Posted: April 20, 2015

Call For Young Water Leaders

Are you young and interested in water protection issues? We are looking for water-minded youth to join a Youth Delegation for the upcoming AquaHacking – Ottawa River Summit 2015 taking place on May 29-30th, 2015 in Gatineau, QC.

The Ottawa River has quenched our thirst, shaped our history and continues to provide energy and sustain our communities. Unfortunately the fishery can no longer sustain us, the chemicals we pour down our drains are turning up in drinking water and shorelines are not equally protected around the watershed. It’s time for a shared action plan to protect one of Canada’s most important rivers.

In order to convene key influencers and community leaders from around our vast and diverse watershed, Ottawa Riverkeeper has partnered with the de Gaspé Beaubien Foundation and IBM to bring you an innovative and action-oriented two-day bilingual event: AquaHacking 2015 – Ottawa River Summit.

Participants in this Summit will play a key role in shaping the future of water protection and conservation in the Ottawa River Watershed. We understand that today’s youth are tomorrow’s water leaders!  We also believe that youth can play an important part in restoring and protecting the Ottawa River today. Therefore, we want to ensure the inclusion and the recognition of diverse youth voices within this collaborative planning summit.

The Youth Delegation will participate in the two-day AquaHacking – Ottawa River Summit. They will have the opportunity to learn more about the Ottawa River Watershed, to connect with others who are engaged in protecting water quality and biodiversity, and to bring forward fresh, innovative ideas to the decision-makers of today.

We are looking for youth between the ages of 18 and 25 years. All members of the Youth Delegation are expected to attend an initial meeting during the evening of Thursday, May 28^th as well as both days of the AquaHacking – Ottawa River Summit (May 29^th & 30^th). We are looking for a Youth Delegation to reflect the diversity of the population living in our watershed including Indigenous youth, youth from urban and rural communities, living in Ontario and Québec, who are Anglophone, Francophone or Allophone, and who have different life experiences and various interests.

The participation costs of the summit are waived for members of the Youth Delegation. These costs include the entrance fee for the summit and meals throughout the event. Transportation and accommodation assistance can be addressed on an individual basis.

This event will bring together leaders from several provincial and federal agencies, Chiefs from the Algonquin First Nations within the watershed, municipal leaders from small rural communities and the two largest cities on the river, industry leaders, scientists, planners, academics, conservation organizations, riverwatchers, and individuals and youth concerned about our river’s future.

I hope you can be a part of this history-making event that will help chart the course for the future of our watershed. A healthy river is good for all of us and in order to improve the future of our river, we need you!

It’s time for a shared action plan to protect one of Canada’s most important rivers and we need you!

 

Read More About the Event

Aquahacking – Ottawa River Summit
Day 1 – Ottawa River Summit
Day 2 – AquaHacking
AquaHacking.com

This event is part of River Mission.

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