BOW VALLEY – A youth network coalition addressing land management issues and engagement with youth consultants will host a virtual summit at the end of this month.
The Canadian Rockies Youth Network (CRYN) will host its 2021 Summit online from May 12-14 and will provide a framework for youth discussion about environmental challenges of shared mountain spaces. CRYN ambassadors will gain knowledge and connections to design and implement action projects that benefit their communities and protected areas.
In 2019, students from Central Memorial High School’s Environmental Energy and Innovation class, led by teacher Adam Robb, were instructed to design an action project that benefited students’ communities and environment.
Benjamin Green, CRYN founder, co-director and a senior student at Central Memorial High School, began the initial summit in Grade 10 after being dismissed trying to share his view on the proposed Lake Louise Ski Area expansion.
“Neither Lake Louise or Parks Canada had a process in consulting or even connecting [or educating] with youth about their decision," Green said. "This same problem was also apparent with my other classmates, who struggled to be heard. This struggle motivated my friends and I to develop the Youth Summit.
“While it seems even far-fetched, I want the network to grow to a point where we see legitimate youth consultation in environmental decision-making.
“I believe this type of consultation should be a standard for all decisions,” added Green. “[W]hile we are not voters, we will inherit the earth and [older] generation's decisions eventually, so we should have some say in these decisions today.”
Students designed, managed and hosted the first Canadian Rockies Youth Summit later that year in Jasper National Park, bringing together 45 high school students representing 10 communities in and around the Canadian Rockies. Discussion topics ranged from “wildlife conservation amidst increasing tourism development to creating meaningful reconciliation opportunities within our National Parks,” per CRYN’s 2019 summit report.
After witnessing the 2019 summit, Biosphere Institute of the Bow Valley (BIBV) became involved with the student-led initiative and provided resources to create the Youth Network, along with a grant provided by Calgary Foundation.
“We were super inspired, and the Calgary foundation strongly encouraged this group of students to find an organization that could work with them to make this summit possible, but also unite the students beyond the summit,” said Mallory Kosterski, youth engagement and education coordinator with BIBV.
Two expert panels will be hosted at the May summit, one focusing on climate change and its effects on wildlife and watersheds, and the other on wildlife-human coexistence. Featured topics of discussion will include multi-media awareness campaigns, trail stewardship, interpretive signage, and green initiatives such as solar panels, bee hotels, aquaponics, and up-cycling projects.
“I hope that youth from across the Rockies will begin to feel empowered to take action within their communities and as a larger collective,” said Lucas Braun, youth director and co-founder with CRYN.
“This year especially, I’ve been working toward incorporating youth input into the planning of this year’s summit in order for youth to truly feel like this is their summit, not just one they’re attending. If youth aren’t empowered, they cannot meaningfully provide input to policy makers within the field of conservation, which ultimately, is the outcome we hope to achieve.”
CRYN members will have the opportunity to gain mentorship experience from conservation biologists, Indigenous Knowledge Keepers, artists, climate change specialists, sustainable business representatives, and other experts.
“The idea in creating ambassador training is so that any students that attend those workshops have the skills and knowledge to understand the complexity of land management issues and also understand the importance of having youth as stakeholders in land management decisions,” said Kosterski.
Mentorship opportunities are available for professionals, experts, and organizations that want to guide and support CRYN participants in their action projects.
Upcoming events include a panel on April 29 on Canadian Rockies activism relating to policy, business practices, and arts-based activism. On May 12, from 7-9 p.m. an opening ceremony creative campfire will be hosted; youth artists and storytellers are welcome to join in the online event.
“My journey with the summit has taken me to some beautiful places and taught me how the mountains that I live so close to having importance and need to be looked after,” said Ava Vanderbeek, a youth representative and student outreach coordinator with CRYN in a written statement.
“As I got more involved, I found myself really connecting with the issues that the network is trying to help. … I recently found out more about my Indigenous roots and how I can be proud to be a part of the Mètis community. The network helped me by supplying connections and resources that make me feel more connected with my culture.”
Suggested goals by the youth network include changes to provincial education programming that would encourage youth to be more involved in conservation discussions, youth activist coalitions involvement in conservation efforts and involving groups in local community projects, as well as the implementation of Indigenous consultation and co-management within protected areas, as reconciliation for historical injustices and wrongs present during the creation of national parks.
One of the key pillars of CRYN is elevating Indigenous knowledge and voices. The pillars were created by students working to organize this year's summit and were based on the goals and objectives in the 2019 Summit Report. Other pillars include wildlife and biodiversity, climate change (including watersheds), and sustainable development and recreation.
Cheyenne Bearspaw is the artist behind CRYN’s mountainscape logo of Mount Yamnuska. Cheyenne is a 26-year-old Stoney Nakoda artist who grew up in the Nakoda Nation and to her, Yamnuska is a symbol of home and others' experience of the land that is her home.
“Its home. I grew up with it, I see it every day,” said Bearspaw in a written statement. “Yamnuska means 'flat faced' and you can see straight down. You can see everything from up there – the mountains and the foothills and plains. Even outsiders who are not born here climb, hike, and come here to experience the land. Yamnuska is a symbol of my home and others experiencing it.”
Pre-summit workshops are already being hosted by CRYN and further workshops will be hosted afterwards. Pre-recorded workshops are available through the CRYN YouTube page.
CRYN is seeking other high school age representatives who are passionate about environmental issues, and want to be leaders, liaisons, and representatives of their communities or schools for this year’s summit.
Sponsorship is also sought from businesses that want to support the youth-driven environmental summit. CRYN is seeking a media sponsor to broadcast parts of the summit, sponsors, and outdoor-oriented prizes for the Youth Action Challenge. Email [email protected] for more information.
Additionally, the network is seeking volunteers to help moderate events, coordinate logistics, and act as judges in moderating community action challenges.
