Corus Kids Original Celebrates United Nations’ World Environment Day

YTV in Canada is set to air the Corus Kids original documentary CitizenKid: Earth Comes First to mark United Nations’ World Environment Day.

The doc highlights four Canadian youth activists—Hannah Alper, Cooper Price, Charlene Rocha and Sophia Mathur—as they set out to raise awareness of climate change issues and empower kids to take action. CitizenKid: Earth Comes First is slated to premiere on YTV on Friday, June 5.

In the special, Alper and Price attend the Nature Based Climate Solutions Summit in Ottawa. In Washington, D.C., Mathur and Rocha meet with the creators of Parachutes For The Planet. All four activists head to Washington, D.C. for Fridays For Future to meet youth involved in the climate strike event. And, inspired by the Nature Based Climate Solutions Summit, they all organize an environmental rally with the students at Equinox Holistic Alternative School, an environmentally conscious grade school in Toronto.

Produced by White Pine Pictures, CitizenKid: Earth Comes First is inspired by the award-winning CitizenKid book collection from Corus Entertainment’s Kids Can Press, designed to inspire kids to be better global citizens.

Colin Bohm, executive VP of content and corporate strategy at Corus Entertainment, said: “In the midst of the challenging times we are currently facing, CitizenKid: Earth Comes First is a motivational, intelligent and stimulating take on climate change from the perspective of today’s youth. We hope families will watch this uplifting documentary together and discover, in their own big or small way, how they can make a difference within their community to help the planet.”

Lisa Lyons Johnston, publisher and president of Kids Can Press and executive producer of CitizenKid: Earth Comes First, said: “Since its launch 11 years ago, the CitizenKid collection of books on global issues for young readers has sold over 1.6 million copies worldwide, in 21 languages and 28 territories, covering themes ranging from children’s rights to biodiversity to food and water security. CitizenKid stories motivate young readers to look at their communities and the world, discover how they can contribute, and empower them to make change. With the growth of activism among younger and younger citizens, it only makes sense that the CitizenKid ethos would move from page to screen and involve these four inspiring young people in partnership with industry leaders White Pine Pictures and YTV.”

Peter Raymont, president of White Pine Pictures, added: “The White Pine Pictures team has been honored to partner with Lisa Lyons Johnston at Kids Can Press and the terrific folks at YTV to produce this important and entertaining documentary. Young people are way ahead of most of us on climate change. They get it. We should listen to them, and act.”