Youth Committee Members

Welcome to our 2018 – 2020 Youth Advisory Committee

NOTE: we are actively seeking second youth representative, aged 16-30, from the Cariboo-Chilcotin region. If you or someone you know fits this description please apply here. 

By engaging young people in the Youth Advisory Committee, FBC enables youth to be represented alongside all other generations to:

• ensure inclusivity, life-long learning and sharing across generations
• support succession planning and sustain organizational momentum in the long-term
• foster sustainability ambassadors and engaged citizens in communities
• develop leadership skills and build social capital for the future.

FBC’s Youth Advisory Committee brings a fresh perspective to the work of our Youth Program. Meet the fantastic young leaders from across BC and FBC Board directors that are helping us shape our Youth Program and Youth Initiatives.

Committee Chair

Brock Endean, Chair and Youth Representative on FBC Board

Committee Representatives for the Following Regions

Cariboo-Chilcotin  I  Northern BC  I  Thompson-Okanagan I  
Vancouver Island  I  Greater Vancouver Sea-to-Sky

FBC Directors

Barb Strachan I Chris Kelly I Satwinder Bains I Dale Parker (advisor)

Chair and Youth Representative on FBC Board

Brock Endean 

Raised in the Village of Chase (unceded Secwepemc territory) Brock Endean is an accomplished young Métis professional who works to strengthen the capacity and engagement of youth in rural and Indigenous communities throughout Canada and internationally. As a community facilitator, Brock has worked with over 40 municipalities, First Nations and non-profit organizations on projects ranging from organizational strategic planning, youth engagement workshops, and social enterprise development for underrepresented populations. He believes that the best results are achieved by capturing the ideas, passion, values, and creativity of a community, then collaboratively finding the knowledge needed to move forward. His diversity of education and training includes studies in business, tourism management, sustainable agriculture, creative facilitation, and public engagement, all which complement his work in building communities where members feel connected and their dreams can thrive.

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Greater Vancouver Sea-to-Sky Representatives

Brennan Strandberg-Salmon

Brennan Strandberg-Salmon lives in Burnaby BC and is a graduate of École Moscrop Secondary school. He was the co-chair of Moscrop's Environmental Club, a role in which he successfully organized the school's designation as "Bee School", the first in the Lower Mainland. He also championed a campaign to have Moscrop and ultimately BC schools to switch to sugar-cane copy paper, a tree-free low carbon alternative. Brennan is an active member of the Stoney Creek Environment Committee, where he contributes to stream restoration. In 2018, he received the Burnaby Youth Environmental Award from the City of Burnaby.

Lily Raphael

Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, Lily Raphael is passionate about providing support for land-based communities and community-driven solutions to complex problems.

She received her B.A. in International Development Studies from McGill University, during which time she lived and worked in Ecuador, first to lead a community-based agriculture project in the southern highlands, and again to engage in participatory action research at an alternative education center for Afro-Ecuadorian and Indigenous youth on the northern coast, where they learned traditional ecological knowledge along with new organic agriculture techniques.

After graduating, Lily returned to Ecuador and worked as Regional Coordinator for Community Empowerment Solutions, helping to facilitate access to resources and social innovation solutions for rural and indigenous communities in the central Andes. She later returned to the Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky region and worked as a Program Manager for a non-profit called UpSpring, creating and delivering educational programming for children experiencing homelessness. This included a stormwater education program for kids ages 9-12 in Newport, KY that combined science, art and community stewardship activities related to the Licking River Watershed.

Lily is currently pursuing her Masters in Community and Regional Planning at UBC. She loves being creative and figuring out the best way to share information with others.

Victor Ngo

Victor Ngo is an urban planner and researcher with over five years of experience in sustainable community development. He is currently a Transportation Planner with Watt Consulting Group, where he works on transportation and urban development projects in urban, rural, and indigenous communities throughout Western Canada, and a Research Associate at the University of British Columbia (UBC), where he studies the health impacts of the built environment and transportation infrastructure.

Born and raised in Vancouver, Victor holds a MA in Planning and a BA in Geography from UBC. His graduate research focused on municipal climate change mitigation and adaptation through sustainable community design and transportation. Victor is passionate about promoting youth leadership in sustainability and civic affairs, and is a former member of the Vancouver Foundation's Youth Vital Signs Leadership Council. Victor is a photographer in his spare time, and has travelled extensively across North America, Europe, and Asia.

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Cariboo-Chilcotin Representatives

José Salazar

José Salazar was born and raised in Williams Lake BC. He is currently working as a youth navigator in Williams Lake through the Cariboo Chilcotin Child Development Centre Association.

He has worked under the Child Development Centre since July 2013. In his previous role with the organization he worked as a Child and Youth Care Worker helping support youth in need one on one and through pro-social groups in the community. Now in his role as a Youth Navigator he assists families and youth to get involved and navigate through different services in the community.

José is looking forward to being a part of the Youth Advisory Committee to share his knowledge of working with youth and learn from the other committee members about their experiences. He is also looking forward to learning more about sustainability and what can be done to increase awareness on the topic.

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Northern BC Representatives

Riley Brennan 

Riley Brennan: I grew up in Prince George and the Fraser and Nechako riversheds, and I have been lucky to live in a beautiful community that offers ample opportunity to connect with nature. I have spent a lot of my life tromping about swaths of British Columbia with a canoe or wearing a pair of hiking shoes. I am currently majoring in Political Science and minoring in Business and Environmental Studies at the University of Northern British Columbia and I am interested in a cross-disciplinary lens for examining and addressing community sustainability issues.

Kristen Kieta

Kristen Kieta is originally from a small town outside of Cleveland, Ohio and completed her undergraduate degree at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. After graduating she spent time living and working as a hydrologic technician in and around Minneapolis, Minnesota. In 2014 she moved to Prince George, BC to complete a master’s degree and will begin a Ph.D. at the University of Northern B.C. in September 2018 studying sediment transport in the Nechako River watershed, a tributary of the Fraser River.

Kristen joined the committee because of the opportunity to engage with and amplify the voices of youth living within the basin. She is also excited about the prospect of working with a diverse group of committee members and youth to take on some of the biggest sustainability challenges facing us in the future.

Outside of her academic work, Kristen has volunteered with numerous environmentally minded projects in Prince George including the organizing of Bike to Work and Bike to School weeks, weighing garbage and recycling as part of a waste audit of the 2015 Canada Winter Games, and by advocating for the legal protection of old-growth forests with a local NGO, Conservation North.

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Thompson-Okanagan Representatives

Paz Rainville

Paz Rainville has joined this Committee for the opportunity to collaborate with like-minded individuals; paving the way for youth to have increased involvement in sustainability initiatives. Paz is actively pursuing his goals, furthering his knowledge to better himself, communities and the sustainable development of our future.

Paz recently earned a diploma in Environmental Resources at Nicola Valley Institute of Technology. He found that the classroom kindled his desire to grow as a person, while striving to positively impact the world around himself. Merritt is home to his work and is where he has spent most of his upbringing. This valley provides what he values; most of which is a connection to the outdoors, family, friends, and a cool place to swim. He is currently starting his fourth season as a wildland firefighter, which is work that he is passionate about. He is an active member of the Kamloops Men’s Rugby Club, an avid road/mountain biker, and thoroughly enjoys experiencing new places and people; the rest of his free time is primarily dedicated to picking fruits, making wine, and cooking.

Elijah Mack

My name is Elijah Mack, I am from the Nuxalk Nation in Bella Coola, BC. I currently reside in the Nicola Valley of Merritt BC and have for the past 15 years. I am of First Nations ancestry from both my parents, Marcella Mack and Barney Stirling.

Georgia Jules

Wekt, my name is Georgia Jules, my Secwepemc name is Melmelnetqu7 meaning “shadow over the water”. This name was given to me by my two grandmothers Teresa Jules and Regina Arnouse. I grew up on the Neskonlith Indian Band in Chase BC, but I am registered to the Skeechestn Indian Band close to Savona BC. My mother is Donna Jules and my father is John Jules.

I am currently in the Canadian Armed Forces Reserve and veteran for the past 10 years as an infantry solider. I am a member of Legion 106 as part of the Poppy Fund Committee. I received my Double Bachelors in Business Administration and Computing Science at Thompson Rivers University, & am a current student at UBC at the Peter A. Allard School of Law where I am completing my Cultural Competency Certificate. I received my Social Services worker youth specialist diploma from CDI College and my Aboriginal Youth Care Diploma & ECE from Douglas College.

I have a passion for working with Aboriginal Youth and helping them be successful in education and sport. I currently work at Neskonlith Indian Band in the Education Department managing the Post Secondary and assisting in K-12. I sat on the Shuswap Nation Tribal Council, and currently sit as a Youth Advisor at the Canadian Prime Minister’s Office, BCCIC Youth Delegation at United Nations, Aboriginal Student Committee at Thompson Rivers University, & Youth delegate and panel at the BC Cabinet and First Nations Leadership conference in Vancouver 2018. I also sit on the School District No. 73 Aboriginal Education Council and the Chase First Nations Advisory Committee. My passion is to change and mentor other youth, and I pride myself in always being up for learning and gaining more experience.

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Vancouver Island Representatives

Jasmine Feather Dionne

My name is Jasmine Feather Dionne. I am a 22-year-old Cree and Métis woman from Northern Alberta. I currently reside in Victoria, BC and I am incredibly grateful to share this space on the unceded Coast Salish lands of the Lekwungen speaking peoples, Esquimalt, Songhees and Wsanec First Nations. I am a graduate student at UVic aspiring to receive my PhD in political science. I am vested in Indigenous and social justice issues as this is ultimately where most of my energy resides. I look forward to bringing an intersectional perspective into all of the work that I do.

Talen Rimmer

Talen Rimmer is a marine biology and environmental studies undergraduate student at the University of Victoria. In contrast to a Directed Studies on the Pacific Geoduck, Talen’s primary research interests lie in North-Pacific coastline and fish ecology, specifying in salmonid and rockfish species. His other interests include science communication, mediocre puns, and listening to virtually any song about San Francisco.

Currently, Talen is working as an ecological restoration and outreach assistant with the Clam Garden Project in the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve (GINPR).

Talen is very grateful and excited for the opportunity to take part in the Youth Advisory Committee for the Fraser Basin Council. If you’d like to get in touch, you can find Talen on Twitter (@TalenTypes) or instagram (talen.r), or various other social platforms.

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