The Education Team at Green Venture is excited to announce our summer session of our Youth Stewardship & Professional Skills Program (YSP)! Through the YSP Program, Hamilton high school students develop transferable professional skills, earn volunteer hours, and gain knowledge of environmental issues.
Rethink! to Reduce Waste
The theme from the most recent YSP Spring Session was Rethink! to Reduce Waste. The student participants for this session divided up into four groups with a central theme connected to reducing our waste: Food Waste, Fast Fashion, Thrifting & Upcycling, and Sustainable Consumerism. 
Students engaged with each other using an interactive virtual classroom in Kumospace (image below). We had virtual tables set up for the groups to meet, virtual whiteboards for taking notes, “TV’s” for sharing videos from YouTube, and a main area to gather as a group.
Past participants liked the guest speakers, talking to peers, sharing ideas, and learning new things.
“I learned that there are many ways to reduce our carbon footprint and doing one small action might lead to greater change” – Serena
“I learned new facts about food waste and how much it affects the environment. I feel like I accomplished creating a successful source for people to learn about food waste online.” – Aria DP
The students collaborated on planning, promoting, and facilitating a keynote speaker event with Carolynne Crawley, founder of the organization Msit No’kmaq, which aims to help people explore their relationships with all beings on the land and in the waters. Students practiced asking questions and facilitating other guest speakers before the keynote speaker event, and were able to successfully host an amazing event!
Here are some of the questions that the YSP participants asked Carolynne in the webinar:
- How has their background and heritage affected how they view the environment/environmentalism?
- What are some ways as a young teen that I can help with the current climate crisis?
Energize for Climate!
Join our upcoming session of the YSP Program, where our focus is “Energize for Climate”! We will learn about all forms of energy and participate in stewardship projects to reduce energy consumption, making a meaningful impact on the environment and your community. Participants will examine how to promote renewable and sustainable forms of energy in Hamilton and earn a certificate that will help build your resume!
The program will run through a hybrid format with three in-person meetings at Green Venture’s EcoHouse (22 Veevers Drive, Hamilton). These will be held on July 11th, 12th, and 14th from 1-3 pm, with snacks provided by the Green Venture Ed Team! The rest of the program will be weekly/bi-weekly virtual meetings on Kumospace. These will be on Mondays or Tuesdays (TBA) from 1-2:30 pm.
Some potential topics for the summer session are:
- Low emissions options for energy reduction
- Encouraging energy audits, energy retrofit program
- Renewable energy (solar, wind, geothermal)
- Just transition: equity in transitioning away from fossil fuels to renewable energy
No previous experience is required – all we ask is that you come prepared to participate, collaborate, and make a difference!
How do I apply?
Apply today! Applications are due on Wednesday, June 29th at 11:59pm. If you have any questions about the application, you can send us an email at youth@greenventure.ca or call us at 905-808-3717.
To learn more about our other youth programming, check out https://greenventure.ca/for-youth/ and our For-Youth-By-Youth Instagram to hear about opportunities for youth to get involved in environmental programming in the community and to hear updates from our co-op students, interns, and youth volunteers.
We would like to thank our partners, Hamilton Community Foundation, Conserver Society of Hamilton & District, TD Friends of the Environment Foundation, and the City Enrichment Fund who are sponsoring and funding this program. We appreciate your support!
