Named by TIME Magazine as a “Hero for the Planet,” Simon Jackson is a tireless champion for British Columbia’s endangered white Kermode or spirit bear.

Simon, now 26, launched his Spirit Bear Youth Coalition at the age of 13 and has worked since then to protect the bear’s habitat.  His international campaign is now focused on producing a Hollywood animated movie about the bear, a project that will raise awareness and funds to make habitat conservation possible.

Global Youth Fund is pleased to feature Simon in our first Interview, not simply because he’s a founding director – he also happens to be an exemplary leader!

Simon Jackson, The Spirit Bear Youth Coalition

What would you say is the most important impact you’ve made?

As important as I believe it is to save the spirit bear and its globally important habitat, I’m aware that there is a larger importance to our – my – work. If we can succeed in saving the spirit bear, we will have succeeded in something far greater: proving that one young person with no remarkable skills or intellect, but armed simply with a passion, can take hold of a cause and unite the world.

I think the potential of sending that message to the millions of young people around the world who have supported and championed the Youth Coalition’s efforts to save the spirit bear – and underscore the fact that they truly can do the exact same thing for any issue that they believe in – has the power to be the most important impact the Youth Coalition and, personally, my work can have on our world.

While we’ve made change and had tremendous success that I know has already started to demonstrate the power of one young person, I won’t truly believe I’ve made an impact until the bear is saved. I would trade every honour I’ve received to ensure this bear’s future. That all said, I know we will succeed in saving the spirit bear and I hope, when we do, the real story speaks for itself and inspires others to follow their passion – for it is a remarkable story only because it is unremarkable.

Who or what inspired you to become a leader? How did it all begin?

I never set out to become a leader… or even to start my own organization. I still don’t really consider myself a leader – I’m a passionate, engaged citizen. But my journey began, probably, back when I was 7 years old.

As is the case for so many, my greatest inspiration was my parents. They gave me the two greatest gifts of my life – the gift of travel and the gift of news. Travel – camping trips, driving trips across Canada and around the western US – allowed me to explore my own backyard. News was served up every night with dinner and gave me the chance to connect the places I saw with real life, with current events.

When I was seven, it was on one of those family camping trips that I saw my first bear. It captured my imagination and a passion was born. After returning home, I saw a story on the evening news about the plight of Alaska’s Kodiak bears. In my seven-year-old mind, I felt as if this was an assault on the same bear I had just watched on my trip and I wanted to do something. Being seven, the answer of what I could do was obvious: I would have a lemonade stand.

Over the course of the summer I sold about sixty dollars worth of lemonade (I shudder to think how much my mother spent on buying that lemonade mix!) and sent it away with letters to President Bush Sr. and Prime Minister Mulroney, asking for the Kodiak bear to be saved.

A few months later, I received a letter in the mail informing me that the decision was made to save the Kodiak bear – I thought: wow, I did it! Obviously I didn’t, but it planted the seed that I could make a difference and that was a lesson, a belief that I never forgot.

What three things have contributed to your success?

Passion. My age. Innovation.

Passion because it is the fuel that allows me to keep going in the darkest hours and without being passionate I wouldn’t be an affective advocate.

My age because as difficult as it is to get people to take you seriously as a young person, being young allows you to take risks in order to seize the impossible dream, do more with less because of fewer life demands and responsibilities, and be unique and interesting to the public – especially to the media.

Innovation because I believe I tried to take a different approach to environmentalism, to show that it doesn’t have to be us versus them or trees versus jobs, but could – and should – be a non- or multi-partisan issue that bridges the two solitudes of environmental sustainability and economic bottom lines. I believe we succeeded in building a broader coalition supported by very non-traditional champions and that innovative approach allowed us to reach new heights. And, at the end of the day, we will succeed in achieving our ultimate goal because of innovation – using the forthcoming animated movie, The Spirit Bear, as not only an awareness tool, but an economic engine for change to assist protecting the bear’s remaining unprotected habitat.

When do you most feel “in the zone”?

When I’m under pressure; when I’m giving a speech to a unique, important, and challenging audience; and when I’m having a stimulating conversation with great minds, young and old, who are supporters or respectful dissenters.

Is there one story that illustrates why you do what you do?

When I was fifteen, I had the opportunity to see the spirit bear in person for the first time. It was a magical trip – to walk in a place where perhaps no one had ever walked before; to see this white bear walk out from its dark forest green backdrop…it was awe-inspiring and reminded me why it is so important to save this wilderness. As I was about to leave and board the float plane back to civilization, I went to say goodbye to the man who was my guide for the trip. He and his wife had just had a baby girl and he made me promise his daughter that she would be able to grow up, have a family, and be able to see the spirit bear and have the same experience I just had.

I promised her I would do everything I could to ensure the future of the spirit bear for her future children and for all generations to come. I’ve worked everyday since to keep my promise.

What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned from your work as a leader?

The power of one: One person, no matter how old or where they live, can make a difference for all life.

Who are the current leaders or thinkers you admire?

I truly admire Dr. Jane Goodall – she’s the elder stateswoman of the environmental community and one of the few leaders I know that walks the walk, not only talks the talk.

However, some of the great leaders and thinkers I admire are those who may not yet be household names on the global stage, but are amongst the most inspiring change makers and innovators I’ve ever come across: Dev Aujla, Shawn Smith, Larissa Vingilis-Jaremko, Justin McElroy, Salimah Ebrahim, Mark Masongsong, Ryan Goodman, Herman Chandi, Matthew Cloutier, and you, Charles! Truly, there are so many inspiring, amazing thinkers I’ve met and know that I admire…I would need a dozen pages to answer this question in full!

What book has made a great impression on you in the last few years? Why?

I’ll admit that while I love to read, my work doesn’t give me much time to read anything beyond news papers and briefing reports. But the last book I read that really stayed with me was probably Hawks Rest – it’s the story of a back country ranger near Yellowstone National Park in the US. Yellowstone is the one place in the world where I feel at home and the book brought to life my ‘home’ in a way that I could never forget. It was probably the best book I’ve read about that corner of the world and it allowed me to escape to the wilds of Yellowstone during tough days on the campaign when I couldn’t afford to actually escape to Yellowstone.

What gives you hope for the future?

Young people, without question, give me hope. While some young people have lost hope and have drifted toward the resulting consequence of apathy, many more are hope personified. They have the clarity of thought and the energy required to take on the challenges threatening our future and if you just look at the inspiring, critical projects that young people are leading – in Canada alone – you cannot help but be filled with a sense of optimism.

What advice would you give to aspiring young leaders today?

As cliché as it sounds: find your passion, dream the impossible dream, and never lose hope.

Every person matters and every action we take, each day of our lives, makes an impact. If more people can find their passion and utilize their skill sets to work on making bold, innovative dreams a reality – without losing hope when the challenges that will doubtlessly confound them occur – we will start to chip away at the seemingly overwhelming and unstoppable issues facing our generation and start achieving the change we so desperately require as a society.

Simon Jackson can be reached through The Spirit Bear Youth Coalition and speaking engagements can be arranged through The Speakers’ Spotlight.

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