Youth Climate Corps makes its way into Budget 2025

After many years of campaigning, we are relieved and heartened to see the Youth Climate Corps established in Budget 2025, with a commitment of $40 million over two years.

This is a win for hundreds of young activists and allies who have pressed hard for this idea, especially in the context of a budget that is significantly retreating on climate and decreasing overall program spending.

But notably, $20 million a year will only produce about 350 full-time jobs for the whole country, which is not terribly consequential for tackling the skyrocketing youth unemployment or addressing the climate crisis.

Today’s announcement is a far cry from the $1 billion annual investment our campaign has called for, but it gets our foot in the door to prove the YCC’s worth.

We will roll up our sleeves and work with the government to up the ambition for a Youth Climate Corps that matches the generational challenge.

– Seth Klein, team lead, Climate Emergency Unit, Bushra Asghar and Juan Vargas Alba YCC campaign co-leads