2025 CEC Youth Engagement Week
Join the conversation and support North American environmental cooperation!
Themed “Youth Breaking Silos,” the 2025 Youth Engagement Week (YEW) invites youth from across Canada, Mexico and the United States to join a dynamic series of open-to-the-public webinars designed to amplify youth voices, foster intergenerational collaboration and promote solutions to environmental challenges.
This year’s theme celebrates the intersectional intergenerational expertise and youth’s contributions in North America. Through interactive sessions, youth leaders and organizations that support youth will share insights on the following topics.
What Businesses Need to Know: Young Innovators Shaping Business
Join us for an inspiring conversation on how young innovators are transforming the way business is done across North America!
This webinar is the first of this series and second in a three-part series titled “What Businesses Need to Know,” highlighting key topics for the private sector and forming part of the CEC’s ongoing efforts to engage with businesses. This session will spotlight how emerging young leaders are driving sustainability, equity and creativity within and alongside organizations, including key players in the private sector. The discussion will explore real-world examples of youth intra- and entrepreneurship, corporate engagement and new business models that place people and the planet at the center of innovation. Discover how young intra- and entrepreneurs and businesses are sparking innovation, advancing environmental responsibility and redefining what it means to do business in today’s world.
Learn more about our private sector engagement strategy here.
18 November 2025
12:00–1:30 PM ET
Traditional Environmental Stewardship for the Next Generations
Join us for an inspiring conversation on how Indigenous youth leaders are bridging ancestral knowledge and modern environmental action to protect the lands, waters and communities of North America!
This webinar will highlight intergenerational efforts to preserve Indigenous and Traditional Ecological Knowledge and explore how youth and organizations are working together to sustain ecosystems and cultural heritage. Through stories from Canada, Mexico and the United States, discover how Indigenous youth are revitalizing traditional stewardship practices, advancing climate resilience and shaping a future grounded in respect, reciprocity and connection to the Earth.
Learn more about our work related to Indigenous Affairs here.
20 November 2025
2:30–4:00 PM ET
Ripples of Change: Youth Local Action for Resilient Communities
Join us for an inspiring conversation on how young people are creating ripples of change to build resilient communities across North America!
This webinar will showcase how youth are leading local action at municipal, regional and community levels, demonstrating that small initiatives can grow into broader regional and global impact. Speakers will share their experiences in collaboration with supporting organizations, from community organizing and conservation initiatives to local governance and intergenerational knowledge-sharing. Discover how youth are weaving stronger and more connected communities through collaboration with peers, community members and local organizations, creating lasting impact and fostering sustainable and inclusive development.
Learn more about our work on community resilience here.
25 November 2025
1:00–2:30 PM ET
2025 Youth Engagement Week Facilitators
Léla Eromobor
Léla Eromobor
Léla is a social impact professional who helps communities build inclusive and sustainable solutions. She has worked with youth and in women-led initiatives to launch projects that support gender equality, entrepreneurship, and environmental responsibility. Her work focuses on turning ideas into action, whether by mentoring change-makers or applying design thinking to tackle context-specific barriers. Léla has also supported organizations in expanding their digital access to improve how they serve their communities. In her role as a facilitator for the 2025 Youth Engagement Week at the CEC, she will bring her commitment to helping emerging leaders transform their vision and boundless energy into concrete and lasting impact.
Franklin Velasco García
Franklin Velasco García
Born in the Lacandon Jungle of Chiapas, Franklin Velasco García speaks the Mayan languages, Tzeltal and Tzotzil, and holds a degree in ecological engineering from the University of Sciences and Arts of Chiapas (UNICACH). For the past four years, he has participated in a range of academic and scientific activities supporting the community. He has also been involved in research workshops on the biocultural knowledge of Indigenous peoples, conducting consultations in neighborhoods, and systematising the ideas and proposals that emerged from these, as well as organising speaking circles with community elders to draw on their experiences and knowledge. He is a promoting member of the Fortalecimiento de Territorios Red Agroecológicos (Strengthening of Territories Agroecological Network) collective in Mexico. Franklin has contributed to the logistics of the Festival del Nuevo Amanecer de los Pueblos de la Selva Lacandona (New Dawn Festival of the Peoples of the Lacandon Jungle), as well as in other community projects aimed at developing the Life Plan for Biocultural Reconstitution and Autonomy, which focuses on the management of Indigenous commons territories and their ecological reserves through agroecological and agroforestry models that are based on ancient Mayan cultural traditions, in dialogue with modern science.
Ana Valeria Medina López
Ana Valeria Medina López
Ana Valeria is an environmentalist with experience in scientific communication, education, and data analysis. She is passionate about building bridges between the scientific community and the general public to promote informed decision-making and strengthen environmental awareness. Ana Valeria holds a master’s degree in natural resources management from State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry and a bachelor’s in environmental sciences engineering from the Instituto Tecnológico de Sonora in Mexico. Her work integrates research, education, and policy with experience spanning biodiversity monitoring, climate reporting, and outreach with organizations such as the Ecological Society of America and the US National Park Service. Currently based at the Pocono Environmental Education Center, she designs and delivers educational programs, outreach events, and community engagement initiatives that connect people of all ages with nature. Ana Valeria is dedicated to fostering inclusive, intergenerational environmental dialogue and bringing Latin American perspectives to global conservation efforts.
Underrepresented voices are strongly encouraged to participate. Together, let’s break silos and build bridges for a sustainable future!
Contact
Julie Amina Jacquemin
Advisor, Outreach, Partnerships and Youth Engagement