November 3, 2026Articles Building a More Inclusive Green Economy: Lauren Castelino on Access, Opportunity and Leadership Lauren Castelino’s commitment to climate justice has been shaped by experiences both close to home and around the world.While visiting relatives in Kenya and Zanzibar, she experienced soaring heat and saw environmental changes in places connected to her family’s history. At Lake Nakuru, for instance, the flamingos her grandparents remembered seeing in abundance years ago were far fewer in number when she visited. Seeing these changes firsthand brought the effects of climate change into sharp focus.Growing up, Castelino also experienced bullying and exclusion. She found peace in gardening and became interested in documentaries about social and environmental issues. Together, these experiences helped develop her understanding of the connections between people, communities and the environment – and inspired her to explore how she could make a difference. Over time, she came to recognize that addressing climate change also meant addressing the barriers that prevent people from participating in solutions. “We can’t really talk about a just transition without asking who actually gets to participate in it,” Castelino says.Today, that belief guides her work as founder of the Green Career Centre, a youth-led non-profit that helps underrepresented young people – particularly Black, Indigenous and racialized youth, newcomers and women – prepare for careers in the green economy.Her commitment to creating more inclusive opportunities has earned her Ascend Canada’s Social Impact Award, recognizing her leadership in advancing sustainability and meaningful community change. Building with communities, not simply for them At the heart of the Green Career Centre’s work is a principle Castelino returns to often: “Nothing for us without us.”The organization offers research, programs, events and career resources to help young people pursue opportunities in the green economy. But before developing a major initiative, Castelino and her team take time to understand what community members actually need.Through focus groups, consultations, interviews, surveys and ongoing relationships, they invite young people to help shape the programs and resources designed for them. Youth also play an active role throughout the organization, serving as researchers, staff, volunteers, advisors, board members and decision-makers.For Castelino, listening to the community means being willing to change course. Community feedback may validate an idea, reshape it or show that it isn’t needed at all. That is not wasted effort. It is part of earning trust and making sure a resource responds to a real need.This collaborative approach has helped the organization produce practical tools and a Youth Green Jobs Network that connects members with employment and professional-development opportunities.Through this work, Castelino has also gained a deeper understanding of the barriers many young people face when pursuing green careers.The costs of conferences, credentials, training and transportation can put opportunities out of reach, while unpaid positions are simply not an option for those who need to earn an income. Newcomers may face the additional challenge of navigating the Canadian labour market and rebuilding professional networks. For youth in rural, remote and northern communities, access to employers and work-integrated learning opportunities may be limited.Castelino is also clear that these barriers reflect unequal access to resources and opportunities, rather than a lack of talent, ambition or potential among underrepresented youth. Join as a member From an opportunity to a place in leadership For Castelino, one community member’s journey illustrates what can happen when young people receive the right support and opportunities to grow. After arriving in Canada from Colombia, a young woman was trying to establish herself in the green economy while navigating disability-related barriers. She first connected with the Green Career Centre through its Youth Green Jobs Network, then attended a career fair and participated in workshops and events. Through that ecosystem, she found a program that helped her gain her first Canadian work experience. That experience eventually led to a position with what she described as her dream organization. Today, she serves on the Green Career Centre’s board.For Castelino, the story captures what the organization is working to achieve: helping young people build careers, develop their potential and eventually create opportunities for others. It’s also an example of how her own definition of impact has evolved.Early in her career, Castelino measured success largely through numbers: event attendance, the number of events and network growth. She remains proud that the organization now reports more than 3,000 members in its Youth Green Jobs Network and community. Increasingly, however, she is focused on the lasting difference that comes from providing sustained skills development, paid experience, mentorship and a genuine pathway into employment.That focus has also influenced how the organization sets its priorities. In some cases,the Green Career Centre has passed on some large-scale work, including its career-fair initiative, so the team can focus on what a smaller, community-connected organization does especially well: build trust and reach people traditional systems may miss. Changing the employment system While helping young people prepare for careers is an important part of the Green Career Centre’s work, Castelino believes employers have an equally important role to play in creating a more inclusive green economy.That starts with taking a closer look at how organizations recruit, hire, onboard, develop and retain talent. She encourages employers to remove unnecessary credentials and inflated experience requirements, create paid entry opportunities and recognize transferable skills and potential. Accessible applications and interviews can also help remove barriers, while recruiting beyond the same schools and professional networks can connect employers with candidates whose lived experience deepens their understanding of the challenges a green business is trying to solve.These considerations are becoming increasingly important as artificial intelligence changes the nature of work across industries. Rather than viewing AI as a separate field of employment, Castelino sees it reshaping existing roles in sectors such as energy, buildings, manufacturing and agriculture. As a result, employers will increasingly need people who can combine environmental or sector knowledge with data literacy, communication, adaptability, systems thinking and judgment.For employers, that means investing in ongoing learning and development, rather than simply adding new requirements to job postings. And without appropriate human oversight, hiring tools trained on historical patterns of exclusion risk reinforcing the very barriers organizations are trying to remove.Castelino also wants young people to think more broadly about what a green career can look like. A career that contributes to sustainability doesn’t necessarily require a science degree or a job title containing the word “sustainability”. Climate change touches nearly every aspect of society, from economics and politics to technology, culture and communications. . That means people with a wide range of skills, experiences and professional backgrounds have something to contribute to.Rather than asking only, “How do I get a green job?” Castelino encourages people to consider how the skills they already have can contribute to a greener, more equitable economy. Join us at our events Making purpose sustainable For someone who has dedicated her career to creating opportunities for others, Castelino is keenly aware of the challenges facing those who work in the social impact sector.“Purpose doesn’t pay the rent,” she says.Non-profit and social-impact careers can come with lower compensation, fewer benefits, unstable funding and limited job security. And for many people, particularly those from underrepresented communities, the financial sacrifices involved can make this work difficult to pursue over the long term.If organizations want diverse people to lead social change, Castelino argues, they must make it financially possible for them to stay. After all, the people creating dignified and sustainable opportunities for young people deserve dignified and sustainable careers too.For her personally, sustainable leadership means building systems, sharing responsibility and making room for emerging leaders rather than keeping herself at the centre indefinitely. It also means remaining open to how impact can happen across the non-profit, public and private sectors.Her advice to Ascend members is to think about the influence they already have. A manager might create a paid entry-level opportunity or remove an unnecessary requirement. A finance professional can question where capital flows. A consultant can ask whose knowledge is defining a recommendation. Anyone can introduce a community organization to a decision-maker, lend expertise or build a long-term mentoring relationship.These actions reflect a philosophy Castelino connects to harambee, an East African idea her grandfather valued, which she describes as pulling together in unity. For her, it is a reminder that leadership can be centred on generosity and community rather than individual achievement alone.“What access do I have that someone else doesn’t,” she asks, “and how can I open that door?”It’s a question that captures both Castelino’s approach to leadership and the mission behind the Green Career Centre. By helping young people gain access to opportunities, develop their skills and grow into leadership roles, she’s working to create a more inclusive green economy, one where the next generation can open doors for others, too. Read more FacebookTweetPinLinkedIn
