Sophia Young
2024 Youth Climate Activism Award - Essay
Sophia Young with her mentor, Josh Campbell.
Sophia Young β is a 19 year old from Alberta.
How I Gained My Voice
I used to walk with my head down β straight line, straight face, not making a sound. Docility meant safety, so I silenced my voice like a candle snuffer to a flame. I never thought my community would inspire me.
My father was temporarily paralyzed from the back down when I was young. It was hard on my family. My mother could not drive me to school, and I was not alone in this struggle. Transportation barriers robbed other youths of opportunities, friendships, and dreams. The hardships others and I faced motivated me to become an agent of change.
Although it meant challenging my fears, family, and government, I broke my silence by speaking to Reginaβs City Council. By the end of my speech, I had become a bear. My courage made a social change.
SStudents Harley Tolver and Sophia Young, along with teacher Josh Campbell (from left), pose for a photo at Miller Comprehensive High School. All three spoke at a 2021 city council meeting to request funding for services and programs that would address the root causes of crime and environmental issues. PHOTO BY MICHAEL BELL
I earned a spot on the City of Regina's Community Advisory Group. As one of Regina's thirty most essential stakeholders, I helped develop the Energy and Sustainability Framework, Regina's plan to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Not only did my initiative innovate government policy, but also, I learned to work with decision-makers to uplift society. Impressing officials, I collaborated with engineers to select and fund better public and active transportation strategies.
Sophia Young poses with posters from Better Bus Youth initiative
However, I wanted to take environmental action that fostered more opportunities for youth. As the co-chair of Regina Energy Transition, I directed fourteen months of outreach, media coordination, and a lobbying campaign to make the bus free to ride for all youth in Regina under thirteen. As a result, 36,000 children now have access to sustainable transportation to school, extracurriculars, and the wider community. Thus, the Government of Saskatchewan honoured me as the 2023 Junior Citizen of the Year.
My experience has taught me that my ability is unlimited. By leading with kindness, I can care for others. I have learned to maintain strong ethics, build relations, and strive for constant self-development, which is why I am taking environmental engineering. I aim to continue developing equity-based strategies to reduce carbon footprints and promote sustainability. Therefore, my experience aids me in strategically responding to unmet needs and effectively mobilizing decision-makers to embrace energy and sustainability.
I now walk with my head high β straight line, straight forward, and standing for what I believe. I am an environmental advocate who wants to lessen the social inequities brought on by climate change, and I am not done yet. My desire to fund sustainability and equal opportunity continues in my advocacy and research as a leader. When we work together, change for the better is not far out of reach. Safety no longer comes from obedience but from knowing I can build a better world.
Watch this inspiring interview with Sophia and Elaine
As part of the submissions application we asked participants to answer these 3 questions in addition to their essay or video.
What future goals do you have around your environmental and climate work, and do you have any future projects in mind?
Change for the better is closer to reach the more I advocate for it. I want to continue working with various stakeholder groups, such as new residents, to enrich municipal environmental policy so individuals feel invested in their communityβs well-being. I want to keep fighting for equity-based strategies that lessen the socio-economic effects of climate change. Moreover, I want to hold decision-makers accountable.
My desire is why I created a high school agriculture club to connect my school community with the land and seek to create a permanent greenhouse so students can connect year-round. It is also why I built a 50-person grassroots organization in Regina, rallying 1500 community members, 12 community organizations, and four city councillors to support and investigate the feasibility of fare-free transit expansion for all youth under 18. Moreover, I work as a transit researcher to help more communities adopt sustainable and accessible transportation options for youth. I plan to make sustainability my career by becoming an environmental engineer. Through my actions, I hope to make sustainability more accessible to individuals by implementing it in policy and design.
If you could share with us one message of hope for our planet, what would it be?
My message of hope is that anyone can make a positive change. Empower yourself to overcome your limiting beliefs, commit to a goal, and learn to love the struggle as you reach your dreams. Many people are willing to help, such as peers, leaders, mentors, researchers, and even strangers who later become friends. All you need to do is ask for help and remember you are never alone. When we work together, we can protect our planet, and our task is too important to delay. Our action ignites a chain reaction that inspires hope and others to act.
Who or what inspires you to work on climate change?
Othersβ struggles inspire me to act because we are not well if our communities are struggling with climate change. Seeing the people I love most in tears after losing everything in climate disasters made me vow never to be a bystander to othersβ suffering.
However, my connection to the land motivates me to continue every day. Our Earth is beautiful, and many are willing to protect it. From youth at my high school planting a fruit orchard to those in my advocacy group influencing policy, they show me how we can be stewards of the Earth. From there, our Earth can recover and stay resilient.
I am even motivated by people who do not understand my advocacy but are willing to listen. When we can connect and understand each otherβs concerns, we build a path that better cares for us all. That way, we can move forward together.