Rio+20 – Come Follow Us!

After two days of training and briefing in the Development and Peace office in Montreal, the youth delegates from across Canada are embarking on their journey to the People’s Summit in Rio de Janeiro. In this special feature on our youth blog, this series will bring reflections and insights, from our delegates and from those we meet, on ecological justice and the alternatives being brought forward to world leaders by members of civil society from around the world.

Erynne and Janelle sewing banners

We’ve asked each of our delegates to share a short thought on what they hope to experience during the summit:

I’m really excited to have the opportunity to encounter the work of social movements in Brazil surrounding social and environmental issues. I look forward to sharing my experiences with you!
– Anna Weber, Regina, Saskatchewan

I’m a teacher in Winnipeg and have been a member of Development and Peace for nine years. In this time, the most important thing I have learned is how all humanity is connected. Our well-being is interwoven with the well-being of all people and the environment. On this Solidarity Tour, I look forward to meeting our partners and hearing their stories. We have so much to learn from our Southern brothers and sisters and I am excited to bring their stories home with me so that I can help connect my community with our global family.
- Barbara Gajda, Winnipeg, Manitoba

I’m so excited to be taking part in this delegation with such an incredible group of women. Having just completed my undergrad thesis examining the role of green-washing in the Canadian mining industry, I can’t wait to connect, strategize, and dream with movements working for ecological justice from across the world in the context of the People’s Summit. Talk soon!
- Kaitlyn Duthie-Kannikkatt, Ottawa, Ontario

Ola galeira! I am beyond excited to attend the People’s Summit with the incredible delegation from Development and Peace. I have just graduated (in fact I missed my convocation yesterday!) from Kings University College in London, Ontario, with an Honours Specialization in Social Justice and Peace Studies. I am extremely passionate about advocating and working for popular education, where youth like myself can be empowered through art and community collaboration. I am travelling to the summit as a Metis-Filipina-Irish young Canadian who is ready to learn, listen and be humbled by everyone gathering from around the world to make a world where all worlds fit.
- Erynne Gilpin, Komoka, Ontario

I am happy to be a part of the People’s Summit delegation to learn from the lived experiences of our partners and the civil society groups.  I want to know what food sovereignty and ecological justice means to them and how we as Canadians can learn from their efforts so that we can contribute to building a more sustainable global community.
- Katrina Laquian, Victoria, British Columbia

Follow our journey as we report and share our experiences and learning. We will be posting here, sharing tweets as @DevpRio20 and taking lots of pictures and videos to share on the D&P website, YouTube and Flickr accounts. Also, be sure to read the stories of our Francophone colleagues on the French Youth Blog.

We’re off to Rio!