Turning passion into
long-lasting changes

We’re a group of Canada’s most impact-focused students and young professionals — using our energy to open doors for the next generation of sustainability leaders.

Our Mission

Re_imagine schools

Developing action and capacity-building toolkits for student leaders across the country to influence change within their schools.

Re_purpose careers

Building career development tools for students and young professionals who want to contribute to a more sustainable and just society.

Re_model companies

Empowering young employees to create internal change while advocating for public policy changes that advance a more regenerative economy.

Our Vision

We believe that the ideal society is a regenerative one. Regeneration to us means putting human and ecological well-being at the centre of every decision. It means restoring relationships, both within nature and within society, while helping all communities to thrive. 

A regenerative economy is one that is circular and restorative, rather than linear and extractive. A regenerative economy works to protect and steward the global commons, rather than undermining it. A regenerative economy is one that exists safely within all planetary boundaries, while meeting the minimum social foundations necessary for human beings to flourish. 

A regenerative economy recognizes that markets are a powerful tool when embedded within broader social and natural systems, and that there are limits to what markets can achieve. Regeneration entails reinvesting in public solutions to public problems, with a commitment to democratic systems that are accountable, transparent, and serve the public good. Regeneration means reinvesting in communities by building community wealth and fostering economic democracy

The regenerative economy must be:

  • Distributive, by creating prosperity for all, not simply a small minority;
  • Pluralist, by recognizing that there is no single solution;
  • Just, by empowering all perspectives and voices, particularly non-Western voices; 
  • Relational, by acknowledging that everything is connected, that we are more than the sum of our parts. 

Our History

After three years of existence under the name “Canadian Business Youth Council for Sustainable Development,” we changed our name to Re_Generation to become more inclusive to any youth (and not just business youth), and to play both on the idea that the future of sustainability is “regenerative”, and that we are the new generation of leaders.

Our successful ‘Our Future, Our Business’ Manifesto campaign received the support of 65 youth organizations, 130 high-level executives, and 100 civil society organizations recognizing the need for reform in business education on sustainability. We are Canada’s largest youth-run organization dedicated to advancing regenerative and sustainable business practices by amplifying youth perspectives and providing youth (18-30 years old) with skills-building and career resources.

We are a team of ten paid staff members and 20 steering committee volunteers focused on compelling private sector actors to adopt more ambitious, purpose-driven goals and empowering youth to demand greater action from their schools and employers. Our team comprises students and young professionals from diverse personal, educational, and professional backgrounds.

Our Inspiration

Re_Generation takes inspiration from a long list of pioneering thinkers and organizations united in their calls for a regenerative economy. We pay homage to Paul Hawken’s text Regeneration: Ending the Climate Crisis in One Generation, which defines regeneration as “putting life at the center of every action and decision.” We are deeply influenced by the Capital Institute’s eight principles of a regenerative economy, which define regeneration as “applying the behaviours of natural systems (i.e. nature’s ability to self-organize, renew, and regenerate) to socioeconomic systems.” Kate Raworth’s Doughnut Economics framework outlines the basic ingredients of a regenerative economy, invoking respect for planetary boundaries and minimum social safeguards.

We are deeply indebted to the work of ecological economists such as Juan Martinez-Alier and Jason Hickel, political economists such as Karl Polanyi, Mariana Mazzucato, and Robert Reich, systems thinkers such as Fritjof Capra and Donella Meadows, and other trailblazers from heterodox traditions emphasizing the need to move away from extractive neoliberal capitalism. We are indebted to the environmental justice movement and post-extractive activists who have taught us that sustainability and social justice must go hand in hand. We are influenced by the Democracy Collaborative, the Next System Project, the New Economy Coalition, the Institute for New Economic Thinking, the Schumacher Centre, and all others working towards a fairer, more democratic economic system. Above all, we are inspired by the voices of Robin Wall Kimmerer, Linda Tuhiwai Smith, Vine Deloria, and other Indigenous thinkers and activists working to share the traditional teachings of Indigenous peoples who have been living regeneratively for millennia. 

Our reach and network

420

Youth organizations reached

10,500

Students
reached

90

Universities &
colleges reached

350

Civil society organizations reached

5,600

Corporate sustainability professionals reached

Our team

Education: BCom’21 at McGill University (Major in Managing for Sustainability & Minor in Social Entrepreneurship) 

Passionate about: Cross-sectoral projects and the role of the private sector in tackling the most pressing social and environmental issues

Previous areas of work: Sustainable finance, sustainability consulting, impact measurement, and youth advocacy

Past & current youth leadership experience: President of the Desautels Sustainability Network at McGill University, Fund Manager at Montreal Social Value Fund

Maxime Lakat

Co-Executive Director

Education: HBA Business Administration, Honors Specialization International Relations from Western University 

Passionate about: Political economy, environmental justice, economic anthropology, critical theory, systems thinking and complexity

Previous areas of work: Academia, non-profit, and clean technology

Past & current youth leadership experience: Co-Founder of the Climate Crisis Coalition at UWO, Co-President of the Ivey Social Impact Club

Gareth Gransaull

Co-Executive Director

Education: BA’21 at The University of Western Ontario (Honours Specialization in Film Studies and a Minor in Media, Information, and Technoculture)

Passionate about: Intersectional work, helping marginalized communities, degrowth, food waste, youth led initiatives

Previous areas of work: Marketing & communications, non-profits, green infrastructure, strategy, advocacy

Past & current youth leadership experience: Program Manager, Big Little Books; President, Western Undergraduate Film Society; Climate Leader, Youth Challenge International; Community Liaison

Rushil Malik

Director of Communications and Impact Measurement

Education: BBA’22 at Wilfrid Laurier University (Concentration in sustainability and a minor in economics)

Passionate about: Sustainable production and consumption, Ecological economics, and entrepreneurship

Previous areas of work: International wealth management, Supply chain management, Consulting for SMEs, and Start-ups

Past & current youth leadership experience: Logistics and coordination director for Scotiabank’s student social committee, and Events executive at startup Laurier, Business development specialist at enactus. 

Jeronimo Mejia

Co-Director of Curriculum Change

Christopher Mohan


Director of Research and Campaigns

Lauren Tilley

Director of External Relations

Katie Stewart

Co-Director of Curriculum Change

Thea Walmsley


Director of Storytelling