Starting today, youth aged 13-18 have an opportunity to explore solutions to the Climate Crisis through the Youth Imagine The Future Festival. Participants can create a work of art such as a drawing or sculpture or write a 500 to 2000 word story imagining the future in a new genre called solarpunk.

Spokesperson and author Jerri Jerreat says she wants youth to look at and imagine solutions to the crisis.

"I want them to end up doing the fun part researching all the amazing green and fabuolous new tech and all the great nature based solutions…Imagine a real place… 100 years, 200 years in the future and then show us that," says Jerreat.

She says she hopes youth will see a more positive future.

“This rapid growth of climate anxiety and climate depression needs a different trajectory, they need some healing, not to ignore the bad news, but they need to turn toward the solutions and maybe bring everybody up with them. We can work towards it if we can visualize a better future," says Jerreat.

The deadline for submissions is Nov. 7. Local artists, writers, retired teachers, and teacher candidates will be judging the submissions. The top prize for winners in both the writing and art categories is a $500 award from the Kingston Community Credit Union in the form of a GIC which will mature when they graduate from high school. There are also four $100 cash prizes to be awarded as well as gift certificates to Art Noise, Minotaur Games and Gifts, Novel Idea, The Screening Room and Harlowe Green. This festival is open to all youth residing in the area covered by the Limestone and the Algonquin & Lakeshore School Boards. Art submissions will be displayed at The Kingston School of Art from Dec. 1-6. 

Listen to the full CFRC interview with Jerri Jerreat below: