APPLICATION DEADLINE: Tues, June 22 @11:59pm EST

Canadian Banks are financing the Climate Crisis.

RBC, TD, Scotia Bank, BMO, and CIBC are among the top global funders of fossil fuels. This will have a lasting impact on our future. We, youth in so-called Canada, are refusing to participate in this destructive financing.

Join Banking on a Better Future’s Summer Action Circles to learn how to plan your own community actions to increase pressure on our institutions to stop funding fossil fuels.

Youth have the collective power to pressure the Canadian Big 5 Banks to align their funding practices with the promise of a safe future, respect for human rights, and Indigenous sovereignty.

For 10 weeks, we will host 5 biweekly workshops and provide necessary resources to prepare your group to lead decentralized actions in the summer, leading up to our September Day of Action. As a group (or an individual), join us to grow our movement and push systemic change to make climate action and human rights a priority in all our institutions.

Program information:

• June 28-August 23
• Biweekly workshops on Mondays from 4-6pm PST / 7-9pm EST (June 28, July 12, 26, Aug 9, 23)
• 1-2 independent group meetings in between workshops
• Weekly actions that build towards September Day of Action (DOA)
• Access to readings, resources, toolkits
• Mentorship to plan actions, connection to community of youth
• Opportunity to collaborate with youth-led organizing groups across the country to plan actions (both small and larger scale) and build collective power

Modules include:

• June 28: Organizing 101: Intro to momentum building and bank divestment
• July 12: Action planning and relationship building
• July 26: Community building
• Aug 9: Storytelling and press
• Aug 16*: Action planning 2.0

*Note: The last workshop will be held on August 16 to allow enough time to plan actions

Program goals:

• To build a sustained network of organizers ready to take on climate change finance and banks organizing
• To equip young people with organizing skills and knowledge to train other organizers and bring them into bank divestment work, and skills to independently plan actions targeting the Big 5 Banks
• To increase local organizing capacity by strengthening community connections
• To promote the message of the campaign: that our financial institutions are funding climate catastrophe
• To build towards a massive day of action in September, while strengthening movement longevity

Who should join?

• Youth/young people (self-identifying) living in “Canada”
• People who are concerned about the climate crisis and want to do something about it
• Young people who want to learn the principles of organizing direct actions and join a movement of youth increasing pressure on our institutions

Expectations

• Commitment to the whole 10-week program
• Commitment to organizing and participating in actions
• Planning and attending regular local group meetings

How to join

• Complete this sign up form!
• Indicate if you are joining as part of a group, or as an individual
• Group: Can be an established local group (like a Fridays for Futures group, or school club) or be as simple as a group of a few friends who want to organize actions together! If you aren’t currently an established group, don’t worry! That is not a requirement to participate.
• Individual: If you are not part of a group of people from the same general area that wants to organize actions together, no worries! We encourage you to sign up, and potentially recruit an interested friend to work together with as you go.

Questions? Email info@bankingonabetterfuture.org