The Starfish Canada Speakers Bureau

Abhayjeet Singh Sachal (He/Him)

Abhay is an 20 year-old environmentalist and activist from Surrey, BC. He has been involved in various organizations and was inspired to start an organization called Break The Divide Foundation after traveling to the Arctic on a Students on Ice Expedition in 2016. Through Break The Divide, youth from around the world are connected to discuss prominent issues facing their communities, such as climate change. Abhay is also an avid public speaker, hockey player, and pianist.

Aleksandra Spasevski (She/Her)

Aleksandra is a youth environment changemaker. Since she was 16, she has worked and volunteered with environmental non-governmental organizations that focus on conservation and education on international agreements, like the United Nations' Convention on Biological Diversity. Aleksandra has just received her Master of Environmental Studies in Sustainability Management at the University of Waterloo and is currently studying international law and legal studies. She established the Canadian Youth Biodiversity Network, which works to connect youth across Canada and help bring their voices to an international and national platform. She is a board member of the Ontario Environmental Network and Protect Our Water and Environmental Resources, which work to connect activists and environmental groups across Ontario.

For speaking engagements, Aleksandra speaks about the importance of intergenerational collaboration in different fields and how it can help increase the impact of an organization. She also speaks on sustainability topics from an environmental lens, the misconceptions in the field, and how our actions impact biodiversity. Her goal is to support cooperation between industries to understand their impact on the environment and their role in the solution.

Alienor (Allie) Rougeot (She/Her)

Allie can speak on a broad range of topics depending on your audience and event, including:
- The Fridays for Future movement and how the youth climate strikes have evolved
- Understanding the climate crisis
- Climate justice
- Motivating others to become advocate, how to spark hope and trigger action
- Leadership in the climate movement
- Youth engagement/ empowerment

Allie can also moderator your panels on sustainability-related topics, and can do any speaking commitment in French and/or in English.

Alison Gu (She/They)

Alison Gu cycled from Ottawa to Burnaby in protest of the Trans Mountain Expansion pipeline project in 2017 while fundraising for Indigenous land and water defenders. She is currently running for Burnaby City Council, and if elected, will be the youngest ever City Councillor to serve in Burnaby.

Asha Mior (She/Her)

Asha is available to talk about:
- The relationship between climate change and global health, including the links between the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change.
- Her work with Faces of Climate Change to uplift and amplify the voices of people living on the frontlines of the climate crisis around the world
- Introducing children and youth to the climate crisis and empowering them to take action
- "Humanizing" climate change so that everyone can be inspired to become an advocate!

Beth Eden (She/Her)

Beth is an avid communicator and mobilizer working with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs, previously the MDGs), focusing on SDG 13 (Climate Action) for over ten years in entrepreneurship and strategic planning internationally. She is also one of Canada's 30 under 30 Sustainability Leaders with Corporate Knights. In 2019, she co-wrote a climate report for the City of Waterloo, resulting in a climate emergency declaration and action plan. Her previous experience involves mobilizing communities, youth and institutions to implement the SDGs across Canada through UN networks. She now works with the United Nations Major Group for Children and Youth to increase youth representation in the UN process. Her other work focuses on social-psychology research and communicating environmental issues, science, and evidence-based solutions through media and documentary film. She believes collective action and evidence-based communication are integral to move forward the climate agenda in Canada and beyond. Bridging the gap between environmental research, art communication, and community mobilization can get us there.

Blake Bunting (He/Him)

Motivated by the lack of climate action from big corporations and public policy, Blake focuses on decentralizing investments to allow everyone a chance to participate in the sustainable transition. As a co-founder of GoParity Canada, Blake played a significant role in the company's business development, fundraising, and compliance. When Blake is not focused on GoParity, he is finishing a dual degree in mechanical engineering and computer science from Western University. Blake can talk about impact investing, the current industry issues, sustainable finance, start-ups, social entrepreneurship, fundraising, and solar energy.

Brandon Nguyen (He/Him)

Brandon is an environmentalist from Toronto studying Environmental Policy at the University of Pennsylvania. Passionate about environmental education, Brandon founded the Toronto Coalition of EcoSchools in high school and has worked for both GreenLearning and EcoSpark. Currently, he serves on the Board of Directors for the Sierra Club Canada Foundation and works in Climate Finance with the Center for Clean Air Policy in Washington DC.

He has been recognized as a Top 25 Environmentalist Under 25, a 30 Under 30 Sustainability Leader, and a Top 30 Under 30 in Environmental Education. He’s also been invited to fully-funded conferences in Norway, Denmark, China, Canada, the US and Egypt, has competed in the Hult Prize Regionals in Singapore, and has worked as a consultant for NGOs in Sri Lanka, the Gambia and most recently the United Nations Environment Programme in Kenya.

Helen Watts (She/Her)

Helen Watts is Student Energy’s Senior Director of Global Partnerships. She oversees Student Energy's global fund development and collaborates to design new programming with public, private, and civil society sector organizations.

Helen is the founder of Student Energy's Global Youth Energy Outlook, which will launch November 2021 at the UNFCCC’s COP26 Glasgow. Helen co-Founded the Greenpreneurs virtual incubator for youth-led social enterprises in the Global South along with co-Founders at Youth Climate Lab and the Global Green Growth Institute. Helen played an instrumental role in the Energy Transition Action Track of the UNSG Climate Action Summit in 2019 to bring youth engagement to the energy transition programme, supported the first Youth Parallel Program at the Clean Energy Ministerial and Mission Innovation Ministerial, and worked with IRENA to design and launch the first IRENA Youth Forum at the 2020 General Assembly.

Jamie Hunter (He/Him)

Jamie is the co-founder of Stop Ecocide Canada and a leading member of Fridays for Future - West Kootenay chapter. He is, and has been, involved with many campaigns to protect our planet in different ways. As part of this work, Jamie has extensive experience engaging with politicians, the public, and other environmental groups. He feels that we have to come together to save our planet, and in doing this we must listen to everyone's voices.

Jenna Phillips (She/Her)

Jenna empowers youth to take climate action by enhancing their sustainability literacy and community engagement. She works directly with universities, non-profits, and through her platform, Clear the Air, to equip young people with the knowledge, tools, and confidence to create change. She completed a Bachelor of Environmental Studies and is now pursuing a Masters in Global Governance. Jenna is particularly interested in the resilience of urban food systems against climate change, and intersectional environmentalism.

Kate O’Connor (She/Her)

Kate believes that in order to take meaningful climate action, we need elected officials who understand the urgency of the climate crisis. When the B.C. 2020 provincial election was called, Kate ran as the Green Party candidate in Saanich South, and became the youngest candidate in provincial history. Over the course of her campaign, she advocated for a transition to a just and green economy through ending oil and gas subsidies and reinvesting in tech and renewable energy sectors. She is also a leader and advocate for intergenerational leadership and youth participation in politics. Kate now works as the constituent advocate for Saanich North and the Islands and is learning about the day -to-day impacts provincial legislation has on citizens. Kate firmly believes that engaging young people in the political process and electing leaders who understand the urgency of the climate crisis are crucial parts of the fight to save the natural environment.

Lilian Barraclough (She/Her, They/Them)

Lilian has been involved in youth climate and environmental activism since elementary school. She researched climate grief, youth activism, active transportation, and education. She has developed and led a training program for youth climate leaders to advocate for action on climate change at a local level. She has also run for public office in Nova Scotia and has been actively involved in politics at all levels. Lilian is available to speak on climate and ecological grief and how it impacts young people, communities, and what people can do to process it; engaging in politics through activism and service; and fostering systemic change for a just and sustainable future through research, policy, and community building.

Lucy Cullen (She/Her)

Lucy is an award winning environmentalist and entrepreneur. She has over 8 years experience working in the hospitality industry, including owning a catering company. Lucy has an Honours Bachelors in Environmental Studies from the University of Toronto, and has studied environmental science in Australia and Ecuador. She has combined her passion for hospitality and the environment, to create Terus. Terus is a social enterprise dedicated to helping restaurants reduce waste and save money through sustainability consulting services. To date, Terus has helped divert over 104,300 pounds of waste from landfill while improving the bottom line by over $52,000. Her work has been featured in BlogTo, NOW Magazine, CBC, Gusto TV and Foodservice & Hospitality Magazine. Lucy was also named one of Canada's Top 25 Under 25 Environmentalists in 2017 and for 2018!

Maggie Chang (She/Her)

Maggie is a poet, writer, and artist whose environmental journey started in first grade when she learned about deforestation of the Amazon in school. Since then, Maggie has led campus secondhand clothing sales for sustainable fashion, organized a UN Sustainable Development Goal training, and helped establish EcoSchools Canada’s first ever Youth Advisory Council, leading her to be named one of the first WWF Canada Living Planet Leaders. Currently completing a Bachelor of Environmental Studies, Maggie is passionate to be living her values to build an intersectional environmental movement. In 2018, she published her poem “Do Not Be Complacent” to call academia to environmental action. She is particularly honoured to have had the opportunity to practice international solidarity working with Fairtrade Organic Café Femenino Coffee communities in Peru during the summer of 2019.

Manvi Bhalla (She/Her)

Manvi (she/her) has over 12 years of experience as an intersectional community organizer. She co-founded Shake Up The Establishment, a national nonprofit dedicated to climate justice and political advocacy; is a member of the Canadian Coalition for Environment and Climate Justice; and is co-founder of missINFORMED, a nonprofit dedicated to the health of women and gender-diverse peoples. Alongside lecturing on environmental justice, Manvi is a published health researcher who has worked at Hospital for Sick Children and Universities of Guelph, Waterloo and Dalhousie. Manvi has an Honours BSc in Biomedical Science from University of Guelph and an MSc in Public Health and Health Systems from University of Waterloo. Her MSc research investigated barriers towards climate action within the public health sector. Presently, she is a PhD student at University of British Columbia, alongside being a leader in the Climate Justice Research Collaborative at UBC Climate Hub.

Naila Moloo (She/Her)

Naila is 16 years old building transparent and flexible solar cells leveraging nanomaterials with silver nanowires and perovskites. She is also working with Pond Biomaterials on developing a 3D printable bioplastic from duckweed, where she has been experimenting in the Carleton University lab in Ottawa. Outside of STEM, Naila is the author of Chronicles of Illusions: The Blue Wild" which was published when she was 14. In her speaking engagements, Naila can discuss her projects, reframing failures, and how anyone of any age can follow their passions and build out their ideas.

Qurat Dar (She/Her, They/Them)

Qurat Dar (she/they) is a spoken word artist, multi-genre writer, and the 2020 Canadian Individual Poetry Slam (CIPS) National Champion. Her work has appeared in Canthius, Augur Magazine, Watch Your Head, and the Art Gallery of Mississauga, among other places, and she has a poetry chapbook forthcoming with Coven Editions. She is currently studying environmental engineering and is deeply interested in the intersections between the sciences and the arts, especially in the context of the climate crisis.

Samantha Casey (She/Her)

Samantha is a changemaker in her community. She is an avid champion for meaningful youth engagement and actively works to create opportunities and platforms for youth to develop solutions to tackle pressing sustainability issues. Samantha works to improve campus sustainability through her work at the University of Guelph. Outside of work, she co-founded the Community Climate Council, a not-for-profit organization promoting climate literacy and political advocacy in Peel Region, Ontario. She also volunteers as the Fundraising and Outreach Manager at Shake Up the Establishment and sits on the Board of Directors of 10 Carden, a hub for changemakers in her community.

Samia Sami (She/Her)

Samia Sami is an electrical engineer with experience in sustainable energy, electricity grids, and engineering design. Samia works at SaskPower, where she designs transmission stations to support the increased use of renewable energy. Samia serves on the Board of Directors of The Starfish Canada, empowering young environmental leaders. Samia has researched the area of renewable microgrids and the observability of solar integrated distribution systems. As a Chair of the IEEE Power and Energy Society (PES) Student Branch Chapter, Samia has provided an international platform for students to advance their careers in sustainable energy. She has served on the IEEE HAC Project Design committee to assist youth with sustainability projects. Samia is one of Canada's Top 25 Under 25 Environmentalists, Canada's Top IEEE Power & Energy Society (PES) Scholar, and Global Citizen Youth Award Recipient.

Siobhan Takala (She/Her)

Siobhan is a prairie girl who fell in love with the ocean. Siobhan is originally from Saskatoon, but has lived in Mi’kma’ki for many years. Her passion to bring solutions to the world has energized her youth-led community organizing and social justice work, most recently as Co-Director of Let’s Sprout. Often found dancing on waves or in the streets, or dreaming up a creative project, she loves chatting with others about their ideas and connecting people together.

Sofia Somani-Slater (She/Her)

Sofia is a student from Metro Vancouver, British Columbia. She is currently studying Environment and Business at the University of Waterloo. She is passionate about environmental sustainability and showing people that everyone has the ability to make a positive impact on the planet. She has spoken at events ranging from 10 to over 5,000 people on how consumer choices do have the power to create lasting environmental change. She loves introducing people to the power of the outdoors when it comes to inspiring people to want to protect the planet.

Sophia Yang (She/Her)

Sophia is the Founder & Executive Director of Threading Change, a youth-led ethical fashion organization working at the intersections of climate, gender, and racial justice in alignment with the necessary transition to a circular economy. Sophia's talks usually focuses on the mission of the organization she founded--Threading Change's mission is the 6F's, a Feminist, Fossil-Fuel-Free Fashion Future. Topics Sophia will talk about include intersectionality, ethical fashion, climate, gender, racial, and labour justice, circular economy, sustainable business models, and meaningful youth engagement.

Stephanie Quon (She/Her)

Stephanie is a student from Vancouver, British Columbia. She cares about sustainability because she feels nature teaches us a lot about who we are, and that it is important to take care of the earth we live on. She has been involved with the Vancouver School Board Sustainability Conference, Sprout-Save-Share, and other community activities, which have helped her learn about the issues impacting the planet and how she can do something about it.

Sylvie Stojanovski (She/They)

Sylvie is an award-winning community artist and sustainability advocate. As the founder of the youth-led working group, Artists 4 Sustainability, and co-lead of the Scarbrite Collective, she supports emerging creatives in building their capacity to work with natural materials and mobilize art to address the most pressing environmental and social justice issues of our time. Sylvie can speak on a broad range of topics, including; Artivism - the role of art + creativity in social change work; Community Building - acting as a liaison between sectors, places, and people; Leadership in the Climate Movement - inspiring youth engagement + empowerment, developing a mindset of abundance; and Sustainability - systems thinking, and intentional decision-making.

Tesicca Truong |   張慈櫻   |  Trương Từ Anh (She/Her)

Tesicca Truong is working hard to build a brighter future for the community.

From affordable housing, to fighting the climate crisis, to building partnerships across the community that make a real difference — Tesicca is fighting for you. She founded CityHive, a non-profit organization that directly engages young people when it comes to important decisions that affect their lives.