By Shelley Woods
What is Youth Imagine the Future?
Youth Imagine the Future (YIF) is a non-profit association with valuable partnerships and sponsors that gives youth an opportunity to learn about the solutions to the climate and biodiversity crisis and respond by envisioning a healthier future. The tagline is “We bring climate solutions to youth. They design a future” (Youth Imagine the Future, 2026, “Home”).
Youth Imagine the Future is run by a Board of Directors including Jerri Jerreat, Nikki Alward and Walt Sepic, plus several Directors at Large and numerous volunteers. Jerri described in a Queen’s University Faculty of Education Knowledge Forum article, how and why she and Nikki founded the program in 2022. Studies then showed that climate anxiety was increasing, and sustainable solutions were not being taught in Ontario classrooms (Jerreat, 2024). Current research by Aylward et al. (2026), continues to show that “a considerable number of young people in Canada are experiencing relatively severe and potentially unhealthy levels of climate change anxiety, disrupting aspects of their daily life and causing them to dwell on their emotions.” Programs like Youth Imagine the Future aim to reduce this anxiety.
Program Mission & Awards
The mission of the program, outlined on its website, includes providing a presentation about technological and nature-based solutions; encouraging youth to “research and envision a realistic, sustainable, more socially equitable future for all of us;” sharing ideas through art and creative writing; giving youth a voice; building community; reducing climate anxiety; and “fostering artistic individuality and innovation in the arts and literacy” (Youth Imagine the Future, 2026, “About us”).
Youth Imagine the Future was the recipient of a Canada-wide Pivot Green Award for Youth Climate Action and a City of Kingston Sustainability Champion Award.
How Does the Program Work?
Teachers, librarians, and schools in the Limestone District and Algonquin and Lakeshore School Boards can book free classroom climate solution presentations for grades 7-12 in September and student artwork for the festival is accepted mid to late October. Presentations are designed to “deepen your students’ research and discussions on Sustainability, Renewable Energy, the Climate and Biodiversity Crises or World Issues” (Youth Imagine the Future, 2026, “What we provide”). Students are invited to create hopeful eco-art or a solarpunk story for a Festival which follows.
Classroom Connections
YIF has run workshops multiple years for Queen’s teacher candidates. As an extension of the art and stories created by Youth Imagine the Future, Dr. Heather McGregor and her students at Faculty of Education students created lesson plans and resources for grades 3, 4-6, 5, 9, 11 & 12 and 12. The lessons “show how teachers can draw inspiration from youth-created art and stories to build meaningful classroom activities–creating a cycle where young people’s ideas spark new learning, and that learning, in turn, nurtures future possibilities” (Climate resources, 2026, para. 2).
Library Connections
In response to a conversation with Jerri about solarpunk novels, the Queen’s Education Library purchased several new titles, including the ones listed below and others, that can be placed on display for YIF future workshops and exhibits.
- Ecopunk! Edited by Liz Grzyb and Cat Sparks
- Glass and Gardens: Solarpunk Summers: An Anthology, edited by Sarena Ulibarri
- Glass and Gardens: Solarpunk Winters: An Anthology, edited by Sarena Ulibarri
- Solarpunk Creatures, edited by Christoph Rupprechet et al.
- Multispecies Cities: Solarpunk Urban Futures, edited by Christoph Rupprechet et al.
- Sunvault: Stories of Solarpunk & Eco-Speculation, edited by Phoebe Wagner and Bronte Christopher Wieland
The Queen’s Education Library provides an accessible space for YIF artwork to be displayed. In 2025, there were about 110 pieces of eco-art and 50 solarpunk stories written by youth. Parents, siblings, grandparents and extended family come to the library to see their student’s work. One evening, people gather for students to share their written stories aloud. Then, a YIF awards night is hosted at the Kingston Frontenac Public Library.
Conclusion
Libraries have an important role to play in building current, inclusive and quality library collections and supporting educational programming that leads to positive change in the community and world. Supporting and hosting Youth Imagine the Future in the Education Library was a good opportunity to be a part of a positive and hopeful community initiative. We look forward to a continued partnership with YIF and the organizations helping youth to envision the possibilities of a healthier and more sustainable future.
References
Aylward, B., Cunsolo, A., Clayton, S., Minor, K., Cooper, M., Chatwood, S., & Harper, S. L. (2026). Climate change anxiety in daily life: Prevalence and distribution among young people in Canada. Climatic Change: An Interdisciplinary, International Journal Devoted to the Description, Causes and Implications of Climatic Change, 179(3). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-026-04141-4
Faculty of Education. (2026). Climate resources. Queen’s University. https://educ.queensu.ca/for-teachers/teaching-resources/climate resources/lesson-plans-2025
Jerreat, J. (2024, June 9). A Better Here: The Power of Youth Imagination to Create a Better World. Queen’s University Faculty of Education Knowledge Forum. https://educ.queensu.ca/research/events-publications/knowledge-forum/better here-power-youth-imagination-create-better-world
Youth Imagine the Future. (2026). Youth Imagine the Future: A festival of writing and art. https://youthimaginethefuture.com/
Shelley Woods | Shelley is an Education Librarian and Acting Head of the Queen’s University Faculty of Education Library. She holds an MLIS and BEd, Elementary from McGill University and serves on the Forest of Reading Blue Spruce Steering Committee.