Collective Impact
Mobilizing Collective Impact through Community Climate Action aims to raise awareness about communities’ shared responsibility to take climate action. This work must remain intergenerational, intersectoral, and inclusive.
2022 / 2023
This year’s theme is Collective Impact.
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Collective Impact aims to raise awareness about communities’ shared responsibility to take climate action – this work must remain intergenerational, intersectoral, and inclusive. Mobilizing Collective Impact through Community Climate Action supports the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including an increasingly important climate action goal – to leave no one behind.
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Join us as we advance Youth leadership, recognize student achievements, and share numerous projects to celebrate student contributions towards reducing Halton Region’s greenhouse gas emissions (GhGe).
Speakers
Thank you to all of our amazing speakers this year!
Gimaa R. Stacey Laforme
Gimaa R. Stacey Laforme is the elected leader of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. Born and raised on Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, Gimaa Laforme has served his community for over twenty years being first elected to council in 1999. Gimaa Laforme is committed to increasing involvement and communication between Elected Council and both on and off-reserve membership. He is very active throughout Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation's Treaty lands and Territory, which encompasses 3.9 million acres of Southern Ontario, not only as Gimaa, but as a notable storyteller, poet, and published author.
Afreen Ghouse
With a Bachelor of Science in Biology, Afreen currently works in the world of politics for the Milton Member of Parliament. Her areas of expertise are community consultations, facilitation, communications, event management, and media relations. In her spare time, she loves roller skating, and reading books, manga and webtoons.
Derek Barber
Derek started his journey into urban agriculture twenty years ago by growing food on a balcony. Since then, he has grown veggies in backyard gardens, community gardens, urban farms, and even rooftop gardens. Seven years ago, he decided to turn this passion into a career and became a member farmer on urban agricultural farmland in Downsview Park in Toronto. He has since completed certificates and diplomas in Horticulture, Sustainable Urban Agriculture, and Growing Plants for Profit from the University of Guelph.
Derek started Homestead TO as a means to increase food security within Toronto. Through Homestead TO, he has taught hundreds of people to grow food at home, helped start community gardens, facilitated gardening programs, and worked with community co-ops to increase food security in their neighborhoods.
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Eddy Robinson
Eddy has 20 years of experience working with Indigenous communities, social servicing agencies, and various levels of government organizations. He is a member of the Missanabie Cree First Nation. He holds a Masters of Education Degree from York University as well as a graduate diploma in Urban Environments. In his role as a speaker and educator, he has traveled internationally speaking about a number of topics including Truth and Reconciliation, the impacts of Indian Residential Schools, intergenerational trauma, Indigenous identity, Indigenous ways of knowing, Anti-Indigenous racism, ally-ship, as well as sharing his own story of adversity.
Eleanor Hayward
Eleanor has 20 years’ experience as a health professional in Halton Region as a Registered Massage Therapist, and is passionate about empowerment, embodiment and evolution for holistic wellbeing and personal development. She is working towards her undergraduate degree in Social Psychology & Political Science part time at McMaster University. Since Girl Guides in her youth, Eleanor has felt a strong sense of Earth stewardship and has a world vision of connected relationships for social and environmental justice. Building on her leadership experience as co-founder of MiltonGreen Environmental Association Inc., Eleanor was proud to stand as 2018 Candidate for the Green Party of Ontario, then 2019 for the Green Party of Canada in Milton, to represent our community in the principle of sustainability for seven generations and beyond.
Jessey Njau
Jessey was a technology enthusiast for most of his career, working in various roles in the tech industry. However, as he learned more about industrial agriculture's environmental and social impacts, he became increasingly interested in urban farming to promote sustainability and improve access to fresh, healthy food. Despite having no prior experience in agriculture, Jessey decided to make a career change and become an urban farmer. He began volunteering at local farms and taking online permaculture and urban agriculture courses.
Eventually, Jessey founded Zawadi Farm, and as a full-time urban farmer, he now works to cultivate various vegetables and herbs in an urban setting. In his spare time, Jessey remains up-to-date on the latest developments in agriculture technology and is always looking for ways to incorporate innovations into his farming practices.
Kassandra Jasek
Kassandra graduated from Western University with. degree in Political Science. Throughout her university experience, she was heavily involved in extracirricular activities. She served as an Online Media Director and Philanthropy Director at her sorority, as well as the Philatrophy Director with Western's Panhellenic Council. She is now the Communications and Public Relations Manager at Halton Environmental Network where she manages marketing and communications, including but not limited to website and social media content, newsletters, videos, fundraising material, infogrsphics, and promotional materials.
Martin Omes
Martin holds a Masters of Education from Cape Breton University with a focus on Sustainability, Creativity, and Innovation. He currently works on several community environmental projects while working as the Logistics Coordinator for Gamers Outreach Foundation, which focuses on building portable gaming karts for Children's Hospitals across the globe. With over 10 years of Project Management experience, his experience includes working with the City of Toronto on Major Infrastructure and Wastewater projects.
Mike Dean
Michael is the Manager of Climate Change at the Town of Halton Hills and leads the implementation of the Town’s Low Carbon Resilience Framework. He is involved in developing and implementing a wide range of climate change and plans, policies, and strategies. Michael serves as the Town’s “energy champion/subject matter expert” providing advice to Council, Town departments, the public, and external agencies.
Prabh K. Banga
Prabh is the Director of Sustainability with Aecon Group Inc., where she leads the development and delivery of Aecon’s sustainability strategy. Her key responsibilities include integration of environmental, social and governance (ESG), identifying future trends, tracking emerging technologies, and operationalizing sustainability into day-to-day practices. Prabh is also a part-time professor with the University of Toronto, teaching corporate sustainability and sustainability career development. Prior to joining Aecon, Prabh was the Associate Director, Strategy & Sustainability at Toronto Pearson International Airport, where she was ranked Top 40 under 40 in North America by Airport Business for integrating sustainability as a value driver into airport operations and management. She was also ranked Top 20 under 40 by Wings Magazine for influencing Canadian Aviation. Prabh graduated from McMaster University with a Honors Bachelor of Environmental Studies and Earth Sciences and a Masters degree in Resource and Environmental Management from Dalhousie University.
Rija Rasul
Rija is the Senior Climate Officer with the Town of Oakville. Rija manages the Town’s community energy portfolio, through the implementation of the Oakville Community Energy Strategy (CES) in collaboration with the Oakville Energy Task Force and Future Energy Oakville. Rija works with internal and external partners to design and implement programs and build capacity towards the transition to a low-carbon energy future for Oakville.
Rija graduated with a Masters in Sustainable Development from UWaterloo and in addition to her municipal experience, has worked with the UNDP’s Global Energy Team in Istanbul, and participated at COP21 in Paris.
Sita Ganesan
Sita is a biomimicry specialist, ecologist, environmental planner, and educator with a passion for collaboratively building climate resilience in partnership with communities. She is the Program Coordinator at Conservation Halton for the Green Space: Newcomer Youth Climate Forum.
Uzair Khokhar
Uzair is a former Generation Green Youth Stakeholder and project participant. Currently, Uzair attends Rotman School of Management where he studies Marketing. He takes part in international debating and public speaking competitions. He aspires to be an investment banker with a niche attention to environmentally-friendly corporations and markets with growth
