Honouring a new generation of young leaders turning care for people and the planet into action.
Community members, partners and families gathered on January 14, 2026, to celebrate the graduation of participants in the second cohort of DIVERSEcity’s Youth for People and the Planet program. This group of emerging young leaders are committed to sustainability, community care and collective responsibility.
The evening opened with reflections from Steve Armstrong, an Elder who grounded the gathering in teachings about land, belonging and intergenerational responsibility. He reminded participants that while our backgrounds may differ, we all begin from a shared place of connection.
“We all start with belonging,” Armstrong shared. “Our relationship to the land isn’t about ownership — it’s about stewardship.”
Speaking with humility, Armstrong also reflected on his own learning journey, emphasizing that growth is ongoing at every stage of life.
“Even as an Elder, I’m still learning every day,” he said. “None of us ever stops learning.”
He encouraged graduates to view change as a long-term commitment rather than an immediate outcome, reminding them that the work they begin today carries forward beyond themselves.
“Real change doesn’t happen overnight,” Armstrong noted. “It starts with the decision to begin and with knowing that what we do today shapes the next seven generations — just as we were shaped by those who came before us.”
Guest speaker Jessica Wadhams-Mountain echoed this call to action, reframing sustainability as a daily practice rather than a distant ideal.
“Sustainability isn’t abstract,” she shared. “It’s something we practice every day — by showing up, caring deeply and taking responsibility instead of waiting for someone else to act.”
She reminded graduates that meaningful change often begins in small, consistent ways and grows through collective effort.
“You don’t have to do everything at once,” Wadhams-Mountain said. “Change builds when people move together, step by step.”
Graduates also heard from past participants from Youth for People and the Planet’s first cohort, who shared reflections on leadership rooted in service and community. One speaker introduced the concept of sevā, or “service above self,” emphasizing that leadership is shared and that no one carries this work alone.
“Leadership isn’t something we do by ourselves,” one alumnus shared. “Every voice belongs in these spaces and we’re stronger when we lead together.”
The celebration also spotlighted the tangible impact of cohort two’s work, with participants sharing projects already taking shape in their communities. These initiatives reflect the program’s core values — collaboration, care, and respect for both people and the planet.
Youth for People and the Planet is more than a program; it is a growing movement of young changemakers committed to building a more just and sustainable future. As this cohort graduates, they leave not only with certificates, but with intention, purpose and a shared responsibility to carry these lessons forward.
Interested in being part of the next cohort? Learn more about Youth for People and the Planet and eligibility requirements by clicking here.