Posted: May 25, 2022
Launching the 2022 Cohort of the Youth Water Leaders Program!
The 2022 cohort of the Youth Water Leaders Program has been launched! These incredible youth will be spending the next 8 months learning about the watershed, creating projects to help protect the river, and building the skills to be lifelong water protectors.
Ottawa Riverkeeper is excited to welcome our 2022 cohort of Youth Water Leaders! This year’s group comes from a variety of backgrounds and experiences, and each participant is highly motivated by their passion to protect the watershed. We’re happy to support such an inspiring group of youth who will collaborate and learn from each other over the next 8 months.
This year, the Youth Water Leaders will engage in hands-on activities and connect with experts in the watershed including Indigenous knowledge holders, community organizers, and scientists. Over the course of the program, the youth will contribute 120 volunteer hours to learn about scientific monitoring, water governance, and community engagement. Each participant will co-create service projects to engage communities in watershed protection (see here for examples of the 2021 cohort’s projects) and build the skills to serve as lifelong water protectors.
As part of the launch event, each Youth Water Leader shared their Watermark – a memory or connection representing their relationship with water. They found they had a lot in common – shared experiences of paddling on the river, swimming, and observing the wildlife. It was wonderful to hear their stories and share their appreciation for the importance of preserving our collective water heritage for generations to come.
This year, the new Water Leaders kicked off their stewardship by engaging in a shoreline cleanup at Dow’s Lake, helping protect the watershed by removing harmful plastics before they can enter the Ottawa River. Plastic waste can be especially harmful to the environment – persisting for hundreds of years and fragmenting into microplastics which can be ingested by aquatic life. The youth collected 37kg of trash and documented their cleanup with Ottawa Riverkeeper’s iCleanup App. They found plenty of masks, plastic bottles and bags, and dozens of blue plastic bristles from snow-sweepers clearing the Rideau Canal Skateway.
Stay tuned for more on our incredible group of Youth Water Leaders and check out our social media platforms to see them in action.
For more information, contact Hannah Delion, Youth Programming Assistant at hdelion@ottawariverkeeper.ca. If you are a part of an organization or a researcher that would like to partner with our program, please contact Julia Ostertag, Director River School & Youth Leadership at jostertag@ottawariverkeeper.ca.
The Youth Water Leaders Program is made possible by funding from the Government of Canada through the Canada Service Corps. The Canada Service Corps supports a national movement to build a culture of service by encouraging youth ages 15-30 to give back to their communities through volunteerism.
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