Emily Ferraioli and Nava Tavasoli, Grade 10 students at St. Theresa of Lisieux Catholic High School founded the Youth Climate Group to raise awareness and demand action on climate change.
They were inspired to organize and establish the Youth Climate Group after taking Geography and Canadian and World Studies courses at their school, as well as following environmental news and learning more about the subject from the school community at large.
“Through our geography classes, we were able to explore and develop a fundamental understanding of climate change, and how it affects us and people around the world’s day-to-day lives. It opened our eyes to the imminent threat facing our world and gave us the knowledge we needed to take action in our own lives,” says Ferraioli and Tavasoli. The pair also acknowledged that their Grade 10 Science course had placed a heavy emphasis on climate change whereby experiential learning, they discovered the “lack of action being taken to combat the climate crisis.”
“We couldn’t stand by and watch anymore, which is why we created the Youth Climate Group. Using our platform, we decided that we needed to do all we could to advocate for environmental protection and justice.”
Together, Ferraioli and Tavasoli spoke urgently with environmentalists and politicians to share their thoughts in efforts to inspire action to stop climate change. Since creating the organization in October 2020, they have received both national and international support with almost 60 volunteers which includes their peers at St. Theresa of Lisieux CHS.
“We are stewards of God’s creation and I am very proud of Emily and Nava for taking on this powerful initiative to try to make our world a better one, not only for us, but for future generations to come,” said Mr. Saggese, Geography Teacher at St. Theresa of Lisieux CHS. “These inspiring young ladies are truly doing small things with extraordinary love for others.”
“I am so proud of both Nava and Emily’s accomplishment in creating the Youth Climate Group. Their ambitious drive to raise awareness of climate change is truly inspiring. These two students are prime examples of what it means to be responsible global citizens. Nava and Emily, your future is bright, you will make our world a better place,” said Elisabetta Mastromartino, Principal at St. Theresa of Lisieux CHS.
When speaking with YorkRegion.com, the girls expressed their desire to continue to learn and conduct research on climate change. They even “drastically” changed their own lifestyle in order to reduce their ecological footprint.
“We are so thankful for our teachers and the school community for inspiring us to take a stand and make a change in the world for the better and do our part to save the planet!”
For more information on the Youth Climate Group, visit its website at www.youthclimategroup.org or follow it on Instagram.
For more information, read their interview with YorkRegion.com.
