BCCIC Climate Change’s Youth Engagement Division is thrilled to announce its delegation to the 27th Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27) in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. The delegation includes undergraduate, master’s and PhD students as well as working professionals in various sectors, representing several diverse areas of expertise including international relations, biodiversity science, economics, behavioural psychology, and agricultural science.
BCCIC’s COP delegations have two main goals:
- To train and empower young and future generations of Canadians working in climate diplomacy;
- To foster a strong and professional youth presence on the domestic and international stages in the fight for young and future generations’ right to a sustainable world. By giving youth avenues to influence high-level decision-making, we are helping them claim more agency over deciding their climate future.
Ashley Kelsey graduated with a B.A. in Political Science from Simon Fraser University in 2020 along with a Diploma in Crisis Management and Negotiation from NATO College while studying in Europe. She continued her education by studying Renewable Energy Essentials at the University of Alberta and now plans to pursue a Masters in Environmental Management. She has 4 year of experience working in the renewable energy industry at BC Hydro. Her work focuses on energy conservation and energy saving related projects at the retail level as a retail representative. Additionally, Ashley is going into her 3rd year of volunteering at BCCIC and is currently the Coordinator for the Climate Policy & Research Division. She manages 3 teams of project managers and policy analysts while also speaking on environment related panels at public events. Ashley is passionate about our environment and is always seeking opportunities that will shape the way she thinks about energy and sustainability. She is eager to take part in the movement to create a better Earth for future generations.
Alea Mohamed is an undergraduate student in her final semester, pursuing a B.A. International Studies with a concentration in International Security and Conflict with a minor in Development and Sustainability from Simon Fraser University. She is a long-time BCCIC Climate Change volunteer and has worked on and led research that focuses on a variety of subjects, including climate change-induced displacement, loss & damage, and the upcoming 2023 Global Stocktake. She is passionate about climate action, sustainability and community engagement – and hopes to be able to further these passions at COP27.
Kevin Bouliane is a health economics and outcomes researcher with a passion for health and wellbeing. Inspired by the evidence for health and happiness in societies with more wealth equality and accessible social supports, he attended UBC and received a Master of Science in Population and Public Health, graduating in 2021. His thesis work revealed data sources for environmental exposures that may impact neighbourhoods and communities across British Columbia differently and may affect early child development. Kevin has contributed to progressive political movements on a local level and on a global level at the 2019 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, supported by BCCIC. Despite the overwhelming and complex challenges ahead in the pursuit of global sustainability, he remains grounded in the daily opportunity to be an agent of change through minimalism, conscious consumption, and sustainable choices in food and lifestyle. Kevin is eager to represent his areas of interest and find a community of mutual support at COP27.
Tansi! Well wishes to you and yours.
Sekwanahcahk is an Indigenous Youth from Northern Alberta. Woodland Cree from Wabasca and Metis from Gift Lake, Sekwan has an intense love, passion, and joy for working, being in relationship with, and playing on the Land. With a natural progression in storytelling, Sekwan loves creating easy to understand and easy to communicate materials that talk about the climate crisis, Indigenous rights, and food sovereignty goals being reached with Mycelium. Currently, they are a Community Climate Justice Coordinator who is working towards a future that has everyone in mind. Sekwan hopes to promote Indigenous-led traditional knowledge being upheld in the scientific world and on the world stage.
Kennedy Tuccaro is a member of the Mikisew Cree First Nation. She is currently completing an accelerated Masters program in Geomatics for Environmental Management where she is undertaking a capstone research project using Indigenous knowledge to aid in understanding the environmental factors contributing to the limited eastern movement of the Ronald Lake Bison Herd in northeastern Alberta for her First Nation. She holds a B.A. of Geography (‘22) in Environment and Sustainability, while also specializing in First Nations & Indigenous Studies. Professionally, she works as a junior researcher at an Indigenous-owned environmental consulting firm, where she has been able to grow her knowledge through working for Indigenous Nations on various environmental projects. Kennedy was part of the BCCIC delegation to COP 26, where her priorities were focusing networking with Indigenous organizations, sustainable energy and community-led climate projects. For COP 27, her goals are building connections, advocating for the promotion of language revitalization programs as a pathway for environmental conservation and the need for Indigenous-led land stewardship.
Marissa Ng is a conservationist focused on ocean and forest solutions at the intersection of biodiversity loss, climate change, and environmental justice. She has recently completed a dual-degree Master of Science in Biodiversity, Conservation and Management and MBA at the University of Oxford as a fully-funded Oxford Pershing Square Scholar. Her current work centers on the protection and restoration of kelp forests and she is excited to be joining the Seaforestation team at Ocean Wise. She hopes to explore innovative models, informed by Indigenous and Western scientific approaches, that reconcile conservation with economic development. Previously, Marissa worked across East Africa with Partnerships for Forests (funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office) and as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company in their sustainability and public sector practices.
Jennifer Hong is a recent graduate from the University of British Columbia holding a BSc Honors in Forest Sciences specializing in Forest Ecosystem Services. She has a research interest in the relationship between human health and forestry, and is passionate about increasing accessibility to natural spaces for everyone. She approaches her work with a ‘people-first’, intersectional lens to ensure the often lesser-heard voices of youth, Indigenous or racialized peoples are heard when addressing environmental issues. She has worked for Parks Canada to develop community outreach programs, worked for Singapore’s National Parks Board and has experience analyzing energy policy solutions to implement the Pan-Canadian Framework (i.e., Canada’s commitments that followed the Paris Climate Agreement discussions) programming for Environment and Climate Change Canada in Ottawa. Jennifer was a youth delegate at COP26, where she followed the tracks of land-use, land use change, and forestry (LULUCF) and ecosystem services. She will also be the co-delegation lead for the upcoming COP27 youth delegation. Most recently, Jennifer was a youth delegate for the UN FAO’s World Forestry Congress where she supported a team of 20 other youth delegates in youth-focused events and initiatives, in addition to conceptualizing the Faces of Forestry campaign.
Molly Rahal’s fear for the state of our Earth developed at around the age of 8 when she would go around her local neighborhood putting up “save the earth” posters with coloured markers, crayons, and tape. Her journey truly began as an activist in her undergrad, frequently participating in peaceful demonstrations. She organized internally with the Extinction Rebellion Vancouver chapter while receiving her BA in Political Science from UBC. She co-directed a small online platform “For Life”, which focused on youth recruitment to the Green Party of Canada as well as campaigning for the last Canadian federal elections. She worked on campaigns alongside the policy teams of two former Green Party of Canada leadership candidates during the last internal Green Party elections. Now, she is working on the completion of her Master of International Affairs degree with a concentration in international security. She was a delegate with BCCIC to the UN High Level Political Forum in 2018; the UNFCCC SB 50 in 2019, an assistant policy analyst at COP 25 in 2019, and the SB 56 in 2022. She has been focused mostly on Loss & Damage negotiations and the development and progress of the Warsaw International Mechanism. She feels honored to be co-leading the UNFCCC COP 27 delegation to Sharm el-Sheikh in November 2022.