Our Aiming for Action program rewards four people between the ages of 14 and 30 for their valuable efforts and achievements advocating for the environment with a grant of up to $1,500, among other prizes. Clara Landry, recipient of the award in 2022, shares with you her favourite discoveries to become an agent of change!

Literature and documentaries are for me, great tools to raise awareness and to educate. That’s why I created the Radical Transition project to offer free new and used books on social and climate justice in partnership with bookstores and publishers. The goal is to respond to the growing need for education on climate change and social inequality while giving a second life to worn-out books.

In the last year, several works have contributed to feeding my desire to act concretely for a socio-ecological transition. Here are some of my favourite discoveries to fan this inner fire, this desire to imagine and create a new world, a world for everyone.

Perilous Passage: Louise Arbour and the Future of Migration (French only)

This short documentary, available for free in French (Passage périlleux : Louise Arbour et l’avenir de la migration), has greatly spurred my imagination and marked my journey through the legal and activist world. Not only does it guide us to a great woman in Quebec, but it also introduces us to what she considers the social issue of our century: migration—and more specifically, displacement to escape the direct consequences of the climate crisis. This short documentary is an excellent introduction to this phenomenon. When it comes to climate justice and socio-ecological transition, Quebec and Canada must absolutely question its responsibility. Louise Arbour addresses this issue beautifully, calling for immediate international collaboration for a better future. On the ground, right here on the island called “Montreal” known as Tiotia:ke in Kanien’kehá, several activist groups are addressing the same issue—including proposing regularized status for all. This is the challenge facing an important organization in our community: Solidarity Across Borders, and its leader, Hady Kodoye Anne, a great inspiration for young activists.

Firefighters and Pyros (French only)

From the author and activist Martine Delvaux, Pompières et pyromanes is a novel that is part of the ecofeminist movement, a movement that establishes the link between the exploitation of women, gender inequalities and the destruction of the environment. Through her relationship with her daughter, her fascinating obsession with fire and through a series of historical facts, reading this novel requires us to reflect on love: how, for many, can we learn to love again? To love, to love our generation and to think of future generations, is first to listen to us, to respond to our requests, to fulfil our need: that of survival. The author addresses the phenomenon of eco-anxiety experienced by our generation with kindness, strength and understanding.

There are many “pyromaniac” young women who are involved in environmental activism: namely Léa Ilardo, Cynthia Dauphin, Uapukun Mestokosho, Mara Benitez, Dalie Lauzon, etc. These women are role models for me, inspiring me, in one way or another, to get more involved in my community. There are also many mothers involved who are “firefighters” and “pyromaniacs”. The Mothers on the Front collective is one such example, bringing together inspiring women like Mélissa Mollen Dupuis and Laure Waridel. Mission accomplished: this work is the kindle to our fire, the fire that urges us to act.

Braiding Sweetgrass

Finally, the work Braiding Sweetgrass by mother, scientist, decorated professor and member of the Citizen Potowatomi Nation, Robin Wall Kimmerer inspires gentleness and at the same time incredible strength. Its stories allow us to travel through the smells and landscapes, listening to the different teachings of nature and the wisdom of the ancestors. Reading this work also allows us to reflect on our relationship with plants, and especially our disconnection from them. If, according to the author, the advice of the pecan tree is not heard or heeded, this one will stay with me, engraved in my soul forever: “There is strength in unity” (Wall Kimmerer, 2013, p. 18).

Thank you to the bookshop AWA of the non-profit solidarity co-op l’Euguélionne for this recommendation.

Interested in discovering more titles to educate yourself on the issues of the social-ecological transition? Follow the Facebook and Instagram page of Transition radicale!

Aiming for Action 2022 Laureate

Clara Landry

Clara founded the "Radical Transition" Project, which offers free new/damaged/used books on social and climate justice issues in partnership with bookstores and publishers. The goal is to address the growing need for education on climate change and social inequality while giving a second life to books that are damaged or can't be sold. She currently sits on the youth committee of Lab22 as an ambassador for the Montreal region and is the coordinator of the UQAM chapter of Pro Bono Students Canada (PBSC).

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