs, children and youth develop valuable scientific skills, discover fascinating creatures, and explore the environmental challenges we face today. Plus, they’ll gain the knowledge and confidence to become advocates for the environment!