According to the 2022 State of Public Health in Canada, climate change and eco-anxiety are threatening public health crises. At least 58% of Canadian youth feel afraid, sad, anxious, and powerless in the face of climate change (Galway and Field, 2023). Youth will inherit environmental damage and must be properly equipped to address environmental challenges. In the Climate Change Education Ambition Report Card (Kwauk, 2021), Canada ranked 94th out of 109 countries. Canada ranks among the top 7% of the world's most polluting countries on a per capita basis. Two-thirds of Canadians and three-quarters of teachers believe schools need to do more to educate students about climate change. In response to these growing issues, Lab22 launched in 2019, the Pacte de l'école québécoise (PEQ). Based on UNESCO's Greening Education Partnership approach, this call to action presents 25 concrete measures divided in 4 areas: school governance, teaching and educational activities, infrastructure and community partnerships. To this day, the PEQ has been signed by over 100 schools and organizations, representing over 1.5 million young people. In response to this mobilisation and considering the significant gap in knowledge and capacity regarding climate action and environmental education in schools across Quebec, Lab22 developed a 3-year capacity-building programme during which our team helps each school develop and implement bold climate action plans. Our vision is for each school across our communities to be a place where youth can become agents of change for a climate secure future. To implement our vision, we can count on a passionate and skilled team and board members composed of environmental education specialists, environmental analysts, young climate leaders, teachers, communication specialists, governance experts and community leaders.
