27 Mar Voices of Youth in Conservation
This page centers around means of increasing youth engagement in conservation by addressing challenges, providing opportunities and instilling a sense of empowerment and ability to solve problems collaboratively. With the goal of determining the most advantageous learning conditions for cultivating a conservation ethic and civic capacity in today’s youth to engage in, contribute to and/or drive socio-ecological change, panelists shared perspectives, lessons learned and emergent ideas from different experiential learning initiatives which share a common aim of connecting children/youth with nature, community and change behaviour.
What approaches to experiential learning can support efforts to engage a much larger and diverse population of youth in conservation and community-oriented change? How do we amplify youth voices and offer sustained support of their ideas and actions? To answer these questions, a conversation was held on motivations, values and strategies that young people in the conservation sector (and outside) use to amplify their voice and affect change.
The desired result of increasing youth engagement in environmental stewardship is to hear a variety of creative emergent ideas and activation strategies which could be beneficial to local community conservation, and to foster a lifelong conservation ethic in recognition of the fact that today’s youth are tomorrow’s leaders.
Key Themes:
Engagement, Education & Empowerment, Factors of Success in Community Conservation, Climate & Environmental Changes
Click titles to expand section below:
Weaving the Web of Youth Engagement
Facilitated by Shailyn Drukis (Canadian Committee for IUCN Board of Directors and primary youth facilitator from Parks Canada), this interactive workshop encouraged young members of the community to share environmental challenges they have faced (or are otherwise aware of) and provided constructive solutions/suggestions which could help improve these challenges, while empowering participants with the ability to bring this new knowledge back to their communities.
This youth focused workshop has been shaped and delivered at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Hawaii (2016), at the International Marine Protected Areas Congress in Chile (2017) and at the Canadian National Parks Conference (2017).
Experiential Pedagogy and Amplifying Youth Voice Critical to Conservation and Community Well-being
What kind(s) of experiential pedagogy cultivates a conservation ethic and civic capacity in today’s youth to engage in, contribute to and/or drive socio-ecological change?
Panelists:
Lisa (Diz) Glithero (Faculty of Education, University of Ottawa/ Education Lead, Canada C3)
Dawn Carr (Canada Parks Council)
Janet Stalker (Program Director, Ocean School)