‘A push in the right direction’

Crescentwood

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 22/11/2023 (732 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Emily Kroft has been named one of the 30 Under 30 Conservation Leaders of 2023 by Corporate Knights magazine, a quarterly publication focused on climate change, responsible investing and green corporate citizenship.

Its leaders initiative — which has been going since 2015 — highlights a group of Gen Z and millennials across Canada who are “sparking change” in their community each year.

Kroft, a 26-year-old Crescentwood resident, said she has been involved with environmental advocacy since she was “around 13.” She said she was viewed as the “kid advocate” throughout her post-secondary years, and is now a water policy and youth engagement officer with the International Institute for Sustainable Development-Experimental Lakes Area, working on the IISD Next program — which helps provide young people combating the climate crisis the proper tools and education to act upon them. The free program has been active since 2019 and engages students from all over the world.

“I was, for over a decade, the young person trying to navigate the space,” Kroft said. “And it’s really frustrating … I saw a full 180 when I started working professionally with an organization. (I saw) how much easier it is to actually make an impact in the world when you have an organization behind you. So what I’m really trying to do with IISD Next is pass that privilege forward to all of the youth in our network now, so that they’re not being left hanging. They have someone behind them.”

IISD Next works in two different parts, Kroft said, beginning with sustainability certification. Participants can engage in four different workshops — policy engagement, sustainable development, water, and green economies — either individually or in a series, and receive a formal certificate after completing them all.

The second aspect is direct support from IISD for projects young people are taking on with their own organizations.

A program directed at youth and students attracts a broad range of participants, some even older than she is, Kroft said.

Asked if she’s ever been surprised by the knowledge they bring to the table, Kroft said no.

“I’m the same age and sometimes a little bit younger than the students we’re dealing with, so I know that people my age are super-knowledgeable,” she said. “It did take a little bit of pushing in the beginning to show my older and more experienced colleagues just how knowledgeable these young people are. Like, they’re not a bunch of kids that you need to teach. They (know) the science behind climate change. So they know the background info, what they need information on, and how to engage with policy.”

Her IISD job is Kroft’s first position since completing her post-secondary education. She completed an environmental sciences honours program at the University of Winnipeg, before earning an MA in ecology at Concordia University in Montreal, Que.

She said that recognition from Corporate Knights felt “awesome” — like a push in the right direction.

“You don’t really expect to get a big national recognition very early on in your career,” she said.

“So for me, it’s just really affirming that the work we’re doing is needed, that this is something that we should keep doing and that it is helping people. (It’s) showing me that we’re headed in the right direction and that feels really good.”

Although the 2023-24 IISD Next program is currently underway, those interested in registering for 2024-25 are encouraged to do so. Capacity is large and anyone is welcome, she said.

“In our exit surveys for our program, we (ask the question:) ‘Did you learn something that you can actually apply in real life going forward?’ And with 1,000 youth going through our program, no one has ever answered no.”

Those interested in donating or applying to the IISD Next program can do so online at www.iisd.org/projects/iisd-next-campus-workshop-series-sustainability