A Farewell From Evelyn…

Dear Change Course community,

Tomorrow is my last day as Executive Director at Change Course, and I want to say a tremendous thank you to everyone who has been a part of it. It’s bittersweet to leave: leading Change Course for the past four years has been one of the most formative experiences of my life, and I know that this has been one of the most unique and meaningful projects I’ll have the privilege of being a part of. When I started in this role, I was finishing up my time as an undergraduate student at the University of Toronto. We launched (what was then called) Banking on a Better Future as a group for students who wanted to challenge the extractive and financial roots of the climate crisis.

At the time, we were in a pandemic lockdown, and climate mobilization across the country and the world had been extraordinarily disrupted. Navigating the founding and structuring of an org and setting goals and priorities while working within the context of a global pandemic, we built an organization and vision, little by little, that has turned into something much bigger than I could have imagined at the time. In the last four years, Change Course and the network of students we work with have built the largest campus-climate-related distributed organizing network in so-called Canada.

We’ve worked with students on 17 campuses to challenge corporate power and push for an end to fossil fuel financing. We’ve seen students on these campuses make a real impact and get wins to take back power and student spaces from fossil funding banks. We’ve gone toe-to-toe with Canada’s largest corporation and been part of a network that pushed them to make changes to their financing policies. We’ve built solidarity between movements and worked with students to push back against arms funding and militarization.

Organizationally, we’ve changed and grown. We’ve better defined and understood our role in Climate Justice spaces. In 2023, we rebranded as Change Course. Since our founding, we have grown from one full-time staff member to four, and a total team of seven.”

This work has been fulfilling and incredibly challenging. Leadership isn’t easy, and nonprofit structures are complicated. Juggling campaign work and responding to grassroots needs while managing a team, fundraising, and managing operations has been overwhelming, to say the least. We’ve had many successes, and in the process, I’ve gotten many things wrong, and I am grateful to have been humbled, challenged, and met with patience and generosity. I’ve learned about juggling tasks, meeting urgency, and making space for myself to rest in the midst of it all. I’m incredibly grateful to partners, formal and informal, who offered their mentorship as I navigated new and difficult experiences.

In this role, I have learned so much and gotten to plant my feet in so many wonderful places. My memories of this time are rooted in the people I’ve met and learned from. I’ve learned so much from the students we work with and the community we’ve built, and it’s been a pleasure to learn in new capacities the power young people and students have to fight for a future that prioritizes people and well-being.

Last but not least, thank you to the team of people who are and have been a part of Change Course/Banking on a Better Future. I’m so proud of what we built together. Dani has stepped into my role and taken it in stride, and I’m very thankful to leave the org in capable and inspired hands. I believe so much in the entire team I’m leaving and know that they are brilliant, thoughtful, and committed to Change Course’s mission. In the next few months, I’ll be taking some time to rest and spend time in the sun, but I’ll be watching and cheering from the sidelines, and I can’t wait to see where Change Course goes next. With so much appreciation,

Evelyn <3