The art of youth climate activism

Written By Peter Allan

Finnegan Brown during the 95th session of B.C. Youth Parliament. Photo by Sky Losier

 

By Patricia Lane & Finn Brown

These in-their-own-words pieces are told to Patricia Lane and co-edited with input from the interviewee for the purpose of brevity.

Finnegan Brown is using art and political action to protect our climate. This 16-year-old high school student from Sooke, B.C., received a 2023 I-SEA Youth Climate Activism Award for an essay featuring his nature sketches, urban design ideas and his presentation of a private member’s bill at the 2023-24 B.C. Youth Parliament calling on the government to naturalize the grounds around the legislature.

Tell us about your projects.

Ever since I joined the Robert Bateman Foundation's nature sketch program, I have loved connecting with nature through art. I enjoy taking my friends out to sketch. If you pay close attention, awe is almost inevitable. While I see the need for more housing and development, I don't think we can be allowed to run roughshod over our Earth. We will have to collaborate with nature to make our futures sustainable, so I have designed useful and beautiful features for urban landscapes, like zero-waste dog washes and public washrooms. I have made short videos about bees and salmon. I was also part of a team of three who designed a “zine” informing our peers about the health impacts of forest fire smoke, connecting that to the burning of oil, coal and gas, and encouraging kids to burn less by taking the bus, biking and growing a garden.

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Peter Allan
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