Centering Youth Voices: Introduction to Youth Friendly Principles for ENGOs with Apathy is Boring

By Sustainability Network

* Please note, all registrants will be provided with a link to the recording and presentation slides following the sessions. The recording will be available for 60 days. Registrants will also be linked to a short, practical resource package summarizing AisB’s Youth Friendly recommendations, key concepts, and links to tools.

Drawing heavily on Apathy is Boring’s Youth Friendly resources and experiences, Sydney Penner and Erika De Torres explore how environmental non-governmental organizations can move beyond tokenism to engage young people meaningfully. They will introduce practical strategies to share power, co-create initiatives, and design programs and governance structures that are responsive to youth needs, experiences, and leadership.

The session will help participants:

• Increase their understanding of meaningful youth engagement and how to clearly identify genuine youth-centred approaches
• Develop greater readiness to share power with youth and a stronger commitment to integrating youth into decision-making, program design, and/or governance structures within their ENGO.
• Briefly explore concrete tools, examples, and reflection questions to help assess how youth-friendly their organization truly is and identify next steps to embed youth voice at every level of their work.
• Use an action/reflection worksheet completed during or after the session, prompting attendees to assess how youth-friendly their current work is and to note 2–3 concrete next steps for embedding youth voice in their organization.

Participants will also receive information on a subsequent series of three workshops (March 4, 11, 18) through Sustainability Network and how to apply for a customized “Leaf it to Us” organizational review.

Our Presenters:

• Erika De Torres is the Director of Impact at Apathy is Boring, where she leads the Research and Development Team and the Youth Friendly Initiative. She finished a Master’s in Political Science from McGill University, where she was interested in examining the impact of context on political preferences. She sat on the Advisory Council for Canada’s first Youth Climate Citizens’ Assembly in 2025, and currently serves as vice-chair of Simon Fraser University’s Alumni Council.
• ‍Sydney Penner is the Research and Evaluations Lead at Apathy is Boring. Following her degree in Psychology from Simon Fraser University, she has worked in both clinical mental health and addictions and non-profit social sciences research. She has led studies examining the intersection between disability and workplace health and wellness, and emerging trends in Canada's young workforce. She is passionate about Participatory Action Research (PAR) and interdisciplinary methods, and community-based knowledge translation and mobilization.