Education Programs for Youth

We have learned throughout this course how important community is in becoming sustainable; some of the best ways to encourage community participation involves education.
The Goldstream Gazette had an article on how they are changing the way career fairs are run at some of the local schools. Belmont secondary school is trying to help students understand issues facing us around the world by displaying information about environmental groups and job opportunities.

I think introducing environmental jobs to high school students is a great idea. It was a career I had not considered until grade 12 when I had the opportunity to attend the Rotary Adventures in the Environment. In my hometown, Cornwall Ontario, this is an amazing program that high school students can apply to take part in. It is four days long and involves assisting environmental scientists with research. The activities ranged from implanting transmitters into fish, tracking these fish, identifying invertebrates, studying bats, and crawling through bat caves. This program was hosted by a local research centre called the St. Lawrence River Institute of Environmental Science.

Most people have no idea about all the interesting research going on around them in their community. Teachers in the area also have the opportunity to bring classes on field trips to the St. Lawrence River Institute of Environmental Science. Students have the opportunity to learn about and catch frogs for kindergarten classes, or learn to collect and identify fish and invertebrate for high school students. Hands on experience is a great way to get younger children and teenagers involved in nature and community projects that are taking place around them.

Another event that I was fortunate enough to help with was the Ontario Children’s Water Festival. Various stations were set up where grade 4 students moved around to learn about water contamination and conservation from high school students. This gets the high school students to learn the material and get the chance to interact with younger students in their community at the same time as promoting sustainability. I think communities benefit greatly from opportunities such as these; they bring community members closer to nature and each other.