Applications are now open for the 2026 Youth Climate Corps East Kootenay! Learn more. 

As climate change places increasing pressure on our global, regional and local ecosystems and communities, the need to respond with meaningful action could not be more pressing. Harnessing the energy and ambition of young adults, the Youth Climate Corps empowers you to inspire and implement solutions to the climate crisis through employment, training and leadership development.

2026 East Kootenay YCC Projects:

• Theory and Practice of Food Sustainability: Local food recovery and sustainability initiatives that will deepen your understanding of local food systems, food waste and burgeoning solutions
  Wildfire Risk Reduction: A wildfire fuel mitigation and monitoring project developed to spread awareness and increase local wildfire resilience.
• Water Quality and Quantity Monitoring: Provide capacity to two other nonprofits in the Columbia Basin by collecting water data at 4 sites, contributing to a more than 10 years long dataset.
• Lois Creek Stream and Wetland Enhancement: With the bulk of this project now complete, we will transition into a maintenance phase for this project. Assessing survivorship of planted stock, managing access, and controlling invasive species remain a priority for long term project success
• There will also be several other small projects, including Whitebark Pine recovery, native wildflower seed collection, pollinator meadow restoration, wildfire fuel data collection, invasive species management, grassland restoration, and potentially more.

Past seasons for the East Kootenay YCC crew, based in Kimberley, included working with partners from environmental and community-based organizations to address climate change locally. Crew members worked on projects ranging from food security to ecosystem restoration to wildfire risk reduction. This year’s team will experience an array of disciplines and learn how each is contributing to climate action work in its own unique way!

Past project highlights