Emma Rae Lierley
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National Observer
16-06-2025
- National Observer
Scouts plant trees to help conserve Canada's future
These in-their-own-words pieces are told to Patricia Lane and co-edited with input from the interviewee for the purpose of brevity. Kaelem Moniz is helping young people see the forest and plant trees. As special advisor to Scouts Canada's national leadership team, this 20-year-old University of Toronto student donates his time to growing the scouting movement in Canada, recently supporting conservation initiatives, like tree planting and care by local scout troops across the country. Tell us about your project. Scouts Canada has set a goal of planting and protecting one million trees by 2030. With the support of Canada's Forest Trust, Scoutrees youth join together to raise funds for planting and caring for trees, protecting Canadian ecological health, while sequestering carbon from the atmosphere. It's been amazing to see local groups like the First Milton really run with the ball, gathering hundreds of volunteers to plant trees. A recent study from Lakehead University revealed that 76 per cent of young people aged 16 to 25 think people have failed to take care of our planet and 73 per cent think the future is frightening. Many say their mental health is negatively impacted. Most agree there is little we can do on our own. But 71 per cent believe that if we act together we can do something meaningful. Scoutrees allows young people to see they are part of an impactful collective while they each do a small part. What got you into this work? My dad was active in scouting in Barbados. It helped him in his own life to feel part of something bigger and to take care of himself, the environment and serve others, lessons he wanted instilled in his own children. When I was five years old, I became a 'beaver,' the youngest age group in scouting, and have been in scouting ever since. It enriches my life. Scouting encourages a holistic development of young people in Canada, ensuring that our participants see themselves as more than just individuals, but as community members, Canadians and Scouts, part of a broader world around us. This, of course, includes a dedication to natural stewardship, demonstrated in our reforestation efforts – but also other forms of community service, ranging from food bank volunteering to tutoring drives. Scouts Canada values youth leadership, and I have actively volunteered since I was 12 in local (Toronto) and national roles. So many Scouts from coast to coast to coast have enjoyed similar experiences — and have been fortunate to be part of a movement making a positive difference. Kaelem Moniz is helping young people see the forest and plant trees. As special advisor to Scouts Canada's national leadership team, this 20-year-old University of Toronto student donates his time to growing the scouting movement in Canada. What makes it hard? We have 5,000 young people on our waitlist whom we cannot serve without more volunteers. The climate and nature loss crisis sometimes feels overwhelming. Helping young people to see their seemingly small individual contributions matter can be challenging. But they do. What keeps you awake at night? Will it be too little too late? It's clear that the climate crisis is a priority for young people. It is less clear that it is for all Canadians. What gives you hope? We are equipping young people to build the future they want and need. While there are many wicked problems to solve, the climate crisis will only get worse with procrastination. We can choose to act later, much less effectively and with a lot more suffering, or we can act now. It feels hopeful to be part of the Scouts Canada community with 45,000 young people and 15,000 volunteers across the country and from all walks of life who choose to act now. What would you like to say to other young people? Everything you do and don't do counts. Every tree planted, and every tree left unplanted matters. You are more likely to believe the way you use your time and talents matter if you are part of a group. Scouting is a global movement, millions strong, dedicated to civic engagement and the advancement of a common good. It's fun – we promise – join us! What about older readers?
National Observer
09-06-2025
- National Observer
'Super-cool' birds of prey make valuable contributions
These in-their-own-words pieces are told to Patricia Lane and co-edited with input from the interviewee for the purpose of brevity. Ginger Boehme-Vertefeuille invites us to get close to raptors. This 19-year-old from Cowichan Valley, British Columbia, spends her summers educating visitors at Vancouver Island's The Raptors. Tell us about your work. Birds of prey fascinate people — with their size, speed and deadly — intent but 30 per cent are threatened with extinction, so they are much more vulnerable than most of us realize. Vancouver Island's The Raptors facility offers people of all ages a chance to watch as eagles fly within a couple of feet of them or to carry a hawk or owl on their own wrists as they walk through a forest. Our goal is to use proximity to increase awareness about the critical role these super-cool animals play in their environments. For example, turkey vultures are not exactly beautiful at first glance. They scavenge and never hunt for themselves. But they help clean their surroundings. They eat rotting deer and other animal flesh and their digestive systems can cleanse it of anthrax, botulism and rabies. This service makes the environment safer for others, including humans. We bring hawks to places where gulls might be an expensive nuisance or even a danger, like airports, landfills and rooftop gardens. Once we fly the hawk, the gulls quickly decide to hang out elsewhere. This is a much more desirable way of managing human-nature interactions than some other alternatives! How did you get involved? Ginger Boehme-Vertefeuille invites us to get close to raptors. This 19-year-old from Cowichan Valley, British Columbia, spends her summers educating visitors at Vancouver Island's The Raptors. I grew up on Vancouver Island surrounded by forests, elk and other creatures, and the ocean. I was taught early to value Indigenous understandings that we are part of nature and intimately connected to it. Once you start seeing the world this way, protecting what we are raised to love becomes imperative. I would often go to the Raptors as a kid, and then began volunteering there as a young teen. That turned into a summer job. How do you think the way you were raised has affected you? I was taught to practice empathy and look for it in others. Celebrating the experiences of others and of the more-than-human world is a core value for me. What makes it hard? Climate change and the loss of nature that goes with it often feels overwhelming. We do protect a few birds, and we make a difference in the way our visitors relate to nature in general. But the need to see the big picture in all its political, scientific, personal and economic system complexities can feel impossible. What gives you hope? We each do our own part, and when we see each other, that is inspiring. I am a University of British Columbia student now and still finding my path, but spending time building community and connections with so many smart people, who are each doing cool things, leaves me hopeful more often than not. What possibilities do you see if we get this right? If we are able to protect our climate, we will have solved so many other problems, too. Wealth inequality, corporate power, colonialism — all these depend on treating our impact on the environment as irrelevant. If, instead, we centre it in our culture, we will make the world so much better, and our human species will still have a home. What would you like to say to other young people? Find something you love and do that. If you find an endeavour that reflects your values, you will meet others who also align. I love birds. You never know what you will fall in love with. But as I protect birds, you will protect what you love, and we will be working together even if we never meet. What about older readers?
National Observer
12-05-2025
- National Observer
Juliana Janot
Juliana Janot wants all post-secondary students to understand climate change. This 20-year-old University of British Columbia student co-founded Climate Education for All (CEFA) (@climateeducation4all on Instagram) to make sure every student is educated about the causes and impacts of the climate crisis and its solutions. By Patricia Lane Juliana Janot
