The public school board’s first Student Environment Forum was a chance to inspire action across each of the region’s schools.
The public school board’s first Student Environment Forum was a chance to inspire action across each of the region’s schools.
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“We knew there were lots of good things happening in some schools, and we wanted student environmental leaders to share what they were doing with the other schools,” said Michelle McDonald, the Avon Maitland District school board’s outdoor education teaching and learning coach.
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Around 60 environmentally conscious students participated in the event in Exeter. They explored the Ausable River, which starts near Staffa, with Dr. Susan Chiblow, an Anishinaabe scholar with an expertise in water. Chiblow, a member of Garden River First Nation and an assistant professor at the University of Guelph, shared her understanding of water and world view from an Indigenous perspective.
“I think students got to meet with like-minded people, and that was really important for them. The sharing of ideas was really inspiring,” McDonald said. “They have the power to act. . . and make a difference.”
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Students from Grade 7 to Grade 12 also worked in smaller groups to develop knowledge and relationships that will help them implement environmental action plans in their schools. The hope, McDonald said, is that students will be proactive when thinking of the environment instead of that stewardship feeling like a burden.
“We appreciate having the opportunity to come here to share our ideas with other eco groups in hopes of inspiring them to take on new projects, as well as learning from other groups how we can improve our current projects,” said Natalie Ditty, a Grade 12 students at Stratford District secondary school.
Sofia Rosenberg, a Grade 8 Stratford Intermediate school student, said it was “important to come to environment forums because, as the younger generation, it is one of my jobs to take care of the environment with all the environmental issues going on right now. ”
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Lenny Wicke, another Stratford Intermediate Grade 8 student, said he had many reasons why taking care of the environment is important.
“One of the most important is that I live on this planet, and I think that is enough,” he said. “I can’t imagine a person who had a reason not to care.”
Ewan Mann and Lucy Chung, Grade 11 students at Stratford District secondary school, appreciated exchanging ideas with others who shared the same environmental awareness.
“We’ve learned a lot and have some great ideas to take back to our school and continue our learning.”
Representatives from area conservation authorities, local Indigenous knowledge careers and student leaders led afternoon workshops.
“I saw a lot of passion and care and a lot of kids who want to act,” McDonald said. “The care is there, and if you give students space, knowledge and skills to do it, they’ll want to act.”
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