EYFC is a grassroots youth organization whose mission is to educate, engage, and empower all people in the Edmonton area to take action on climate change. They have organized over 10 student climate strikes in the City of Edmonton and engaged with the municipal government to legislate and fund Edmonton’s Energy Transition Strategy. Monica Figueroa has been a leader in Edmonton Youth For Climate (EYFC) for over 4 years since she joined the group at age 16. In the summer of 2022, Monica led the EYFC project “Visions For The Future: Edmonton’s Climate Art Project”. This initiative opened with a workshop and art build where community members were able to create poems, paintings, songs, and letters conveying their emotions and thoughts about the environmental crisis. The project culminated with a curated art exhibition where all the pieces were displayed at Foundry on Whyte on July 2 and later at Edmonton City Hall for the month of October. Lastly, Monica led the painting of a warming stripes mural depicting global rising temperatures over the past century. She coordinated all the technical aspects of the exhibition and mural, including applying for a community mural grant and engaging with mural artist Jill Stanton. You can check out a video of the entire project here!
