Elizabeth May, Canadian politician, environmental activist, lawyer, author and former leader of the Green Party of Canada, joins the Sierra Youth Podcast to discuss her career in politics, the role of youth in fighting against the climate and biodiversity crisis, and how she defeated longtime cabinet minister Gary Lunn to achieve her party’s first federal election victory. Brynna and Elizabeth talk about Stephen Harper’s impact on the environment when he served as prime minister of Canada, the tea on the Montreal and Kyoto Protocols, and how rotary clubs are actually the best thing ever. Elizabeth explains what people often get wrong about her, and how the patriarchy undermines the environment and fuels capitalism. Prior to leading the Green Party, Elizabeth founded and served as the Executive Director of the Sierra Club Canada (1989-2006). Notably, she was the first Green Party member to win a seat in the House of Commons and is currently a Member of Parliament for Saanich-Gulf Islands and has been since 2011. Please note: Views expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of the Sierra Club Canada Foundation or our chapters or programs. Representatives of the other major Canadian political parties have also been contacted and invited to appear on podcast episodes. Don’t forget to support our podcast on Patreon and follow us on Instagram!
Hello everyone and happy National Poetry Month! This month, we are so excited to be chatting with Selina Boan. Selina is a white settler-nehiyaw writer currently living on the traditional and unceded territories of the thexʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), səl̓ilwətaɁɬ (Tsleil-waututh), and sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) peoples. Her debut poetry collection, Undoing Hours, was published in Spring 2021 by Nightwood Editions. Her work has been published widely, including The Best Canadian Poetry 2018 and 2020. She has received several honours, including the 2017 National Magazine Award for Poetry, and was a finalist for the 2020 CBC poetry award. She is a poetry editor for CV2 and Rahila’s Ghost Press.
Today’s episode is a really special one that includes intimate performances of three poems from Selina’s book! We dive into so many themes throughout this episode, from language, to education and decolonization, to the intimacy of poetry and so much more. This is a joyful, deep, and loving conversation about celebrating who you are and celebrating others and their joy. Plug in your earphones and get listening!
How to Support Selina’s Work:
Follow Selina on Instagram and Twitter @selinaboan
Want to make Selina’s day, month, and year? Buy her book here or find it at your local bookstore!
Don’t forget to support us on Patreon! Follow us on Instagram!
Today’s episode features Myia Antone - a proud youth from Squamish nation. Myia is a teacher of the Skwxwú7mesh language, the founder of Indigenous Women Outdoors, and also a wicked mountain biker, skier, and paddler.
Together we discuss the evolution of outdoor recreation in Squamish and beyond. We touch on how colonialism and climate change have affected the spaces that have been stewarded by Myia’s ancestors since time out of mind. We also explore the role of language and culture in revitalising these lands, and how non-Indigenous folks can help share the load of radical change.
To learn more about Skwxwú7mesh place names in the Sea to Sky corridor, check out Squamish Atlas. Myia’s nonprofit is Indigenous Women Outdoors. Follow her on instagram here! If you enjoyed today’s episode, or learn anything from these organizations - please support them directly with your time and donations :)
As new wilderness attractions continue to pop up across the country to promote tourism and outdoor recreation, there can be many negative and long lasting effects on wildlife and Indigenous communities.
In this episode, we focus on the Kootenay Boundary region where a proposal for a ski resort has been gaining government approval despite warnings from locals on how this resort will negatively impact the wildlife living on the land.
Biologist Wayne P. McCrory, Autonomous Sinixt Campaign and Project Coordinator KL and Wild Connection spokesperson Nicky Blackshaw provide us with insight on how important it is to protect our wildlife, how to amplify the voices of Indigenous communities who have historical ties to the land, and why a “Tesla of ski resorts” does not automatically mean it is good for the environment.
If we don’t preserve and value the limited spaces our wildlife have, our human impact on nature can become irreversible.
For more information, visit The Wild Connection and Blood of Life Collective websites to find out how you can help prevent developers from building on natural wildlife sanctuaries.
Don’t forget to support us on Patreon! Follow us on Instagram!
Today we speak with linguist and anthropologist Dr. Luisa Maffi about the concept of biocultural diversity.
In 1995, Dr. Luisa Maffi and David Harmon explored the idea of how cultural diversity, language diversity, and biodiversity are all interconnected. If we were to lose a culture or language then we would see the negative effects in our biodiversity as well. Ultimately, this understanding led Dr. Luisa Maffi, David Harmon and some team members to create Terralingua - an international non-profit dedicated to sustaining the diversity of life in nature and culture.
Dr. Luisa Maffi is now the director of Terralingua and continues to explore the “connections between language and the way language expresses the way of thinking and acting of a given culture. In particular, the way it expresses and codifies the ways of thinking and acting towards the environment.”
If you have any stories to help contribute to the understanding of biocultural diversity or are interested in hearing authentic stories from people across the globe then check out Dr.Luisa Maffi’s Langscape Magazine. It is an annual online publication that further explores the interconnectivity of biocultural diversity.
To learn more about Terralingua visit their website.
Terralingua’s Twitter: @TerralinguaBCD.
Terralingua’s Instagram: @terralingua.langscape.
Support the Sierra Youth Podcast on Patreon! Follow us on Instagram!
Hello everyone and happy new year! We are so excited to be back and kicking off our first episode of 2022 with a special guest; Janelle Lapointe. Janelle is an Afro-Indigenous climate justice and Indigenous rights activist from Stellat’en First Nation, currently working in communications for the David Suzuki Foundation as a guest on the lands of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh), and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) peoples.
Today’s episode starts off with Janelle’s journey to becoming a climate and Indigenous rights activist. We then dive into an important conversation about the events taking place on the West Coast with respect to the Wet’suwet’en peoples, the Coastal Gaslink Pipeline, and the ‘national myths’ that surround perceptions of so-called ‘Canada.’ Today’s chat is one that you don’t want to miss so plug in your earphones and get listening!
To follow along with more of Janelle’s journey, you can find her on Instagram and Twitter at @janellelapointe.
Janelle’s Instagram
Janelle’s Twitter
Janelle’s PayPal (TIP YOUR EDUCATOR!)
Janelle’s article in the National Observer: An environment of anti-racism is how we win
Support for Wet’suwet’en: Check out the Wet’suwet’en Supporter Toolkit and write your government representatives to tell them to get RCMP off of Wet’suwet’en land!!!
Books: Unsettling Canada: A National Wake-Up Call by Arthur Manuel and Grand Chief Ronald Derrickson, The Reconciliation Manifesto: Recovering the Land, Rebuilding the Economy by Arthur Manuel and Grand Chief Ronald Derrickson, The Trudeau Formula: Seduction and Betrayal in an Age of Discontent by Martin Lukacs
University of Alberta Indigenous Canada FREE Course
Stay up-to-date on all things Wet'suwet'en: Gidimt’en Yintah Access
Brandi Morin: Cree/Iroquois/French | Awarded Journalist @Songstress28 on Twitter
Amber Bracken: Documentary photographer @photobracken on Twitter
Michael Toledano: Documentary filmmaker and photographer on Wet’suwet’en land @M_Tol on Twitter
Hey everyone, with such a stressful year a lot of us here at Sierra Youth have been experiencing burnout and we are aware a lot of you are experiencing the same thing. We wanted to do this episode to share our experiences with burnout and how we are trying to manage it as the stress of 2021 continues on. We hope that we bring you comfort in knowing you are not alone in feeling stressed out and invite you to share some of your stories in how you've been coping with burnout. You can DM us on Instagram for more information on how to share your story.
We also suggest talking with someone about your feelings and getting some insight on how to deal with everything. A great website we suggest is Better Help, they are a great source for anyone looking to try out therapy for the first time or even just as a resource to vent. We hope you enjoy this episode, happy holidays and happy new year!
Resource to help you find a therapist:
We are back for season 2, BABY! This week the team kicks off a new series of conversations with Gloria Pancrazi (@gloriapancrazi) and Elena Jean (@elena.jean). They are the filmmakers behind the newly premiered documentary, Coextinction (@coextinctionfilm). This film is all about orcas, specifically the Southern Resident killer whales, who are most often found swimming in the waters of the Pacific Northwest. We chat about why this species is so incredible, the importance of listening to Indigenous knowledge holders, and what needs to be done to achieve co-existence. As always, we hope you love the episode and can’t wait to hear your thoughts!
Coextinction Website & Trailer
We are the youth chapter of a grassroots non-profit, to support our work, please visit our Patreon
This episode of Sierra Youth Podcast was produced by Aviva Lessard. Our editor is Justine Van Dyke. Graphic design by Carissa Kirk. Social media support by Abbey Gagnon. The rest of our team includes Brynna Kagawa-Visentin, Emily Markholm, Jackie Layton, Jessica Cloutier and Micaela Yawney.
This week the team tackles a beeeeeefy topic! We’re talking all things food and sustainability. Liiiiiiike... how does our collective food consumption impact the planet? How can we fuel our bodies more sustainably? What does systematic change in our food supply look like?
IN NO WAY does this podcast endorse, promote, or prescribe a particular diet. We touch on our own relationships to food and how they have evolved over the years, and ultimately encourage our listeners to listen to your body and take care however you see fit :)
Listen now, wherever you get your podcasts!
Resources Mentioned:
Hey folks!
We asked you what you wanted us to talk about this week… and you answered GREENWASHING! So today, we demystify what the heck it is, what the different types are, our own experiences with greenwashing, and what we can do about it. Join us for this fun chat with the crew of Sierra Youth.
Please follow us wherever you listen to your podcasts and interact with us on Instagram - we love hearing from you!
Mentioned in the episode:
Patriot Act - The Ugly Truth of Fast Fashion
Fitzroy Rentals - Two way shipping Canada wide!
Not mentioned but useful:
Join us for an in-depth and multi-faceted discussion about capitalism! What is it? How’d we get here? Is it a lost cause? What other options do we have? In this episode, we attempt to demystify capitalism and reimagine our society’s future. Let us know what you think 🌿
Mentioned on this episode:
Revolutionary Left Radio - On Being: Dismantling the Patriarchy Inside and Out
Introduction to Marx and Marxism
IMF Podcasts - The Value of Whales and Every Other Breath
Our very first guest! Corinne Rice-Grey Cloud met with Sierra Youth to discuss land acknowledgements and how to ensure they aren’t a performative action. Corinne walks the team through the process of crafting a thoughtful acknowledgement with the input of local tribal nations. From there, we discussed how to contribute to reconciliation with the sovereign nations whose land we live on. We could not have asked for a better first guest - Corinne is a gracious and incredibly knowledgeable educator. We are so excited for you to listen to all that she shared with us!
Follow Corinne for more lessons @misscorinne86, or visit her consulting website CorinneRiceConsulting.com!
Your 10-Minute Action to Create Change this week is:
Level 1 - Download the Native Land App to learn about who’s land you live, work, and play on.
Level 2 - Introduce yourself to your local Elders and Indigenous community centres to begin building those relationships.
Bonus Level - Bring them a gift of coffee/tobacco as a sign of respect.
Mentioned in this episode:
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Decolonizing Trauma Work: Indigenous Stories and Strategies by Renee Linklater
Indigenous Men and Masculinity: Legacies, Identities, Regeneration edited by Kim Anderson and Robert Alexander Innes
If You’ve Forgotten the Name of the Clouds You’ve Lost Your Way by Russell Means and Bayard Johnson
Where White Men Fear to Tread by Russell Means
