Windermere's leadership program students are hosting their third annual Climate Change Conference (C3) this Friday.

Students from across Vancouver and beyond have registered for the Dec. 9 event. The theme is "System Change not Climate Change."

Thea Sample, daughter of education activist Helesia Luke, is one of the organizers. "We're just trying to get the word out a little bit. We want some more youth to be involved in the whole process. We want them to be aware that climate change is happening," explained the 16-year-old Grade 11 student.

About 230 students have already signed up for the conference, which is close to capacity, according to Sample.

It's designed to inform participants about the effects of climate change and encourage them "to develop solutions and build student networks in the areas of sustainability and climate justice."

Systemic problems related to climate change are on the agenda, such as consumerism, waste, pipelines and tankers, fracking and global economic systems.

Seth Klein and Marc Lee from Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, Ben West and Tria Donaldson from the Wilderness Committee, transportation planner Eric Doherty, and Harjap Grewal from the Council of Canadians are presenters. "We wanted to focus on youth leadership so that's really one of the major focuses and most of the speakers are going to talk about that a little," Sample said, adding it's important to capture students' attention with topical subjects.

"We want to include the Keystone Pipeline [issue] as well. Last year it was the tar sands."

Organizers have planned a Skype call on Friday with the Canadian Youth Delegation attending the UN Climate Change Conference in Durban, South Africa.

"What we'd like to come out of this is learning about what's coming out of real climate change conferences around the world," Sample said. "We want people to be applying that in how they look at our conference as well."

The teenager is committed to environmentalism-aside from helping organize the conference, she belongs to an Eco Club where members visit elementary schools to talk about environmental subjects. "Right now I'm teaching about waste, recycling, composting-that sort of thing," she said.

HOMEWORK CLUB Britannia secondary school's Homework Club, which helps students who need support with homework, social and emotional problems, is in the semi finals for a contest from Aviva Insurance.

If it gets the most votes it could win $150,000. It's the only idea from the Lower Mainland that made it to the semi finals.

Voting started Dec. 5 and ends Dec. 16.

The club's entry reads in part: "Approximately one in four students at Britannia have learning or other disabilities. Britannia's students come from Vancouver's poorest inner city neighbourhoods, including the notorious Downtown Eastside. Many of the parents of Britannia students are unable to provide the financial, academic, and emotional base these kids need at home.

The school is populated with many youth for whom graduation is not an academic possibility or postsecondary education is not a financial option."

If the club wins funding, it wants to create a pilot program to reach students who are most at risk of falling through the educational cracks. The pilot, based on the Pathways to Education program, would involve hiring two youth and family workers to reach out to students in the school and on the street.

For more information on voting and to read more details about the homework club's plans check out avivacommunityfund.org.