The City of Toronto has launched the Toronto edition of C40’s international Women4Climate Mentorship Programme to encourage and inspire women’s leadership in responding to climate change.
This program matches mentors from local government, the business sector, international organizations and social agencies with emerging women leaders. Mentors share their knowledge and experiences, supporting the mentees in becoming powerful advocates in addressing climate change. Three Canadian cities are participating in the program: Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.
Over seven months, Women4ClimateTO will engage 12 women who live, work or attend school in Toronto and provide a program that combines mentorship, networking and collaborative learning opportunities. Following the formal mentorship program, mentees will participate in a pitch competition to showcase their ideas. Toronto’s program is presented by RBC and supported by EY.
Women4ClimateTO is aligned with the City’s commitment to fight climate change, as participants will work on self-initiated projects that support the goals of the City’s TransformTO Climate Action Strategy and Resilience Strategy. Launched in 2017, TransformTO lays out a set of long-term, low-carbon goals to reduce local greenhouse gas emissions. Toronto’s Resilience Strategy sets out a vision, goals and actions to help Toronto survive, adapt and thrive in the face of any challenge, including climate change.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the program will begin virtually and progress to in-person activities when permitted.
Candidates must identify as women; be 18 years of age or older; live, study or work in Toronto; and have a current climate action project, start-up business, or idea for a future project to launch or progress with the support of the Women4Climate Toronto Mentorship Programme. The program welcomes applications from women from diverse backgrounds. Women with disabilities, Indigenous, Black and women from equity seeking groups are encouraged to apply.
Applicants may include but are not limited to researchers and academics, entrepreneurs developing civic/green/urban tech projects in the sustainability sectors, volunteers, NGO activists, and individuals wishing to engage people in their communities. Applicants will be selected based on their motivation, potential and ideas.
The application deadline has been extended to July 31. Obtain more information about Women4ClimateTO.
Quotes:
“In joining Montreal, Vancouver and 15 other cities across the globe, Toronto furthers its commitment to addressing climate change through the launch of the Women4Climate Programme. Women4ClimateTO will encourage the ideas and projects of emerging female climate leaders and support the City’s ambitious climate goals established by TransformTO and the Resilience Strategy. This forward-looking program helps ensure that women’s ideas are instrumental in influencing how the City of Toronto continues to address climate change.”
– Mayor John Tory
“I am proud to have championed this initiative along with Heather Taylor, our CFO, and brought it to the City of Toronto, joining Vancouver and Montreal in representing Canada in C40’s Women4Climate Mentorship Programme. It is important that we continue to consider the impacts of climate change, as Toronto embarks on the COVID-19 recovery process. In encouraging the next generation of female climate change leaders, Women4ClimateTO will help amplify the voices and projects of those who will continue to make our city more resilient, well into the future.”
– Councillor Jennifer McKelvie (Ward 25 Scarborough-Rouge Park) and the Mayor’s Environment and Resilience Champion
“Women have become more prominent and influential within the environmental movement than ever before and this programme will propel more women in Toronto to become global agents of change. An investment in the brainpower of women is an investment in fighting climate change in Canada and around the world.”
– Heather Taylor, Chief Financial Officer, City of Toronto
“The effects of climate change connect us all. The actions we take today can prepare us with the solutions needed to protect our shared future. At RBC, we believe climate change is the most pervasive issue of our time. That’s why we continue to invest in technology to solve environmental challenges, support innovative ideas that move us towards a sustainable economy, and through the Women4Climate Mentorship program, help advance the next generation of women climate leaders.”
– Valerie Chort, Vice President, Corporate Citizenship, RBC
Toronto is home to more than 2.9 million people whose diversity and experiences make this great city Canada’s leading economic engine and one of the world’s most diverse and livable cities. As the fourth largest city in North America, Toronto is a global leader in technology, finance, film, music, culture and innovation, and consistently places at the top of international rankings due to investments championed by its government, residents and businesses. For more information visit the City’s website or follow us on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.