Youth Advisory Board
Empowering Youth Voices for a Resilient Future
The Mental Health and Climate Change Alliance (MHCCA) is proud to introduce our Youth Advisory Board, a dynamic group of young leaders dedicated to shaping a future where mental health and climate resilience go hand in hand. As the voices of their generation, these passionate individuals bring invaluable insights, creativity, and lived experiences to guide MHCCA’s mission and outputs.
What Is the Youth Advisory Board?
The Youth Advisory Board is a diverse collective of young people from across Canada committed to addressing the intersection of mental health and climate change. Their role is to provide feedback, share ideas, and co-create innovative strategies that empower communities to respond to climate challenges while prioritizing mental health and well-being.
The YAB’s primary role is connecting MHCCA with the broader community and advising on MHCCA projects, strategic planning, and resource development. There are also opportunities for action, leadership, and additional collaboration as there is interest.
Our Purpose
Elevate Youth Perspectives
We believe young people are key stakeholders in building climate-resilient communities. The Board ensures their voices are heard and integrated into MHCCA’s programs, tools, and resources.Foster Innovative Solutions
Through collaboration, the Youth Advisory Board generates fresh, actionable ideas for tackling the mental health impacts of climate change.Build Connections
The Board fosters dialogue and partnership between youth and established experts to create holistic, inclusive solutions.
Meet Our Youth Advisors
Each Youth Advisory Board member brings a unique background and perspective, reflecting the diversity and resilience of communities across Canada. Together, they represent a wide array of experiences in mental health advocacy, climate activism, Indigenous leadership, and community engagement.
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Regina, Saskatchewan
Abhay Singh Sachal is a 22-year old Canadian whose research and work resides at the intersection of climate change, ecoanxiety, mental health, and spirituality. He is the founder of Break The Divide, a non-profit organization based on principles of environmentalism, sustainability, and reconciliation that focuses on fostering empathy and understanding to inspire local action projects in communities. Abhay is one of 10 advisors in the inaugural Environment and Climate Change Canada Youth Council, and one of 20 advisors in the United Nations Environmental Programme Faith For Earth Youth Council. Outside of his activism, Abhay is currently a student at the University of Regina, completing a Masters of Education in Educational Psychology; a public speaker on environmental and climate issues; and, an avid ice hockey player and pianist. Abhay is the Chair of the Youth Advisory Board at the MHCCA.
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Vancouver, BC
Emilie Wang (she/her) is currently pursuing her medical degree at the University of British Columbia (UBC). She did her undergraduate degree at UBC, specializing in environmental health, with a strong foundation for interdisciplinary research, systems thinking, community engagement, and knowledge translation. She is dedicated to contributing to the field of planetary health through various avenues, and is passionate about equitable healthcare access, especially for newcomer populations.
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Edmonton, AB
Gina Malaba is a recent postgraduate from the University of Alberta who majored in English Honours and double minored in Philosophy and Political Science. She has always been dedicated to leading community initiatives that promote ideals of social justice, anti-racism and mental health awareness. In order to help counteract the negative effects that the pandemic had on the mental health of students, Gina volunteered to be a One-to-One Host for UNITEA, a student wellness organization dedicated to creating safe spaces for students to gain a sense of belonging. As the President of her university’s Black Students Association (UABSA) she also helped curate student-centred initiatives that educated target audiences on racial discrimination, dynamic allyship and cultural diversity. She is currently a Fellow in the 1834 Foundation’s Global program, where she will be convening with public policymakers and advocacy practitioners from around the world to maximize her future capacity in civic leadership roles.
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Montréal, Québec
Leonard is a co-founder of CEVES, (the Student Coalition for an Environmental and Social Shift) which aims to bring together and mobilize Quebec’s student population on climate justice issues. He has participated in the organization of many events and major climate strikes called Fridays For Future, including the historic one on September 27, 2019, which gathered half a million people in Tiohtia:ke (Montreal). In the last 2 years, he has been working as a trainer for the Climate Justice Hub, helping activist’s groups on their strategy, structure, and conflict resolution. With a certificate in ecology and currently pursuing a certificate in psychosocial intervention, he aims to address the emotional work of the climate crisis and help individuals, groups, and communities to gain more resilience and adaptation.
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(she/they)
Sayemin (সায়িমীন) is a Bangladeshi settler migrant, climate community organizer, eco-arts practitioner, and emerging outdoor leader, living on the unceded Traditional Coast Salish Lands.
She is the co-founder of Solastalgia, a youth-led grassroots initiative that amplifies youth and intergenerational voices on eco-anxiety through creative content and land-based events. Sayemin also serves on the board of the BIPOC Sustainability Collective, and is the current Impact Officer for the Global Shapers, Vancouver Hub.
Her work centers on climate wellbeing and mental health, blending land-based stewardship, cultural expression, the arts, and intergenerational knowledge to foster emotional resilience in the face of ecological crisis. As an aspiring outdoor educator, she integrates advocacy with land-based learning to inspire action and use nature as a space for healing and connection.
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Surrey, B.C.
Zoha Faisal is a teenage climate justice and community organizer ancestrally from Punjab, Pakistan. She is a co-founder of Climate Recentered, a movement of BIPOC based on the unceded lands of the Katzie, Semiahmoo, and Kwantlen First Nations, working to build long-term mutual aid projects and communities of care in order to grow climate resilience. She was also previously a core organizer with Sustainabiliteens, a grassroots organization bringing teenagers together from across the Lower Mainland to organize mass mobilizations and campaigns targeting those responsible for climate injustice. Her work in climate justice is inspired by the resilience of her home village in Pakistan that has borne the brunt of the climate crisis for decades, and she is an advocate for centering cultural and ancestral practices in justice-based organizing.
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(she/her)
Toronto, ON.
Claire is a dual Canadian-American citizen that has lived in Connecticut, Boston, Vancouver, and most recently Toronto. Some of her current professional “hats” include: Youth Engagement Specialist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Grief & Trauma Clinician at Mount Sinai Hospital, and Adjunct Lecturer at the University of Toronto. As a Youth Engagement Specialist at CAMH she designs, coordinates, and facilitates youth engagement activities for the Active Hope & Climate Action project which studies how to make the Active Hope framework more youth-friendly. Her role as a Grief & Trauma Clinician is strongly informed by her professional clinical background as an occupational therapist, a profession that centres “well-being comes from well-doing” as its guiding North Star.
Claire is passionate about advocating for the integration of community engagement and storytelling methods into climate distress initiatives. The values that guide her in both her personal and professional life include: relationality, curiosity, compassion, service, justice, and fun. Outside of her professional life, she loves reading non-fiction, drinking bubble tea (always regular sugar, less ice), and pomeranian-spotting in downtown Toronto parks.
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Halifax, Nova Scotia
Jenna Kedy is a 21-year-old powerhouse from Halifax, Nova Scotia, who is over the moon to be joining the MHCCA Youth Advisory Board. She proudly wears many hats including healthcare advocate, public speaker, community volunteer, Girl Guides leader, and chronic illness warrior. Living with a rare form of juvenile idiopathic arthritis, fibromyalgia, generalized anxiety disorder, and a learning disability, Jenna has transformed her lived experiences into a source of strength, creativity, and compassion. She is also proudly neurodivergent, and sees this as one of her greatest gifts; shaping her resilience, imagination, and the unique lens she brings to every space she joins. Her journey into advocacy began at the young age of 14, when she decided to use her story not just for herself but for others walking similar paths. Six years later, Jenna has built a diverse and exciting portfolio of work at local, provincial, national, and international levels. She has partnered with healthcare organizations, youth-led initiatives, and advisory councils to make systems more inclusive, accessible, and youth-friendly. Currently, she is in her third year of the Family Studies undergraduate program at Mount Saint Vincent University in Bedford, Nova Scotia, where she dives deep into understanding families, relationships, and community structures. Alongside her studies, Jenna works part-time as an Assistant Direct Support Professional at a nonprofit, where she supports individuals in building life skills, fostering inclusion, and finding joy in everyday experiences. Beyond her work in health, Jenna has also become a strong advocate for climate action after living near the devastating 2023 Nova Scotia wildfires and flooding. Experiencing the reality of climate anxiety firsthand deepened her commitment to conversations around resilience, youth leadership, and the urgent need for climate justice. She brings this perspective with her to every table, blending her lived experiences of health and climate with her passion for building hopeful, empowered futures. Outside of her advocacy and professional life, Jenna is fueled by adventure, connection, and sparkle. She loves to travel, shop, and explore new places whether it’s hopping on a plane to discover a new city or finding hidden gems in her own backyard. She brings this same energy into her advocacy: balancing seriousness with fun, professionalism with heart, and resilience with glitter. Her motto is simple: “Every space deserves to feel welcoming, inclusive, and just a little bit brighter.”
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Enayah Berry is a tenth grader who cares a lot about climate change, human rights, and mental health. She is really interested in how these issues connect and affect young people like me. At school, she is involved in clubs like DECA and Debate, which helped her build leadership and communication skills. She also does figure skating, horseback riding, and karate to stay active and started the Amnesty International club at her school to get more students involved in human rights and social justice. She is also a member of the “She’s the First Youth Advisory Council” and a Girl Con Youth Ambassador, where she helps support girls’ education and leadership. Being a scholarship grantee to the climate justice camp at the University of British Columbia was a great experience that inspired her to learn more and take action on climate and mental health issues. She also took part in Amnesty’s Youth Leadership Summit, which helped her understand how to be a better advocate for human rights and climate justice. Outside school, she volunteers with her local Member of Parliament and help with community events. She hopes to use her lived experiences dealing with mental health and climate anxiety as a youth to help others going through the same experiences as her.
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Udochukwu Chidera, also known as Chidera, is a Nigerian writer and pharmacist of Igbo descent whose work explores mental health, identity, climate, and African futures. She is the second prize winner of the 2024 Dissolution Climate Change Essay Contest (LitFest Bergen, Norway) and a runner-up in the 2024 South African Bloody Parchment Horrorfest. She has received the Illino Media Writing Residency and was shortlisted for the 2024 Akachi Chukwuemeka Prize for Literature. Her poem appears in the PIN Best Poems of 2024 Anthology.
Chidera has also won the 2024 Ikenga Short Story Prize, 2023 As Abugi Prize (2nd prize), and placed in the K&L Prize for Fiction, E.C. Michaels Short Story Prize, and BKPW Poetry Contest. Her work was recognized in the 2023 Green We Left Behind CNF Contest, the 2023 LIGHT Poetry Contest, and the Hilltop Creative Arts Foundation monthly and annual contests. She is a multi-award winner of the Shuzia Contests, the D’Lit Review, and the Chinua Achebe Anthology.
Her writing has appeared or is forthcoming in IHRAF Thorn Anthology, Libre Lit, Mythic Picnic, Lagos Review, AprilCentaur, Feminists in Kenya, Valiant Scribe, Fortunate Traveller, Tush Magazine, Tabono Anthology, Ngiga Review, Writer’s Hangout Initiative, and more.
What the Youth Advisory Board Does
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Advises on Key Initiatives
The Board contributes to the development of MHCCA’s resources, campaigns, and policy recommendations, ensuring outputs are relevant and accessible to youth audiences.
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Champions Awareness
Board members play a vital role in amplifying conversations about mental health and climate change, engaging peers, and advocating for systemic change.
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Drives Collaboration
Through partnership with MHCCA staff and external stakeholders, the Board co-designs impactful initiatives, such as workshops, toolkits, and community events.
Get Involved!
Are you passionate about mental health and climate action? Do you want to be part of the movement for a more equitable and resilient future? Learn how to support the Youth Advisory Board or join us as a volunteer or partner organization.
