To celebrate the Youth Climate Action Fund (YCAF) and all the groundbreaking climate projects we supported through the program, the municipality and HCi3 are hosting a community showcase on the Hope Blooms campus (2346 Brunswick Street in Halifax).
On October 28, from 5 - 7 p.m., experience a market-style gathering and speak with members of the winning teams about the climate action projects they created.
Featured teams
Banye Art
Banye Art’s project looks to address young Nova Scotian artists’ lack of involvement in climate justice by offering the knowledge, tools and inspiration to embrace climate action. Their training workshop introduced young people to climate action and arts-based activism, opening up practical ways to engage in climate-related activities.
BLM in this Together
This project aimed to address the lack of resources that limits the development of climate resilience in African Nova Scotian communities. BLM in this Together also wants to improve the health and wellbeing of African Nova Scotians through education and environmental anti-racism. By gathering youth at a climate justice conference and hosting other climate related events in ANS communities, this project set the stage to continue their critical work.
Dalhousie Outdoors Society
This project focused on food sustainability practices and offered workshops to Dalhousie students on low waste outdoor cooking, food dehydrating tips, and DIY meal packages for community fridges.
Hydrostone Academy (Shambhala School)
Hydrostone Academy sought to engage youth in climate action through a hands-on one-day summer camp that allowed campers to work with macroalge and its implications on creating bioethanol. This initiative built upon their first project that aimed to make innovative science more accessible in the classroom.
Hope Blooms
With their grant support, Hope Blooms created the Green Labs Science Fair, an interactive, youth-led initiative designed to foster environmental stewardship and innovation among children and youth. The fair challenged participants to develop creative, hands-on solutions to tackle climate change.
Loaded Ladle
Loaded Ladle runs the popular weekly Beet Street Market, a student-led market the addresses the need for affordable food in the municipality. The market provides a campus Community Fridge with leftover market produce. The goal of their YCAF project was to double their capacity to serve the community by adding a second fridge, doubling the number of customers who can utilize our market.
MacPhee Centre
With support from YCAF, MacPhee was able to create “The Power-Up” a sustainable urban garden meant to inspire art and community connection. The project aimed to transform an existing urban space into a space for hands-on gardening, but also a living classroom based in community care.
Oakhill Outdoor
This project focused on ensuring that the recent construction work happening at Fairview Elementary School included green and resilient building principles. By creating an outdoor pollinator garden, Oakhill Outdoor aimed to use landscaping practices that give students access to nature and climate-friendly outdoor learning.
Rotaract Club of Halifax
This project featured the creation of a mural at the Parker Street Food and Furniture Bank that showcases sustainability, food security and community collaboration. Part of the goal was to beautify the area, but just as important, Rotaract Club wanted to increase volunteer participation in its Parker Street community garden.
Square Roots
With their micro-grant, Square Roots was able to enhance their weekly market by acquired higher-value fruits and vegetables to fight food insecurity in the Halifax region. Their goal was to make costlier items more accessible to families.
Women in STEM
This project addressed the plastics pollution crisis and its impact on ocean life. By repurposing plastic waste, Women in STEM aimed to upcycle plastic waste into useful products, while also offering youth an introductory experience with coding, using Arduino to build digital devices.
Other winning teams
Friends for the Future
This project aimed to bring sustainability and environmental education to local high school students through immersive workshops and trips with local non-profit organizations. Students were also equipped with sustainable life skills such as food preservation techniques.
Enactus
With their microgrant, Enactus was able to establish three new locations of their weekly Square Roots markets to reduce the cost of produce in underrepresented communities.
NSCC Green AI Innovators
This project focused on creating a cloud-based AI-powered waste classification system to help people reduce recycling contamination by properly sorting their waste. The system also aims to raise awareness of the importance of proper waste disposal practices.
Ecology Action Centre
This project saw the launch of ‘EAC Teens,’ a group that empowers youth from grade nine to 12 to engage in climate advocacy and action. Youth were paired with mentors and given an opportunity to create small projects aligned with their environmental passions.
Period Equity Alliance
This project provided workshops to schools on the environmental impacts of single-use menstrual products and the sustainable alternatives that currently exist.
Welcoming Intercultural Newcomers Association
This youth-led storytelling and climate awareness project aimed to capture the real-life stories of African international students and their climate-related experiences and solutions. These stories were told through spoken word, short film, digital art and photography.
Garden Goobers
This team created a new garden at their school and used their produce to cook for each other. By growing their own produce, students were able to learn more about healthy eating habits, connect with other students and bring new sustainable practices to the community.
The Deanery Project
This project aimed to promote safer, more sustainable transportation in the rural parts of the region by advocating and supporting the installation of standard wayfinding signage for cyclists. The Deanery Project also used public art to promote road etique and cycling culture.
Youth Climate Action Fund | Round 2
In April 2024, the Halifax Regional Municipality was selected as one of 100 cities to receive $66,000 CAD from Bloomberg Philanthropies and United Cities and Local Governments through the new Youth Climate Action Fund (YCAF). The program is designed to empower young people to take meaningful action on climate change in their communities.
Following a successful first round, the municipality, together with the Halifax Climate Investment, Innovation and Impact Fund (HCi3), was awarded an additional $140,000 CAD to support even more youth-led climate initiatives across the region.
With the second round of applications, we received a range of creative proposals from local youth. There are so many ways that youth in the municipality are stepping up to the challenge, from community gardening projects to new ways of using technology.
YCAF round 2 winners
Aruna Revolution | Period Equity Alliance Society: Youth-Led Climate Action for Sustainable Menstruation
Banye Art | My Climate and Art: A training workshop for young artists
BLM in this Together | Emerge - Environmental Catalysts Emerging Above the Underpinning
Dalhousie Outdoors Society | Land Stewardship training
The Deanery Project | CycleScapes: Art, Advocacy, & the Road Ahead on the Eastern Shore
Ecology Action Centre | EAC Teens
Enactus | Food Desert/Marginalized Communities Initiative
Friends for the Future | Environmental Education and Sustainable Solutions: A Youth-Based Workshop Series
Garden Goobers (Marine Drive School) | The Fresh Ingredient
Hope Blooms | Science Fair
Hydrostone Academy | Turning the (Green) Tide: Micro and Macroalgae as Sources of Renewable Energy
Loaded Ladle | Beet Street Market
MacPhee Centre | Power up - Sustainable urban garden for art and community
NSCC Green AI Innovators | SmartBin AI: Waste Classification System
Oakhill Outdoor | Fairview Elementary School Pollinator Classroom Project
Rotaract Club of Halifax | Our Garden, Our Gallery
Square Roots | Square Roots North End
Welcoming Intercultural Newcomers Association | Decade to Destiny: Voices of African International Students on Climate and Culture
Women in STEM | Reimagine, Repurpose, Restore
Local governments driving climate action
The YCAF network spans 38 countries across six continents, representing over 62 million residents. To date, this global movement has supported more than 1,000 climate projects and engaged more than 100,000 young people who are leading the charge toward a healthier, more sustainable future.
Local governments are on the front lines of the climate crisis. A recent survey by the Municipal Net-Zero Action Research Partnership found that more than 60% of Canadian cities have climate action plans, and nearly half have set targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Here in Halifax, we’re proud to lead with HalifACT, our long-term climate action plan. Through programs like YCAF, we’re not only tackling emissions and climate risks, we’re also supporting vibrant, resilient communities.
Past Projects
In April 2024, the municipality was one of 100 cities that received $50,000 USD ($66,000 CAD) from Bloomberg Philanthropies and United Cities and Local Governments as part of the new YCAF program, which hopes to encourage the participation of young people in municipal climate action. On September 16, 2024, Mayor Mike Savage presented the recipients of YCAF funding with small grants of up to $5,000 USD ($6,600 CAD).
Spotlight: Shambhala School
Shambhala School is conducting a research project integrated into its Science 8, Science 9, Science Fair and High School Biology curriculums. Their project is providing hands-on lessons in cell biology, genetics, biochemistry and climate change by culturing several species of freshwater and marine algal species in the classroom. Shambhala School hopes to encourage students to tackle climate change at the local level and to spread awareness about possible solutions.
Spotlight: DalSol
The Dalhousie Solar Car Team (DalSol) is a student-led group dedicated to designing a 100% solar-powered electric vehicle (EV). They were the first team from Atlantic Canada to race at the Formula Sun Grand Prix (FSGP) in 2023, and followed it up with another race in 2024. The team is planning to return to FSGP in 2026.
DalSol's goal is to give students practical experience with problem solving and green transportation, and to spur innovation in renewable energy and EV technology.
Spotlight: Hope Blooms
For almost two decades, Hope Blooms has been encouraging community involvement in local food production. Over the years, the Hope Blooms Campus has added a community farmers market, an after-school leadership program for youth and the Green Labs mentorship program. This organization used YCAF funding to commission a large community mural by young residents and a local graffiti artist. The mural they created together depicts a scene of new growth and dedication to caring for the planet.
YCAF projects
- Caring for the Barrens, community capacity building
- DalSol (Dalhousie University), Solar-Powered Electric Race Vehicle open house
- Girl Child Art Foundation + Banye Art, My Climate and Art: A Climate Justice Art Exhibition
- Hope Blooms, community climate action mural
- Level: Changing Lives Through Law, Environmental Justice Program
- Oakhill Outdoor, Oakhill biomass project
- ONE North End, low carbon African Nova Scotian community ideas mobilization
- Preston Area Food Network, Growing Resilience: Youth Empowerment Through Sustainable Gardening
- Rotaract Club of Halifax, Seeds of Tomorrow
- Shambhala School, Turning the (Green) Tide: Investigating the Applications of Algal Climate Relief
- Woodlawn High School’s Oceans Club and the Canadian Wildlife Federation, From Land to Sea