A pan-Canadian network creating in-person and online spaces for youth-led climate justice activists to strategize and collaborate on actions to increase public participation in democratic and policy processes. These gatherings help foster radical collaboration amongst existing groups, strengthen grassroots networks and invite in new youth to sustain an intergenerational movement.
Join the Network
We are a youth-led, non-partisan, political action-focused network of organizations and groups from across Canada working to advance just social, environment, and climate solutions.
To qualify as a member of the Infiltrate The System (ITS) Network one must be:
- A part of a group or organization (minimum 3 individuals)
- Active in community organizing (i.e., a part of organizing at least one campaign, event or action) in the last 6 months
- Based in Canada
- Youth-led (aged 18-35) or youth-serving, meaning there is a significant portion of youth in governance and/or making up the majority of the team (25% minimum)
- Non-partisan
- Doing work to advance climate justice solutions through policy advocacy
The ITS Network is only for groups. If you’re an individual interested in getting involved in climate justice advocacy, check out our map to find a group local to you that you can join to make meaningful changes for social issues you’re passionate about.
Member Benefits
NETWORK GATHERINGS
Invitations to in person members-only community building events every year where we can all socialise, network and knowledge-share with peers, and collectively strategize on how to advance policy priorities; Programming costs are covered for the events, and an accessibility fund is available for those who need additional travel funding support to attend.
ACCESS TO CURATED MEMBERS-ONLY VIRTUAL SPACES
Add organizational representatives to our Slack channels and have them join our monthly virtual meeting space to bolster open communication and collaboration with value-aligned organizations.
GOVERNMENT RELATIONS & ADVOCACY SUPPORT
The Youth Harbour, a project of Finance Engage Sustain (FES)’s team will provide office hours to groups seeking strategic support for their lobbying work, policy interventions and/or campaign design and execution efforts.
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT
The Starfish Canada’s team will provide office hours to connect individual leaders with resources and mentorship to support their organizing needs, both on an individual and/or organizational level.
AMPLIFY YOUR ORGANIZATIONS WORK
Amplify your calls-to-action and policy advocacy work in our ITS Newsletter on LinkedIn and with the support of network partners across other platforms.
Membership Fees
All members are required to pay an annual membership fee to be a part of the ITS network*. Membership fees are charged on a sliding scale starting based on an organization’s annual revenue.
$20
annual revenue is below $10,000
$50
annual revenue is between $10,000-20,000
$100
annual revenue is between $20,000-49,999
$150
annual revenue is above $50,000
Membership fees go towards a pooled fund for network costs, including event costs, enrichment activities (e.g., professional development and skills-based workshops) and pooled network resources. Additional donations are encouraged for organizations which have the financial means to give.
*If the membership fee is a barrier for your organization, please email [email protected].
About the Team
Shake Up The Establishment (SUTE) acts as secretariat of the ITS Network, and leads coordination of the network’s activities, with partnership support from The Starfish Canada and The Youth Harbour, a project of Finance Engage Sustain (FES).
The systemic challenges we aim to address require a unified, coordinated effort to maximize impact and reach. This partnership harnesses: SUTE’s boots-on-the-ground expertise in conducting high-impact, evidence-informed and community-centred climate policy advocacy;
Starfish’s ability to cultivate and connect today’s environmental leaders, particularly those who have been, and continue to be, underrepresented in climate advocacy; and, The Youth Harbour’s savvy ability to help resource grassroot organizations, particularly those led by Indigenous, racialized and marginalized people. By working together, our groups continue to lead-by-example in demonstrating the power of collaboration in this sector.
SUTE has secured multi-year funding from the McConnell Foundation to support this initiative, but we continue to seek additional funding and to build partnerships with sponsors for our Network gatherings. If you are interested in funding this critical work, please contact [email protected].