TORONTO
SYC Toronto is a passionate chapter of Sustainable Youth Canada, encompassing the entire Greater Toronto Area. Our dedicated chapter oversees the various activities and initiatives happening in this region to:
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Establish and maintain the Canadian Sustainable Youth registry for Toronto, and connect passionate youth with sustainability opportunities in the region.
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Lead local initiatives in Toronto to positively affect energy and environmental sustainability through engaging in student-led community events.
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Hold fundraisers to engage with the public while supporting charities for sustainability.
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Partner with local organizations to bridge the gap between partner organizations seeking help and volunteers seeking opportunities to get involved with sustainability.
Our Story and Our Future:
The Greater Toronto Area has been a place of innovation, advocacy, and stewardship for decades. Through this historic passion, SYC began its Toronto chapter in the late summer of 2014, and began its mission by connecting with other sustainability groups and cultivating its own identity as the voice of Toronto’s nature-minded youth. Despite these efforts, the chapter experienced difficulties staying afloat during the 2020 pandemic, leading to its unfortunate dissolution. However, through the care and consistency of the GTA youth, SYC Toronto has been re-established. As the newest version of our chapter we look forward to helping youth voices be amplified now, more than ever.
Meet the Executive Team!
Avika Dharmawat Regional Director
My name is Avika Dharmawat and I am a Grade 11 student at John Fraser Secondary School. I have always loved being outside; some of my passions are hiking and gardening. A few years ago, I watched a documentary about climate change. I was immediately interested and my passion for the environment grew. I soon started learning more about other environmental issues. Soon, I realized that I wanted to contribute more to the effort for environmental sustainability, so I joined my school’s environmental club. When I found out about SYC and that their values connected to mine, I was highly motivated to join. Apart from advocating for the environment, my interests include reading, baking and playing board games with my family!
The History of SYC Toronto​​​​​​​​​​
We are planning various events to connect youth across the area while working on grassroots and awareness initiatives.
2025:
2017:
On April 15, 2017 SYC Toronto held its first Sustainability Fair at Metro Hall. Various environmental NGOs, associations and agencies were invited to set up a booth and share opportunities with attendees. In August, SYC Toronto was invited to attend the first Networking Nights conference. Several ambitious youth shared their incredible start-up ideas, from enhancing the student financial world to fundraising for sustainable farming of Avocados through a clothing brand. ​​
SYC Toronto hosted a winter forum at Havergal College. There were a variety of speakers, including Nobel Prize winner Dr. Brad Bass. The speakers presented many ideas and issues about green urban planning and ways in which average citizens can make a difference. SYC Toronto also teamed with Peel Environmental Youth Alliance to provide a station at their Amazing Green Race on May 21, 2016 and SYC members are continually working towards its success. On April 3, 2016, SYC Toronto made an appearance at the Impulse business pitch competition created by the Youth Environmental Network of York Region.
2016
2015
SYC Toronto attended a GMO conference in May, and presented information about our organization to several students. The conference, held at University of Toronto Scarborough, turned out to be a fantastic opportunity for all attendees and a lifelong learning experience. SYC has worked together with TYEC - the Toronto Youth Environmental Council to prepare a coffeehouse event on March 5, 2015. This successful event combined environmental issues with different forms of art to create an entertaining evening for guests. A variety of performers were able to show a global perspective about the environment, bringing many acts from several different cultures.​
Want to get in touch?
If you have any questions or concerns about our region, please feel free to reach out to us at:
Instagram: @syctoronto