Transformative change is happening. Let’s talk about it.
The feeling that we belong is central to the human experience, and social cooperation is essential to tackling collective problems like climate change and inequity. Yet here we are in the 21st century, living in an increasingly individualistic and unequal society at arguably one of the loneliest times in human history. Some researchers are calling this the collapse of social cohesion and community relations. Studies confirm the negative impacts that social media, smartphones, and rampant individualism can have on both mental and physical health.
Provinces and school boards are banning smart phones. Lawsuits are playing out against social media companies. But what constructive tools and processes do we have that can re-build community and overcome these negative influences?
Across Canada, many community-based organizations are working magic with at-risk youth and equity-denied communities. We are thrilled to bring just a few of these organizations together to share their experiences re-building community and social cohesion. What happens when we leverage the power of parks and public spaces to break down barriers to connection and community building? What happens when we use proven community-engagement tools and consultation processes to get at-risk youth and equity-denied minorities growing and shaping the greenspaces around them?
Join us to find out how growing where you are planted can help overcome the mental health challenges we face.
Meet the Panelists:
July 21, Rooting Out Loneliness
Naolo Charles (he/him)
Naolo Charles is the Founder and Executive Director of the Black Environmental Initiative (BEI), an organization dedicated to advancing the recognition of Black communities and their ancestral role as stewards of nature and community builders. Since 2019, BEI has engaged Black and other equity-denied communities in environmental action through education, environmental stewardship, leadership development, and community building.
An environmental justice advocate and movement builder, Naolo organized the first delegation of Black youth from Canada to attend the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) and has and continues to mentor, train, and support a generation of emerging Black environmental leaders who now work across environmental organizations, governments, private firms, and community initiatives.
Verónica Gutiérrez (she/her, they/them)
Verónica Gutiérrez is the Director of Growth and Development at the non-profit Hope Blooms. Hope Blooms works with the high-needs community of North End Halifax, engaging youth to become change agents. Verónica works on breaking systemic barriers for marginalized communities, and she is a community builder, fundraiser, mentor, and knowledge mobilizer. As an immigrant, her focus is on helping people feel included, supporting them in their path of becoming changemakers, finding resources for equity, and creating safe spaces with leaders in their community who represent them.
Erika Nikolai (she/her)
As the Executive Director of Park People, Erika Nikolai leads Canada’s only national organization dedicated to activating the power of city parks to build strong communities and resilient cities. Park People is a national movement that supports thousands of park leaders through funding, research, and professional services. Promoting the idea that city parks are ideal spaces for learning how to share space, collaborate with others and foster a sense of connection with each other and the natural world.
Recordings and Resources
Growing the Mini Forest Movement in Canada
In January, 2025, Green Communities Canada celebrated the release of our 2024 Living Cities Canada Fund Impact report by hosting a Voices for Action webinar featuring Green Communities Canada’s own Tianna Mighty (Program Coordinator, Green Infrastructure), as well as Professor Tahia Devisscher (Assistant Professor, UBC Faculty of Forestry), Kristen Bill (Project Manager, Forest Health, City of Hamilton), and Sharon MacGougan (President, Garden City Conservation Society), with host Brianna Salmon, Executive Director of GCC.
Recap and More Here
Retrofitting Canada’s Homes
The Canada Greener Homes Grant program triggered an explosion in home retrofitting action that supported more than 600,000 home retrofits over a three-year period before it was abruptly cancelled in early 2024. Green Communities Canada is thrilled to release our 2025 National Progress Report on Retrofitting Canada’s Homes and host an in-depth discussion on the future of Canada’s home retrofit industry with special guest panelists Sharon Coward (Executive Director, EnviroCentre), Brendan Haley (Senior Director of Policy Strategy, Efficiency Canada), and Ralph Torrie (Director of Research, Corporate Knights).
Recap, Report, and More Here
The Many Mini Solutions Urban Communities Need
Green Communities Canada hosted a panel with the people who have been making solutions work on the front lines for Canada’s most populous city, Toronto. Our panelists have been dealing with the impacts of climate change, population growth, public health, biodiversity loss, and the climate crisis. Together, we explored the potential to “elevate expectations” for nature-based solutions and green infrastructure right where it matters most for the majority of Canadians – in our urban communities.
Watch the Recording
The Benefits and Challenges of Keeping Greenspaces Thriving
Urban communities need to change. Across Canada and around the world, concrete jungles must incorporate purposeful greenspaces. Nature-based solutions can help reduce flooding, heat island effects, and poor air quality, while also boosting health and happiness. But maintenance matters when it comes to the long-term services and benefits that these greenspaces provide. As we race to create more greenspace in the communities that need it most, we must re-think how we value, plan, and prioritize maintenance.
Recap, Resources, and More Here
Evaluating Children’s Mobility Across Canada
In recent decades, communities across Canada have seen alarming trends. Physical activity rates for children and youth have declined. Unsafe road conditions have increased around schools. These trends are health and public safety issues. Researchers and practitioners across Canada are trying to address these issues. But it is challenging to get reliable, comprehensive data on how families choose to travel to school. Join Green Communities Canada and a panel of experts to discuss current evaluation practices, ongoing challenges, and the innovative work that is advancing research in this space.
Watch the Recording
What is Voices for Action?
Voices for Action is a series of events hosted by Green Communities Canada. Voices for Action brings together people with lived experiences and professional expertise advancing transformative, equitable, and sustainable change in Canadian communities.
The goal of these events is to share knowledge, resources, ideas, and to connect community-based climate action across Canada, creating a national network of innovation and collaboration that elevates our collective impact.  
 Canada is a country of different regions, cultures, ethnicities, and needs. Voices for Action celebrates the work we do at Green Communities Canada. We honour, mobilize, and build on the knowledge and capacity rooted in our communities, rooted in environmental justice, and rooted in demonstrating that we have all the solutions we need to address the climate emergency – what we need is dialogue, connection, and collective action from communities across Canada.  
Upcoming Events
Be amongst the first to hear about upcoming Voices for Action events!
Subscribe to our email list and we’ll let you know as soon as we know, plus you’ll get monthly updates about similar events and resources from within the Green Communities Canada network.