Youth Advisory Council 

Alexa Tumaneng, Ontario (she/her)

Alexa Tumaneng recently completed her undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering with a minor in Environmental Engineering and a certificate in Global Engineering, at the University of Toronto. Passionate about holistic, systemic and sustainable change, Alexa held volunteer roles directed toward building a sustainable future through education and connection building across Global Spark and the University of Toronto chapters of the Sustainable Engineers Association and Engineers Without Borders. She has held several research and project management positions across the University of Toronto’s Department of Forestry, the Royal Ontario Museum and the federal government. She loves exploring Canada, photography and watching National Geographic, romantic comedies and sitcoms. Equipped with her experience across different fields of sustainability and social impact, Alexa is eager to learn and enact change with respect to climate justice in the coming year with the Youth Advisory Council.

Asalah Youssef, British Columbia (she/her)

Asalah Youssef was born in Cairo, Egypt, and moved to Canada when she was one. She now gratefully resides on the unceded and traditional territory of Kwikwetlem and Katzie First Nations. She is a photographer, environmentalist and advocate for well-being. She approaches her work through an intersectional lens and is actively learning how to ensure her work is paired with reconciliation and understanding of traditional ecological knowledge. Creativity is her outlet, but also her catalyst for change as she uses her love of imagery and storytelling to educate and inspire action. Her photo work has been exhibited in several exhibitions, and she has been featured on various press outlets including The Globe and Mail, CTV News, and The National Post. Asalah is pursuing the Bachelor of Environment and Sustainability and a Masters of Management at the University of British Columbia and is looking forward to pairing it with her work on the Youth Advisory Council with other passionate, creative and like-minded folks.

Cassandra Carlson, Ontario (she/her)

Aanii/Hello! My name is Cassandra and I am Anishinaabe from Wauzhushk Onigum Nation. I am entering my fourth year of a Combined Major in Biology and Psychology at Brock University, where I also am completing my own research on the growth properties of plants used in traditional healing. In April 2022, I joined the Young Diplomats of Canada as a delegate representing Indigenous Youth at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII). My other expertise in Indigenous advocacy comes from being a delegate at the Ontario University Student Alliance as well as a contributing author on their Indigenous Students Policy Paper. Growing up in a rural area, I’ve always had an appreciation for nature. I love going on hikes, forging for plants and mushrooms, and collecting rocks from the beach shores. I hope that my expertise and engagement working on a variety of political levels as well as my skills in academia can forward meaningful youth engagement within the Jane Goodall Institute of Canada. I love talking to people and learning from their lived experiences, and I am excited to use this skill to forward further connections to biodiversity, environment and climate change. Looking forward to an amazing year!

Chloë Chang, Ontario (she/her)

Chloë Chang is a passionate young advocate for wildlife, with a specific interest in ornithology (the study of birds), which has led her to pursue a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Wildlife Biology and Conservation from the University of Guelph. Growing up in a farming community, Chloë brings a unique perspective to the council around wildlife and agriculture that was bolstered through her experience volunteering and working at a wildlife rehab centre. Chloe also began an Eco Team at her high school, which successfully mitigated many forms of waste. In her spare time, Chloë enjoys digital art with her iPad Pro (drawing & painting), playing music (guitar, piano & singing), horseback riding, vegan baking and birding at Point Pelee National Park!

Corbin Bishop, Alberta (he/him)

Corbin loves life for all it has to offer. He loves animals, people and the world. Animals have enriched his life through his work as a wildlife technician rehabilitating animals, as a shelter volunteer caring for cats and dogs, and as a pet owner. He believes compassion and empathy are foundational ethical principles for impacting radical social change. Witnessing injustice calls to the darkest parts of you; it can consume your mind in cynicism as you grow bitter and world-weary. Sometimes it has the opposite effect. Sometimes injustice is a call to action. For Corbin, it stoked a fire to join the battle for a more compassionate world. With the Youth Advisory Council he intends to foster community engagement centered on youth and indigenous voices; it is only through our shared conviction that we can create lasting cultural impact which can change the course of human history. He believes in the power of the indomitable human spirit and together, he believes we can address the issues of climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental inequity. Corbin is also completing his fourth year of a Bachelor of Science Honors in Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology at the University of Alberta. When he is not studying, he enjoys reading and writing, birding, gaming, cooking, and playing music (guitar, piano, and singing).

Hannah Anderson, Ontario (she/her)

Hannah Anderson grew up in the Northeast of the grain-growing region of Saskatchewan. She recently graduated from the University of Waterloo with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology, joint with a Bachelor of Knowledge Integration, during which she spent her spare time in an Arctic fish ecology lab and co-founded the Journal of Integrative Research and Reflection (JIRR). She’s usually found outside – most often in the Boreal Forest – wearing hiking boots, snowshoes, or skis, and with some reading, a sketchbook, knitting, or identification books and a camera. She’s most excited about how knowledge and ignorance are created and shared in the natural sciences and is especially driven by the importance of epistemic justice in ecology. With the Youth Advisory Council, she looks forward to listening and learning from youth, with the goal of ensuring youth voices are heard as we look toward the future of decolonization and climate justice in Canada.

Laura Apblett, Prince Edward Island (she/her)

Hello! I am an undergraduate Environmental Studies/Biology student at the University of Prince Edward Island. My main passion (of course) is the environment, especially protecting life and promoting sustainability. I enjoy being outside, and I spend a good part of my free time walking around the city and hanging out in urban parks. I also like to read and listen to music. I mainly work on campus in various job positions, including as a writing tutor, research assistant, and cameraperson. Some of the projects I have been involved with include developing ways to decrease soil GHG emissions, improving equity in the decarbonization movement, and increasing fresh produce available in food pantries. I appreciate being able to help others. Working with JGI, I hope to help provide people with more knowledge about – and a greater appreciation for – the natural world.

Meghan Scott, British Columbia (she/her)

Meghan grew up on Vancouver Island, in the unceded Coast Salish territories of the ləkw̓ əŋən (Songhees), Xwsepsum (Esquimalt), and T’Sou-ke peoples. She will be finishing her undergraduate degree from The University of Western Ontario in Integrated Science and Physics next year, a program that has also allowed her to study the interdisciplinary nature of climate change and biodiversity loss. She is passionate about environmental justice, conservation, and atmospheric and ocean protection, all stemming from her upbringing on
the shores of the Salish Sea. She believes youth engagement and action will be at the heart of getting through the climate crisis, and finds hope in Jane Goodall’s lifelong work to foster a love of nature in young people. In her spare time, Meghan enjoys hiking, paddle boarding, kayaking, and playing volleyball.

Mei-Ling Patterson, British Columbia (she/her/elle)

Mei-Ling was born and raised in North Vancouver, British Columbia, on the unceded territory of the Squamish Nation, Tsleil-Waututh Nation, and Musqueam Nation. She recently graduated from the Environment and Urban Sustainability program at Toronto Metropolitan University with a Bachelor of Arts with Honours and a minor in French Studies. She will be pursuing a Master of Applied Science in Environmental Applied Science and Management at the Yeates School of Graduate Studies this fall and has been awarded a Canada Excellence Research Chair Graduate Student Stipend as she will be conducting her research amongst racialized newcomer populations. She is driven by her passion for climate justice and connections with nature. In her spare time, Mei-Ling enjoys yoga and meditation, listening to music, and trying out new plant-based restaurants. She is eager to be on the Youth Advisory Council this year to learn and volunteer alongside other like-minded youth to help shape a just and sustainable future.

Michael Lecchino, Quebec (he/him)

Michael Lecchino is an Italo-Canadian student from Montréal, Québec. He is quadrilingual —fluent in English, French, German, and Italian. His passions range from designing visual identity systems to exploring the great Canadian outdoors. Michael spent time studying in Germany and Italy, which furthered his cultural knowledge and enabled him to look at issues using a unique lens. His leadership and youth advocacy experience consist of being Class President for five consecutive years, Student Body President for one year and the President of his borough’s youth council, the Conseil jeunesse de LaSalle (CJL). He was recently selected to represent Canadian youth as an Official Delegate and Communications Coordinator at the 2022 G7 Youth Summit (Y7) in Berlin, Germany. Throughout all four positions, Michael was responsible for representing the voices of students and young citizens. He often holds meetings with coordinators, directors, professionals and elected officials to address pressing issues and strategize possible solutions. Working for Parks Canada, Michael has utilized his creative skillset to further the agency’s mission to protect and present Canada’s natural and cultural heritage. During the winter, you’ll often find Michael on the slopes teaching the sport he loves, snowboarding, to young students eager to become better athletes. And during the summer, Michael enjoys spending time hiking and kayaking as it allows him to appreciate nature’s beauty.

Rae Landriau, Ontario (they/them)

Rae Landriau is a Master’s student at Carleton University, studying contaminant transport in permafrost. Their work deals with the intersection of Indigenous knowledge, community governance, climate change, and environmental remediation. Rae’s passion for the environment is what drove them to pursue a career in science. They actively seek out opportunities to educate others, using their environmental and scientific knowledge in community outreach settings. Rae’s passion for collective action and radical collaboration is what drove them to found Create Change Collective, a community environmental organization which seeks to educate and engage folks in conservation and climate action. In their free time Rae loves swimming, canoeing, being outdoors, getting creative in the kitchen and volunteering!

Rebecca Seward-Langdon, Ontario (she/her)

Rebecca is a Chinese-Canadian adoptee living on the shared land of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples. She holds a Master of Global Affairs from the University of Toronto and a Bachelor of Arts in African Studies and Political Science from Carleton University. With a passion for human rights, social justice, and anti-colonialism, Rebecca intends to use her various positions and platforms to disrupt systems of coloniality and status quo.