My Journey from 4-H Member to Politician to Business Owner

By Mackenzie Kerr - 4-H Alumna, British Columbia

My passion for the environment came at a young age, as I explored the wilderness of the Yukon, learned to ride horses, and watched the northern lights dance across the sky. I was mesmerized with animals and my family shared the interest. They owned a small farm, supplying groceries for the community and running the tiny grocery store. That passion for agriculture led to my mother signing up to be the only 4-H leader in the Yukon! My childhood, spent immersed in nature and surrounded by animals, is what encouraged me to pursue an environmental degree focused on forestry and run for the Green Party of Canada. The idea of speaking for those who didn’t have a voice appealed to me greatly. When I moved to Prince George, BC in 2004, I joined the first 4-H club I could find. After eight years in the Beaverly 4-H Club, I applied to be a Provincial 4-H Ambassador and was accepted. This was the perfect opportunity to share the ideas of 4-H members on a larger stage with the Board of Directors. A few years later, I had the huge honour of becoming 4-H Canada’s

Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) representative for BC. Emceeing at various national 4-H events, such as the Global 4-H Summit in 2017, allowed me to meet politicians and opened a lot of doors around environmentalism, communications, and how to create change in my community. During university I was looking for a space where environmentalism and politics could collide. I started a Green Party political club because I had an interest in creating change through politics. The Green Party of Canada saw the success of the club and asked if I was interested in 4-H alum, Mackenzie Kerr’s involvement in 4-H has led to becoming a candidate in the upcoming election. After multiple calls, and consulting with my family and friends, I decided it would be a great adventures that range from exploring opportunity and there was no time better than the present. the Yukon wilderness to running in federal and provincial elections. I ended up running in both the federal and provincial elections in 2019 and 2020, gaining nine per cent and six per cent of the vote, respectively. In Northern BC, it was an uphill battle to run as a green party candidate, but well worth the experience. I completed my forestry degree in 2021 from The University of Northern British Columbia. Now, I am running my own business offering social media marketing for small businesses, after building over 10,000 followers on my political account on TikTok @Mackenziesgreenlife. I am passionate about communications and may run in future elections, but for now I am going to focus on being an entrepreneur. I’m grateful to 4-H for giving me the confidence to run in two elections, and the organizational skills to start my own business. I wouldn’t be where I am today without the organization.