Break The Divide (BTD) is an international non-profit organization that connects youth worldwide in a conversation on climate change to break down divisions between communities. BTD’s patent “apathy to empathy to action” framework seeks to build ways in which young people can connect and learn from one another in an increasingly polarized world, allowing them to build empathy for realities that they have never faced, and empowering them to transform that empathy into concrete actions that advance the creation of harmonious and abundant futures.
Break The Divide is currently preparing to launch a new project engaging international students and immigrant youth in Downtown Toronto through an open online course on climate change and building resilience to take local climate action. The online course focuses on providing newcomers with the necessary knowledge and skills they need to understand and respond to challenges posed by climate change during their time in Canada.
The online course will explore the theme of alternative systems for an eco-friendly society and cover topics such as (1) cooperative and community forms of land ownership, (2) intersections of precarious employment, climate, and technology, and (3) democratic and cooperative financial systems, etc.
Through our established dialogue framework that encourages young people to share and build an understanding of diverse knowledge perspectives and foster empathy for one another, the program will nurture a sense of belonging in Canada, build a sense of community through sharing space with youth who hold similar lived experiences, as well as empower participants to address climate-related issues collaboratively. Our staff team will also use in-person meetings to facilitate “climate cafés” – a space for exploration of thoughts, feelings and experiences on climate change where participants can safely share emotional responses and reactions related to the climate and environmental emergency.
You can learn more information about the program by visiting the BTD website: https://breakthedivide.net/our-programs/climate-skills-community-building-fellowship/
As we are currently in the process of recruiting participants for the program, we ask that you kindly share information about the program with your network & refer us to anyone who suits the criteria and might be interested.
To register for the program, you have to be a new immigrant or international student in Canada, between the ages of 18 and 30. You can apply to take part in the program by filling out this Google Form (https://forms.gle/YQSyYoKnkEnBPagu8).
If you have any questions about the program, you can contact Aria Kani (Program Manager) at . You can also schedule a Zoom meeting with Aria to further discuss what the program entails here.
