Sabrina Guzman Skotnitsky paints the way out of climate pain

Sabrina Guzman Skotnitsky is paying attention to the hundreds of young people who tell her that getting a green job eases their weather anxiety. She helped a collective of artists in Mi’kma’ki, Halifax, ease their climatic despair by creating written, moving, sound and visual representations of what is possible in a justice-centered environment. 2030.

As an international policy specialist at Youth Climate Lab, he organized a podcast for young activists around the world to tell their stories of climate justice and pain. She is also the director of sustainability and impact-driven work on Consultancy for emerging youth. His master’s research will explore the power of history and art to engage youth and transform potentially crippling climate anxiety and ecological pain into action.

This piece is part of a series of 55 profiles to date highlighting the work of young people across the country to address the climate crisis that I have been doing for the past two years. These extraordinary human beings give me a lot of hope. I write these stories to pay for it.

Tell us your idea.

I am exploring how meaningful work, group solidarity, and art and storytelling help people move from potentially crippling pain to action.

I graduated from university with a degree in international development studies and political science just as the pandemic took hold of me and I spent many months looking for work. The climate crisis was so evident and everywhere people were fighting. I was so eager to help. It was very difficult to maintain my morale. As soon as I got a job, I felt better knowing that I was making a difference. As a partner in the Canadian Council for Youth ProsperityI surveyed over 200 young Canadians and found that finding meaningful work transformed their mental health. I watched artists in Mi’kma’ki go from despair to hope as they began to articulate their visions for a better 2030, and I experienced my own art by deepening my sense of possibility.

What people are reading

Hosting the Building Back Better – Artists The multi-resolution podcast showed me that young climate activists light up with hope and a sense of empowerment when engaging with others.

How will your master’s program help young people make connections?

I will support a group of youth in Metro Vancouver to share multimedia storytelling projects that illustrate their climate anxiety and develop a vision for a better world. A website and social media will allow a wider audience to be part of the experience.

What attracted you to this job?

I have attended rallies and been involved in student politics for almost a decade. When I experienced burnout, I realized that activism driven only by urgency, the nature of the stakes, and the enormity of the challenge can make things worse. I gained a sense of balance through consistent and meaningful work and saw how transformative it was to engage with others towards a positive future. If we want to practice intergenerational equity, we must protect young people. This requires society to shift stories from despair to action-driven hope. I want to help make that happen.

Did the way you were raised shape your ideas?

My parents made careers helping people. My mother is a leadership coach and has worked her entire life for the rights, equity, diversity and inclusion of women. I went to my first women’s march in the womb! My dad is a doctor and an immigrant from Mexico. Our trips there showed me how privileged we are in Canada, with clean, reliable water, modern bathrooms, and other aspects of our lives that we take for granted. It never seemed fair to me that my families in the two countries were affected so differently by issues like poverty, corruption, climate change, and COVID-19.

My parents have been very supportive of my bisexual identity, but I know that other young people are not so lucky. These experiences feed my sense of social justice and inform the ways I get involved with the climate movement. For example, I care that young people, blacks, indigenous peoples and people of color, newcomers, and people in remote areas are most affected by climate change and face greater barriers to the low-carbon economy. carbon.

What gives you hope?

Young people are the wisest, most inspiring, committed and innovative people I know. If we can work in solidarity and channel that energy to address the multiple crises we face, I truly believe that we can build a better future.

DDo you have any advice for other young people who may be looking for their own path?

What you have to say matters, and it is important that you express it. There are so many ways to communicate. Tell your stories in any medium that gives you a voice. If he speaks for you, others will listen.

What would you like to say to older readers?

Young people cannot and should not be expected to do it alone. Intergenerational collaboration is essential. I know that young people can make it difficult for you to participate. We can all be cruel and inconsiderate. But the mentors in my life tell me that they get a lot out of the relationship too. Try to have a conversation and stay curious long enough to gain the youngster’s confidence that you will listen.