Kyle Empringham

Creating space for youth to lead climate action

Long before completing his MBA at the University of Victoria, Kyle Empringham was asking questions about who has a voice and who is too often left out of conversations about climate change and sustainability. That curiosity has guided a career rooted in education, community connection and youth-driven change. As a co-founder of The Starfish Canada and a sessional instructor at UVic’s Gustavson School of Business, Empringham continues to create pathways for young people and students to engage with climate action in ways that feel practical, inclusive and hopeful.

“I think it's embedded in me to work for social purposes. My mom worked in non-profits and charities, so I saw the meaning and impact firsthand,” he says. “Once I found the right opportunities, especially in high school, I think it formed the trajectory of where I went in life.”

Empringham completed his Master of Business Administration in Sustainable Innovation at UVic in 2024, choosing this unique program because it was aligned with his values while also equipping him with the practical financial and organizational skills needed to successfully make a positive impact.

“I decided that if it wasn't here at UVic, I wasn't going anywhere else,” he says.

In the program, Empringham found more than professional tools—he found community in his cohort, many of whom are still friends and collaborators.

“It was genuinely full of joy and full of connection,” he says. “We helped each other through complicated aspects of life, both personal and professional. These folks came from diverse backgrounds and have given me so many different viewpoints, opinions and thoughts.”

Bringing voices to climate change discussion

Empringham co-founded The Starfish Canada in 2010, initially as a student-led campus blog that evolved into one of Canada’s longest-standing youth-serving climate charities. Today, the national organization has supported more than 45,000 youth directly and reached over one million educators globally through programs focused on climate justice, ocean conservation and leadership. Collectively, Empringham’s work has helped unlock an estimated $8.1 million in resources for young people facing barriers to participation in the climate movement.

“We saw incredible conversations happening in the classroom,” he recalls of The Starfish Canada’s early days, “but outside of it, there wasn’t language or space for people to engage.”

After his undergraduate studies, Empringham gained formative experience at the David Suzuki Foundation, where he worked on community-based climate initiatives and partnership-building. One enduring legacy of that work is Camp Suzuki at Chá7elkwnech (Howe Sound), developed in partnership with the Squamish Nation and the United Church. Grounded in Two-Eyed Seeing (an approach of inquiry and solutions incorporating both Western and Indigenous knowledges and worldviews), the program has since supported more than 1,100 young British Columbians in community-rooted leadership.

Teaching the next generation of changemakers

At UVic, Empringham has found another avenue for impact: the classroom. As a sessional instructor, he teaches Organizational Behaviour and successfully proposed a fourth-year special topics course, Fundraising for Social Purpose. His teaching is grounded in equity and reconciliation, weaving Indigenous perspectives and cultural context into core business concepts. Designed to be hands-on and community-engaged, the course pairs students with real nonprofits to develop fundraising strategies. The response has been overwhelming.

“It’s practical work in the classroom, and I think that was the piece that resonated with folks,” he says. “Many students have told me, ‘I actually got to try it, and that was what was so important.’”

Beyond his formal roles, Empringham serves on several boards, advises government on youth climate indicators and generously shares his knowledge across the nonprofit ecosystem. Those who work with him often describe a leader who makes space for others and reminds them that abundance, not scarcity, can shape how organizations grow.