Abhayjeet Singh Sachal

Abhay Singh Sachal is a 22-year-old Canadian whose research and work reside at the intersection of climate change, eco-anxiety, mental health, and spirituality. He is the founder of Break The Divide, a non-profit organization based on principles of environmentalism, sustainability, and reconciliation that fosters empathy and understanding to inspire local action projects in communities.

Break The Divide equips young people with resources to understand their climate emotions and connects communities with one another to build resilience and share knowledge amidst the climate crisis. He created the “apathy to empathy to action” framework as he seeks to build ways in which young people can connect and learn from one another in an increasingly polarized world, allowing them to build empathy for realities that they have never faced and empowering them to transform that empathy into concrete actions that advance the creation of harmonious and abundant futures.

As a result of his work, Abhay has been recognized as one of Canada’s Top 25 Under 25 Environmentalists, featured as one of 10 International Youth Changemakers in Canada, and listed amongst the 100 most influential Sikhs from around the world. He is also one of 10 advisors in the inaugural Environment and Climate Change Canada Youth Council, and one of 20 advisors in the United Nations Environmental Programme Faith For Earth Youth Council. He works closely on the subject of eco-anxiety and climate emotions with the Climate Mental Health Network and the Mental Health Climate Change Alliance.

Outside of his activism, Abhay is currently a student at the University of Regina, completing a Master’s of Education in Educational Psychology; a public speaker on environmental and climate issues; and an avid ice hockey player and pianist.