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Environmental Leaders of Tomorrow: 2016 in Review
In News on“The students felt that they had a voice and their actions could make changes in our environment.” — Teacher Testimonial
2,704 students took part in the Environmental Leaders of Tomorrow program in 2016, with the result that more than three-quarters succeeded in decreasing their ecological footprint.
As reported in our 2016 Year in Review summary, 106 classes representing 23 different school boards from across Ontario participated in the program. The students in these classes launched 151 environmental action projects, from plantings and habitat creation to schoolyard clean-ups and recycling programs.
MORE 2016 RESULTS:
93% of teachers indicated that student awareness of environmental issues increased. 76% of teachers indicated that student participation in ecological initiatives increased. 72% of teachers indicated that student willingness to mentor others about environmental concerns increased. 99% of teachers were extremely satisfied with the program.0 -
Environmental Leaders of Tomorrow Publishes 2015 Results
In News onThe newly released 2015 year-in-review report from Environmental Leaders of Tomorrow shows that this innovative program is making real headway when it comes to helping young people commit to reducing their ecological impact.
More than 3,000 grade 6 students across the Ontario took part in the program last year — and of those, some 76% succeeded in decreasing their personal environmental impact.
Managed by Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) through the Living City Foundation, Environmental Leaders of Tomorrow uses science-based programming, outdoor recreation and team-building activities to help students connect to nature and develop the skills to take environmental action in their homes, schools and communities.
In the course of 2015, the program engaged 121 grade 6 classes from 27 communities. Of the participating teachers, 95% reported that students increased their awareness of environmental issues — and 76% said that student participation in ecological initiatives increased as a result.
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Ottawa-Carleton Students Experience the Outdoors
In News onOver the past two years, some 14 Grade 6 classes from the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) have taken part in the Environmental Leaders of Tomorrow program. You can read all about it in the OSDSB Summer/Fall 2015 newsletter.
Environmental Leaders of Tomorrow, sponsored by the Weston Family Foundation, is all about developing the next generation of eco-leaders by engaging students in immersive, hands-on environmental education experiences. In 2014 alone, 2,867 students took part in the program.
This past spring OCDSB classes planted gardens around their schoolyards, thanks to support from the Environmental Leaders of Tomorrow Schoolyard Biodiversity Grant initiative.
During the 2015-2016 school year, another eight OCDSB Grade 6 classes will be taking part in the program.
Read all about it HERE.
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From the Parkhill Gazette: Teaching City Students to Catch Crayfish
In News onWe were delighted to come across this story about the Environmental Leaders of Tomorrow program in The Parkhill Gazette, a local newspaper in North Middlesex, Ontario.
The article describes the adventures of some Grade 6 students from PE McGibbon Public School in Sarnia, who spent three days catching pond critters and learning about the environment at Camp Sylvan.
It’s a great window onto our program, which gives city kids a chance to experience nature firsthand, and encourages them to step up and become community co-leaders.
An excerpt from the article:
“It reaches the kids who don’t necessarily respond to classroom learning,” says Heather Parnham, one of the teachers from PE McGibbon. She added that all of the students benefit, especially since they may not have had an outdoor experience otherwise. “For a lot of students, this is their first time camping.”
Another teacher, Tien Ngo agrees. “When the kids come back from this, they come back changed. The staff and facilities are amazing. They really understand the kids.”
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Parkdale Students Show Their Green Thumbs
In News onAfter their 2013-14 visit to Lake St. George Field Centre, Grade 6 students from Parkdale Junior and Senior Public School returned to their community inspired to make a difference.
The class used the Schoolyard Biodiversity Grant to create a sensory garden with strawberries, onions and various herbs. The garden is meant to be touched, smelled, tasted, and felt.The students also planted native wildflowers such as butterfly weed and milkweed to attract pollinators, and transplanted wild grasses along the kindergarten fence to help green the space and prevent litter from collecting.
