Ottawa

Ottawa is the largest chapter of Sustainable Youth Canada consisting of high school students. Currently, it directs various activities in the Greater Ottawa Region to:

Establish and maintain the SYC Canadian Sustainable Youth Registry for Ottawa to connect passionate youth with sustainability opportunities in the region.
Lead local initiatives in Ottawa to create awareness for energy management and environmental sustainability.
Co-operate with local organizations to bridge the gap between partner organizations seeking help and volunteers seeking opportunities to get involved with sustainability.

We are always looking for new members to volunteer with us, so if you are interested in getting involved, please apply here. We look forward to having you join us!

What's Happening in SYC Ottawa?

SYC Ottawa is the Ottawa chapter of a youth-based club promoting environmental and energy sustainability in Canada. Our club’s focus is to shed light on current environmental issues and to create opportunities for local youth to involve themselves in sustainability-related initiatives. This year, we have hosted park cleanups and have been spreading awareness on current events, but our main priority has been our local fight against the potential deforestation of a national historic site in the city’s center. As a member of the community, you can join SYC Ottawa by keeping up with our Instagram (@sycottawa) to read our weekly informative posts or by joining our public discord server (https://discord.gg/z3PDHYK7hm) for announcements on sustainable opportunities and updates on our current endeavours.

Watch: SYC Ottawa's Call for Action

Past Events

Carlington Woods Scavenger Hunt (March 18th, 2022)

SYC Ottawa joined community partner Sharon Boddy in conducting a non-traditional, sensory-oriented scavenger hunt in Carlington Woods with other community youth. Using our 5 senses (sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell), we explored the urban forest, capturing signs of nature in photos and videos. At the end of the hunt, everything was shared with the group, and prizes were won. This was an excellent opportunity to discover new species in the woods and clean up the waste and litter found in the forest.

We explored the Carlington Woods with our 5 senses (sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell) to find signs of nature. We took photos and videos of what we saw and shared them with the group at the end of the scavenger hunt to win prizes! Along the way, we collected garbage and dog litter and learned interesting facts about species in the wood.

Ottawa Greenspace Rally (March 19th, 2022)

In March, SYC Ottawa partnered with ReImagine Ottawa in forming a coalition of environmental and civil groups united in calling for the protection of the greenspaces across the City of Ottawa. As the youngest ralliers there, SYC Ottawa stepped up as speakers at the rally and represented the voices of the city’s youth in listing off all the endangered greenspaces of Ottawa (Mer Bleue Bog, Fisher Forest, Hunt Club Forest, and more) as part of our call for action from decision-makers in conserving the environment and mitigating climate change.

Air Sampling (April 23, 2022)

In April, SYC Ottawa partnered with Sharon Boddy to volunteer at Tree Fest Ottawa to celebrate earth day and help collect air samples around Hampton Park! We went around the forest with our pens, papers, and an air deposition machine. With every few meters of walking, we’d stop and write down the air quality of various locations around the forest.

Steering Committee

Director: Emily Liu

Hey everyone! I’m Emily, the Director of SYC Ottawa, and I’m currently a Grade 11 student at Lisgar Collegiate Institute. Ever since I was in elementary school cleaning up trash around the school grounds (for fun), creating positive environmental impacts in my community has always been a strong passion of mine—other than that, I also love to read and play the piano. Looking forward to promoting a more sustainable future along with the other SYC Ottawa members!

Secretary & Treasurer: Wares Alam

Hey Guys! My name is Wares and I’m in Grade 11 at Lisgar Collegiate Institute. My current role is the Secretary and Treasurer, meaning I keep track of files and finance, and I write letters to important people and businesses for SYC Ottawa. One reason why I joined SYC this year is because an important part of living a healthy life is having a clean environment. Some hobbies of mine are reading and watching Netflix when I’m not studying of course. I eagerly anticipate helping and learning about the environment and sustainability with you all this year.

Exec At Large: ZiQi Chen

Hi! I’m a Grade 11 student at Lisgar CI who is participating in SYC Ottawa this year. Biology has always been my favorite science and it’s disheartening to see the effects of climate change and pollution on our ecosystem. Besides environmental damage, the impacts of pollution and the like affects people just as much. I feel as though I haven’t done a lot to combat it myself, so this club presents a great opportunity for me to do my part!

Co-Initiatives Chair : Oliver Overend

Hey there! My name is Oliver, and I am currently attending Grade 11 at Lisgar Collegiate Institute. I am very passionate about the environment because I love to run and cycle, and they wouldn't be the same if nature got ruined. Along with running and biking, some of my hobbies include other sports, such as hockey, ultimate frisbee, and skiing.

Media Chair: Helen Li

Hey guys! My name is Helen and I’m currently a Grade 11 student attending Lisgar Collegiate Institute. I will be joining the SYC Ottawa marketing team and working alongside Kevin Bai to create innovative and informative sustainability posts! In my spare time, I enjoy reading, playing badminton, and watching esports. I can’t wait to be a part of the team and help promote environmental awareness. Let us work towards the conservation and sustainability of the environment together!

Marketing Chair: Kevin Bai

Hey! I’m Kevin and I’m the marketing chair for SYC this year. I am a grade 11 student at Colonel By Secondary School and am very excited this year to be a participant in SYC’s activities to promote youth against climate change. I enjoy reading, drawing, and watching television in my spare time. Looking forward to a great year :)

Initiatives Chair: Lilly Gao

Hi I’m Lilly and I will be the Initiatives Chair for this year’s SYC Ottawa lineup! I am currently a grade 11 student at Lisgar Collegiate Institute and I love drawing, playing instruments, and cute animals. I’m looking forward to contributing to SYC’s environmental sustainability effort in the near future as environmental issues are becoming more and more of a concern.

Partnerships Chair: Ally Guo

Hi everyone! My name is Ally and I am a Grade 11 student at Earl of March Secondary School. I am the Partnership Chair of SYC Ottawa this year and my role is to manage the club’s relations with its sponsors and partners. I have always hoped to do something to help with climate change as more and more environmental issues emerge in our world. This club provided me the opportunity and I can’t wait to work with you all!

Outreach Chair: Patrick He

Greetings everyone! My name is Patrick and I am a grade 11 student at Earl of March Secondary School. I am the outreach chair of SYC and I joined because I saw all of the amazing environmental initiatives started on social media. I like to play the violin and I’m a member of the Ottawa Youth Orchestra. I’m dedicated to growing this organization to create a better future environment with you!

The current Director and Steering Committee Executives are listed above. If joining this committee executive board interests you, and you are willing to commit the time to making SYC a success in Ottawa, please apply here. If you have any questions about this region, please don't hesitate to contact us, or send the regional director an e-mail at: ottawa@sustainableyouthcanada.com

OTTAWA