Living in the city, Larissa considers the urban forest to be an integral part of Toronto. As a place where the natural environment interacts with human-built landscapes, she understands that the urban forest is shaped by our decisions, with positive and negative outcomes. Her drive to protect and restore the environment led her to enroll in Seneca College’s Environmental Technology program. While the pandemic may have disrupted conventional in-class lectures, what it didn’t quell was Larissa’s desire to expand her knowledge and contribute to her community. Her motivation to get involved in between the school semesters landed her in the Young Urban Forest Leaders (YUFL) Program in 2021.
Over the course of our four-month long program, Larissa participated in countless workshops and activities to develop her skills and gain valuable experience — all while working towards protecting and growing the urban forest. She learned to identify native tree species, recognize common pests and diseases, and determine priority areas in her neighbourhood for planting and stewardship activities. Using what she’s picked up through the program, she engaged with hundreds of residents from the Greater Toronto Area in a series of educational webinars with her fellow YUFL peers.
While it was hard to just pick one, the most enjoyable part of the program for Larissa was the opportunity to connect with a diverse set of guest speakers and hearing their perspective on and experience with various sustainability topics. Participating in the YUFL program connected her to a community of like-minded youth and strengthened her resolve to become a leader in the environmental field.
Since completing the YUFL program, Larissa continues to pursue her studies and is working towards a career as an environmental geoscientist. She is also the President of the Seneca Environmental Association for the 2021-2022 school year. In this role, she works with a team of equally passionate members to provide a platform where students can network, collaborate on and address environmental challenges. As we face climate change, Larissa believes that it is important that we each do our part to mitigate its impacts.
Looking back on her journey, being a YUFL participant helped her realize that she can do what she loves while inspiring folks to follow her lead in protecting and restoring the environment. To encourage others, she had the following to share:
“Participation is key! Many of the connections I now have is because I love asking questions and getting involved in events. To work as part of a community towards a common goal is an amazing and incredibly rewarding experience; do it as often as you can – you won’t regret it!”
Interested in becoming a Young Urban Forest Leader? We are accepting applications for the 2022 program! Learn more or join our upcoming Info Session on Tuesday, March 22nd, 2022.
Lam Tran is the Education Coordinator at LEAF.
This blog is part of a series intended to highlight YUFL alumni. The blogs were written by Lam Tran based on responses collected in 2022 with the purpose of sharing YUFL alumni experiences, as participants of the program and their journeys after graduating from it. Read other blogs on the Young Urban Forest Leaders program.
The Young Urban Forest Leaders Program is funded by a City of Toronto Urban Forestry Grant and the Canadian Tree Fund.