Combining a concern for the future of energy and climate change with a deep desire to help Indigenous youth has inspired Mount Royal University student Cory Beaver.
Beaver and other Indigenous and non-Indigenous students in the Mount Royal chapter of a group called Student Energy are hosting SevenGen 2019. The first Indigenous student energy summit in Alberta will be held Jan. 24 to 27 at the Grey Eagle Resort on Tsuut'ina Nation.
Two hundred Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth aged 18 to 30 from across Canada are expected to come together to unite communities, build relationships and break social barriers. The goal is to empower Indigenous communities to lead and live sustainably through the intersection of energy, food, water, and the transition to a sustainable economy.
Beaver's interest in energy and climate change was piqued at a climate change workshop. He says he "always knew about climate change but after leaving that workshop I knew I had to raise awareness."
That led to meeting Student Energy executive director Meredith Adler at a Suncor Energy Foundation gathering, and then attending the Student Energy Summit in Merida, Mexico in 2017.
"Attending one of the sessions at the summit, I was inspired by hearing the story of Student Energy and how they began. They were tired of getting a seat at the kids table and they wanted their voices heard. They realized there was a need to involve youth."
Beaver thought of his own community of Îyârhe Nakoda (Stoney Nakoda) and youth there, many of whom are struggling with addictions and what he calls a lack of "youth engagement and empowerment."
"I felt like I wanted to do something positive and I wanted to give youth opportunities and to inspire youth to really look at education as a means to an end."
