Issue 5: TRANSFORM News Magazine

SPECIALEDITION!

Gender Transformation & Climate Justice

From theTRANSFORMTeam

Welcome to theTRANSFORM NEWS MAGAZINE’S themed issue on gender transformation in the context of climate justice. The impacts of climate change are deeply connected to gender inequalities.This is clear not only from feminist environmental research dating back decades, but also from what we heard directly from young people at the TRANSFORM sites when we were first developing the project The conceptual links between climate justice and gender transformation are particularly obvious in climate vulnerable settings in the Global South, which face disproportionate burdens related to climate change, from drought to rising sea levels, and the increasing intensity of tropical storms. Despite bearing little responsibility in contributing to the causes of climate change, most of the TRANSFORM field sites are amongst the top climate vulnerable countries in the world (India, Mexico, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, SouthAfrica). Patriarchal norms about livelihoods, land rights, marriage, and gender roles often mean that girls and women in the Global South are responsible for environmental management (e.g. collecting water, fetching firewood), but are not able to play a role in decision-making about resources.As many recent global reports and forums such as COP30 have highlighted, climate injustice is far from gender neutral. It is also increasingly evident that the ways in which young people experience climate change are gendered. Girls and young women in the Global South risk forced and early marriage, dropping out of school, and increased rates of sexual and genderbased violence (SGBV), and are also expected to make personal, social, and educational sacrifices and commitments to reduce the impact of climate change on their communities,. Recent studies on masculinities in climate vulnerable contexts point to the need for deeper understandings of how boys and men cope with and take action on climate injustice. There is tremendous potential for youth-led work to inform what it means to disrupt gender norms as an integral part of efforts to address climate injustice, dismantling the silos that separate research and activism related to the environment and to gender equity. We thank Blane Harvey, Shiqing Gong, and Shannon Weekes for organizing an amazing Transform Learning Series on Gender and Climate Justice and for leading the way in guest editing this issue of the TRANSFORM News Magazine.

From the TRANSFORM Co-directors: Claudia Mitchell, (McGill University), Relebohile Moletsane (University of Witswatersrand), Shannon Walsh (University of British Columbia), and Lisa Starr (University of Lethbridge).

A special thanks to the TRANSFORM research and administration team: Angela MacDonald, Leann Brown, Twisha Singh, Emilia Vera Romero, and Tianna Kloepfer.

From the Guest Editors

How can we ensure youth participation and gender equality in climate actions, and why is it important to do so? How do we act locally on a global challenge like climate change? What are the challenges and where do we see hope? These questions guided a TRANSFORM Learning Series webinar on September 24, 2025, From Global Crisis to Local Action: Youth, Gender and Climate Justice In this event we brought together experts to share their experiences of working on youth leadership and gender transformation in climate action, highlighting critical reflections on the challenges and possibilities of justice-oriented climate advocacy

We believe that when we speak about justice in climate action, we are really speaking about relationships: who gets to participate, whose knowledge counts, and how decisions are made. Co-organized by Participatory Cultures Lab and the Leadership and Learning for Sustainability Lab, the session offered an engaging mix of discussion, storytelling, and youth-led dialogue. It reminded us that creating sustainable change means listening to those most affected, fostering intergenerational collaboration, and reimagining what inclusive climate leadership looks like.

From the Guest Editorial Team: Shiqing Gong, Shannon Weekes, and Blane Harvey

Highlights of the Webinar

From Global Crisis to LocalAction

In a simple but powerful icebreaker facilitated by Dr Blane Harvey participants were to invited to share one word that comes to mind when thinking about “gender and climate justice” and “youth and climate action.” Words like intersectionality, resilience, equity and power filled the screen, capturing the collective spirit of the gathering.

Generated from webinar attendees’ responses to the question: “What one word comes to mind when you hear ‘Youth & Climate Action’?”

The chat buzzed with energy as attendees from the Caribbean, Africa, Asia, and North America exchanged greetings and reflections. Their input captured the spirit of the event, which is connecting local realities to global goals through community and dialogue.

This special issue draws on conversations and insights from the webinar. To revisit the full event, you can watch the recording here.

Advocacy as a Collective Practice — Stacey Alvarez de la Campa

The plenary opened with StaceyAlvarez de la Campa, President and Co-Founder of Climate Rights & Justice International Inc, who explored how advocacy connects youth, gender, and climate justice. She began by distinguishing between problems (personal challenges) and issues (systemic barriers), a framework that encourages advocates to move beyond individual responsibility and

toward structural change. She invited participants to see advocacy as a form of self-care and solidarity, emphasizing the need for intergenerational mentorship and coalition-building. Her presentation, Advocacy for Climate Justice, reminded everyone that systemic barriers require collective strategies, not individual fixes.

She highlighted how women’s fishing practices in island communities exemplify advocacy that protects both cultural heritage and ecological balance. By situating advocacy within lived experience, Stacey urged participants to see it as a transformative practice rooted in empathy and accountability

“Advocacy

is not just about defending others, it is also about knowing how to advocate for yourself and recognizing the alliances you can build”

- Stacey Alvarez de la Campa

Stacey is a legal and educational consultant and environmental activist with expertise in climate justice and Indigenous adaptation. As co-

founder of Climate Rights & Justice International, she works to amplify marginalized voices and advance human rights-driven responses to climate change.

Storytelling for Change —Angie Dazé &Ayesha Constable

Angie Dazé, Director of Gender Equality and Social Inclusion for Resilience at IISD, andAyesha Constable, Co-Founder and Director of GirlsCARE, shared a visual and deeply moving presentation on Envisioning Resilience, a project implemented in Jamaica by the NAPGlobal Network, Lensational, and GirlsCARE. The initiative trains women in photography and storytelling to document how climate change affects

their daily lives.Through her slides,Ayesha showcased photos taken by women in coastal Jamaica — images that reveal both vulnerability and strength. These visual stories serve as tools for dialogue with policymakers, bridging gaps between technical language and lived experience.

She explained how participatory methods like photovoice can redistribute power, enabling women to frame their realities and articulate adaptation priorities. Her reflections reminded the audience that feminist approaches to climate work must move beyond representation toward genuine inclusion in decision-making spaces.

“While I think there's certainly value in interrogating how we can move from local to global, I don't think it should always be the the focus of our planning and our work in our conversations...There's value sometimes in just doubling down and zooming in on what is happening locally and trying to create the change for the benefits of those who are in this place. And not making it so

much about how we create a narrative that connects to something else globally.” - Ayesha Constable

Angie Dazé’s work focuses on climate change adaptation, gender equality, and social inclusion. She provides policy guidance and technical support for National Adaptation Plan (NAP) processes through the NAP Global Network. Her research explores the gender dimensions of adaptation and resilience.

Ayesha Constable is a scholar-activist and Technical Director for Climate Justice at the Global Fund for Women. She has worked across the Caribbean on adaptation, youth engagement, and feminist climate activism.

Building BridgesAcross Borders — Christina

Kwauk

Dr. Christina Kwauk, Co-founder and Chief Technical Officer of UnboundedAssociates, led an engaging plenary discussion that brought together insights from both Stacey andAyesha.

Christina emphasized that climate justice cannot be separated from place. “We must ask,” she said, “Where are we situated, and how do our actions connect across scales?” She encouraged participants to reflect on how local experiences of gender and climate intersect with broader systems of power and resource distribution.

As participants shared their thoughts in the chat, Christina invited them to consider solidarity not as uniformity but as shared purpose, a way of distributing responsibility across networks.

This discussion reinforced the central message of the plenary: that achieving justice-oriented climate action requires collective imagination and long-term collaboration grounded in context.

“Building intergenerational and cross-sector partnerships is not about doing everything at once. It’s about ensuring that each voice contributes to a larger ecosystem of change.”

- Christina Kwauk

Christina Kwauk, Ph.D., is a social scientist and policy analyst with expertise on girls’ education, 21st century skills and youth empowerment, and the intersections of gender, education, and climate change. She is co-editor of Curriculum and Learning for Climate Action: Toward an SDG 4.7 Roadmap for Systems Change

and co-author of What Works in Girls’ Education: Evidence for the World’s Best Investment.

Youth-LedAction: Voices of Creativity and Persistence

The second half of the webinar spotlighted youth leadership, featuring Shir Gruber and Shannon Weekes, whose presentations brought energy, humor, and honesty to the discussion.

Youth Climate Strategies - Shir Gruber

As the National Co-Director of Sustainable Youth Canada, Shir shared examples of youth-led climate initiatives that demonstrate how local projects can influence national conversations, from campus composting programs to grassroots policy proposals like theYouth Climate Corps, which was later recognized in Canada’s federal budget. Her talk emphasized that youth-led work often arises from necessity rather than opportunity Despite limited resources, young people continue to design creative solutions grounded in community values.

Pathways to break the barriers for youth participation in climate actions, presented by Shir Gruber.

“Youth are learning as we act, and this positionality can generate new approaches.” - Shir Gruber

Shir Gruber is a youth climate leader pursuing an MSc at McGill University. She co-directs Sustainable Youth Canada and has led large-scale community climate projects across Canada.

Gender &Youth Leadership in Climate Action - Shannon Weekes

Shannon Weekes is an environmental practitioner and graduate student at the University of the West Indies. Her work focuses on youth engagement, coastal resilience, and community empowerment in the Caribbean.

Shannon Weekes, a Queen Elizabeth Scholar and student of the Centre for Resource Management and Environmental Studies (CERMES) at the University of West Indies, extended this discussion by focusing on youth inclusion in decision-making spaces. Drawing on her experience as National Coordinator of the CaribbeanYouth Environment Network, Shannon shared stories of collaboration between youth, policymakers, and community leaders. She discussed how youth-led initiatives across the Caribbean are reshaping adaptation strategies and promoting gender-transformative approaches to sustainability

“If youth are expected to lead future climate efforts, then we must be included in decisions today”

- Shannon Weekes

Interactive Reflections: Shared Hopes and Challenges

The webinar concluded with an interactive world-mapping exercise, facilitated by Shiqing Gong, where participants pinned their locations and responded to two questions:

1. What challenges do you see for youth engagement in gender-transformative climate justice?

2. Where do you see signs of hope or possibility?

The map was filled with responses from across the globe: from the Caribbean and LatinAmerica toAsia, Africa, and NorthAmerica. The discussion revealed both the persistent barriers youth face and the sparks of hope driving their continued commitment.

Participants highlighted several key challenges. Many spoke about the lack of inclusion of gender-

Participants pinned their locations and share their reflections. diverse youth and the fear created by restrictive political contexts. Others pointed to limited resources, institutional and financial barriers, and the absence of meaningful youth participation in decision-making.Arecurring concern was the dominance of older generations in leadership spaces, which often leaves young people struggling to find entry points for genuine collaboration.

Some also reflected on how gender continues to be treated as a binary construct, calling for more expansive approaches that recognize the lived experiences of queer and marginalized youth.

Despite these obstacles, participants shared an abundance of optimism. They saw hope in the resilience and creativity of young activists, the growth of intergenerational partnerships, and the increasing openness to conversations on gender and justice. Many celebrated the way youth are using digital platforms to amplify their voices, build communities, and sustain momentum beyond traditional institutions. One participant wrote, “I see hope in the fierceness of youth.” Another added, “Everywhere! Dialogues like these provide loads of inspiration for action.”

Their reflections showed that while structural challenges remain, collective energy and mutual care continue to drive progress.Across continents, participants are finding strength in collaboration, between students and teachers, youth and mentors, communities and networks, and transforming those connections into meaningful action.

Additional Resources

TRANSFORMYouth Consultations Document: https://issuu.com/morethanwordsmedia/docs/transform_youth_consultation

Kwauk, C.T., & Wyss, N. (2022). Gender equality and climate justice programming for youth in lowand middle-income countries: an analysis of gaps and opportunities. Environmental Education Research, 29(11), 1573–1596. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2022.2123894

Climate Rights & Justice International Inc. Book Club

The Climate Rights & Justice International Inc. Book Club is a great way to enjoy a professionally curated space to gain knowledge about sustainability, access in-depth analysis of individualised educational content, and enjoy a sense of community.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc6BxAqOkh4w3Gi5w1p5qr1Y1SX9UFmHkI1GpehnehdM4d9A/viewform?usp=dialog

Climate Justice in the Caribbean: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/climate-justice-caribbean-alvarez-de-la-campa-ba-hons-llb--4suje

Harvey, B. (Ed.) (2025).Action research for eco-justice and climate action. Canadian Journal of Action Research, 25 (2/3). https://journals.nipissingu.ca/index.php/cjar/issue/view/51

Upcoming issue ofThe Canadian Journal ofAction Research onAction Research for Eco-Justice and ClimateAction https://journals.nipissingu.ca/index.php/cjar/issue/view/52

New Researchers inAction

What does a teacher look like?

MeetTianna Kloepfer, a PhD student at McGill University in the Department of Integrated Studies in Education, and the PCL's newest ResearchAssistant.

Her research uses participatory visual methods, prompting elementary school students to draw what they think a teacher looks like.Tianna's work examines the gender-based stereotypes placed on female teachers, interrogating the role and image of the female teacher, and how to transform gender roles in education. Her bachelor's and master's degree in education inform her research, and she continues to substitute teach at elementary schools in downtown Montreal.

Tianna has been working onTRANSFORM projects at the PCL, helping to facilitate workshops, exhibitions, and the latest communications with the research team. Currently, she is the Guest Editor of the upcoming special edition of Girlhood Studies; “Gender Transformative Frameworks for Radical Change in the Lives of Girls and Young Women.”

Representation, Identity, and Belonging

Tania Fuentes Villa, an art educator and professor with NSCAD University, first began exploring questions of belonging and inclusion during her research for her Master’s inArt Education. These questions have continued to shape her work ever since. As an immigrant,Tania understands how challenging it can be to find belonging in unfamiliar spaces, particularly within contexts shaped by ongoing colonial histories.Although she acknowledges the privileges present in her own migration story, the process of leaving behind familiar cultural anchors underscores how essential community, connection, and cultural continuity are to wellbeing. She often returns to the idea that migration is having one’s heart in two places; half of Tania's heart remains in Mexico, guided by the histories, migrations, and relationships of her ancestors. This commitment to honoring her roots has shaped her deep care for those who also struggle to find belonging and has grounded her dedication to socially just, communitycentered work.

Through Land Connects Us,Tania collaborates with a wonderful team of researchers, artists, and community members dedicated to imagining more just, caring, and relational futures—ones in which Indigenous voices across Turtle Island are centered, supported and celebrated. Together, they have developed workshops, exhibitions, and community-focused projects that demystify cultural traditions, highlight shared narratives, and foster spaces of reciprocity and care. Engaging in this collective work has not only deepened her professional practice but has also allowedTania to reflect on and understand her own identity in more meaningful ways—a powerful and unexpected outcome of community-centered collaboration.

Tania's work as an educator is closely intertwined with these commitments. She strives to inspire emerging art educators to think critically, challenge boundaries, and envision themselves as active agents of change within their own communities. In her current role as Gallery Director, she continues this work by developing programs that reduce barriers, challenge prejudice, and support artists—particularly BIPOC artists—in sharing their cultural knowledge, artistic practices, and community stories through art.

Weaving Narratives

Anissa Martins Peralta is a Brazilian artist, researcher, and Project Manager for the Land Connects Us (L.C.U.) project team with Dr. Joshua Schwab-Cartas. Based in Halifax and pursuing an MAinArt Education at NSCAD University, her practice is deeply rooted in her mixed heritage of Guarani Indigenous, Black, and European descent.

Anissa manages L.C.U.'s partnerships and community engagement across Mexico, Atlantic Canada, and Indigenous territories. She also contributes to the Design and Visual Narratives project as a Designer/Visual Identity specialist with Dr April Mandrona (InACTS). This work aligns with her focus on decolonial and community-based narratives.

Her MAresearch, Weaving Narratives: Intersectional, Decolonial, and Sensory Engagements in Museums, investigates how participatory and sensory experiences—involving touch, sight, smell, hearing, and taste—can transform the representation of artistic productions by Black, Indigenous, and racialized women in museums. She aims to challenge colonial hierarchies.

Through these roles,Anissa uses art as a vehicle for healing, transformation, and collaborative, decolonial engagement.

Knowledge Mobilization

Collaborative Methodologies

Edited by Kaylan C. Schwarz, Claudia Mitchell, and Rebekah Hutten

Collaborative Methods: Participatory Data Analysis in Feminist Research, edited by Kaylan Schwarz, Claudia Mitchell and Rebekah Hutten (2025, University ofAlberta Press) explores the intersections between participatory data analysis and feminist research—traditions that complement each other but are rarely examined together.The chapters highlight two key approaches: methods where participants help analyze the data they contributed to, and non-hierarchical, collaborative methods involving research teams. Contributors demonstrate how to choose an approach that best aligns with one's research questions, study context, and participant availability and interest.They also encourage scholars to thoroughly describe their methodological designs, decision points, and processes rather than keeping the focus only on their findings. Through a feminist lens, the authors present a range of perspectives, resisting a singular approach. Instead, they

engage with the fluid and contested nature of feminist research, each author drawing on different feminist traditions to shape their work. The volume encourages scholars to think critically about the co-production of knowledge, making it an essential resource for social science researchers and students who are invested in feminist and participatory methodologies. Of particular relevance to this themed issue of the Transform News Magazine on gender transformation and climate justice, we want to draw attention to a chapter co-authored by Mitchell McLarnon, Dawn Wiseman, Catherine Malboeuf-Hurtubise, L. Rebeca Esquivel, Terra Léger-Goodes, and Emma C. Cognet, “What Do Teachers Need in the Context of Climate Change? Reflecting on Feminist, Interdisciplinary, and Collaborative Survey Design and Analysis Processes”.

Collaborative Methods is an OpenAccess publication.

Special Issue of Girlhood Studies:An Interdisciplinary Journal

Child, Early and Forced Marriage, and Unions (CEFMU)

Guest edited by Lisa Wiebesiek (UKZN) and Boroka Zita Godley (McGill), this Special Issue focusing on Child, Early and Forced Marriage and Unions draws attention to this critical body of work from contributors working across various countries.As an intersectoral and interdisciplinary concern, it one that also cuts across many different aspects of gender transformation, including climate justice and its impact on the everyday lives of girls and young women.

Volume 18, Issue 3

Table of Contents

Editorial

Girls on the Frontline of Crisis

Claudia Mitchell

Guest Editorial

Centring Child, Early and Forced Marriage, and Unions in Context

Lisa Wiebesiek and Boroka Zita Godley

Articles

Early Marriage in Rural Zimbabwe: Girls, Constrained Agency and Sociocultural Barriers

Ndumiso Daluxolo Ngidi andTsitsi Dube

“No Vows for Cows” in Rural South Africa: Girls Resist Forced Marriage

Lisa Wiebesiek

“Early Marriage Sufferers” in Turkey: Child Brides or Willing Wives?

Nazan Çiçek

Female Venezuelan Migrants and Refugees: Drivers and Experiences of Child Marriage and Unions

Erica Walter, Melanie Walker, Maria Marisol, Monica Noriega, and SusanA. Bartels

Child Marriage and Marriage Law Reform in Indonesia: Unresolved Intersectional Issues

Agus Pratiwi

Child Marriage in Nepal: Factors Driving Parents to Marry Off Their Daughters

Nub Raj Bhandari

The Triad of Ethnicity, Religion, and Development in Iran: Explaining Female Child Marriage

Milad Bagi

Girlhood Interrupted in Brazil and Beyond: A Literature Review of Child, Early, and Forced Marriage, and Unions

Boroka Zita Godley

Sign up for Email Updates: http://bit.ly/2HiSxef

Recommend Girlhood Studies to your library: http://journals.berghahnbooks.com/girlhoodstudies/library-recommendations/

In case

you missed it! Learning Series Season 3

The webinars in theTRANSFORM Learning Series are hosted by TRANSFORM researchers and key stakeholders.These sessions take various formats, including engaging presentations, discussions on critical issues aligned with TRANSFORM’s agenda, book launches, and participatory workshops on methodological approaches. Watch the latest recordings of these sessions.

Book Launch - Collaborative Methods: Participatory Data Analysis in Feminist Research

Join authors Kaylan Schwarz, Claudia Mitchell, Mitchell McLarnon, Sarah Flicker, Rebekah Hutten, and Geetanjali Gill for a dynamic introduction to their chapters, followed by an open Q&A- a chance to connect with contributors and explore the practical and theoretical aspects of participatory data analysis.

With special guest and discussant, Pengfei Zhao.

Webinar - From Global Crisis to Local Action: Youth, Gender, and Climate Justice

On September 26, the TRANSFORM Learning Series hosted the webinar that inspired this special edition of the news magazine, exploring the connection between gender and climate. This session marked a significant milestone in the partnership’s journey, building on insights from a global youth consultation and emphasizing the importance of intersectional approaches to climate justice. Watch the full recording to hear from youth advocates, researchers, and practitioners featured in this issue.

Moving Images: Digital Curation through WhatsApp in Support of Gender Transformation and Human Rights

Coming in 2026!

This session explores how WhatsApp can be used as a dynamic platform for digital curation and exhibition-making. Using the Youth United Will Never Be Defeated exhibition as a case study, the presenters will share how youth-led research and creative work can challenge gender norms, promote equity, and support human rights across diverse global contexts. Michele Fu, Candace Blake-Amarante, and Claudia Mitchell.

We are excited to share some upcoming projects in the New Year!

The 6th and Special Edition of the News Magazine will spotlight Youth Leadership in relation to TRANSFORM's Radical Methods Lab, and on youth-at-the-centre in studying change.

We are curating all new topics for Season 4 of the Learning Series with special guests and hosts. Stay tuned!

TRANSFORM Partners

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