Past Program - June to October 2025

Land Acknowledgment

The City of Courtenay stands on the unceded traditional territories of the K'ómoks First Nation. We acknowledge and honour the rich heritage and deep connection to this land.

YOUTH CLIMATE CORPS BC - Courtenay

Fostering Climate Resilience and Engagement

This season, the YCCBC Courtenay team is participating in and leading climate action projects across the Comox Valley focused on urban agriculture, ecosystem restoration and climate resilience.

In a partnership with LUSH Valley, the team will help run urban gardens, glean farm produce for local food distribution, host fruit pick events, and help lead a week-long summer camp to introduce kids to our local food systems. Additionally in partnership with the BC Parks Foundation, YCCBC Courtenay will conduct environmental monitoring at Morrison Headwaters, maintaining trail cameras, conducting citizen science and leading community outreach and education to protect this sensitive ecosystem.

Across partnerships, the Courtenay team is working hard to remove invasive species across the valley, by attending and hosting invasive removal events, creating educational resources, and conducting a community engagement campaign to remove these species on private property.

Further collaborations include work with the Lake Trail Community Education Society to design and build a new permaculture garden, and help host weekly community meals. The crew is also working with the Cumberland Community Forest Society to observe bat populations, protect migrating toads, and monitor local beaches to educate the public about improper use.

The crew has a full summer ahead, and are looking forward to maximizing impact, building climate resilience into their communities and adding capacity to community organizations and city initiatives!

Join the Movement

Youth have the power to ignite change and shape a brighter future. At YCCBC, we invite young people to join our movement, where they can be agents of positive change and drive resilience within our community.

Together, let's embrace the challenges of climate change and pave the way for a greener and more sustainable Courtenay.

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YCCBC Alumnus Shares Experience with Watershed Sentinel

This summer, a YCCBC program took root in the Comox Valley! In a piece written by alumnus Maddie Turenne, you can take a look inside the first season of YCCBC Courtenay, where youth worked on food security, ecological restoration, and watershed monitoring through partnerships with LUSH Valley, Lake Trail Community Education Society, and Project Watershed, to name a few.

CHLY 101.7 FM: Youth Climate Corps recap first summer in Courtenay

The YCCBC Courtenay team was recently featured by CHLY 101.7 FM, a non-profit campus–community radio station based in Nanaimo.

YCCBC Courtenay's Invasive Species Removal Success

All summer long, the YCCCBC Courtenay crew has been hard at work mapping the biodiversity of the Morrison Creek Headwaters.

Within Youth Climate Corps, crew members are between 17-30 years old; they earn wages, gain work experience, build networks, and develop themselves personally and professionally. Meanwhile, they complete projects that both benefit their own communities and support global efforts to act on the climate crisis.

If you or your organization wants to learn more about how to team up with us and move forward on projects in your community, or if you are interested in funding one of our projects related to our different focus areas, we are here to support you.