Y.O.W! (Youth on Water) - ANNUAL PROGRAM
Youth on Water
At the heart of the SWCC Youth on Water program is our recognition of the immense value of the Skeena watershed and the Sacred headwaters. While ascribing to the mandate of SWCC, the Y.O.W. program will provide an opportunity for local youth to experience the grandeur of the Skeena River and the Sacred Headwaters through direct, water level, engagement. Y.O.W. will achieve its multifaceted goals through community partnerships, the utilization of committed volunteers, the unwavering commitment of the Skeena Watershed Conservation Coalition employees, and, most importantly, through the efforts of the YOW participants.
The goals of this exciting new program are:
1) To raise awareness amongst local youth regarding the value of environmental conservation, particularly in regards to ongoing protection of the Skeena River and the Sacred Headwaters (source of the Stikine & Nass Rivers);
2) To provide youth with an opportunity to learn about the First Nations Cultures that have traditionally maintained stewardship of the Sacred Headwaters and Skeena River;
3) To build self esteem amongst the youth participants and empower youth participants to become leaders in their communities;
4) To equip local youth with tangible and transferable job skills that will assist them in their future vocations;
5) To provide meaningful, and healthy, recreation opportunities for local youth.
The objectives of the YOW program:
1) Raise conservation awareness:
a) by presenting current threats to the integrity of the Skeena River and the Sacred headwaters in an education module presented by a relevant professional;
b) by presenting a means of conserving fish habitat and a basic description of fish species and lifecycles in an educational module presented by a relevant professional;
c) by presenting a means of conserving wildlife habitat and a basic description of the animals living in the area in an educational module presented by a relevant professional;
d) by presenting sustainable development concepts.
2) Cultural Component:
a) to be determined based on consultation with local First Nations
3) Self esteem building, leadership, and skills training through:
a) empowerment of youth to make direct, tangible, and measurable contributions to the conservation of the Skeena River and Klappan area through participation in data gathering expeditions;
b) facilitation of youth presentations based on their experiences in the YOW program through out their home communities;
c) encouragement of youth involvement in ongoing SWCC media campaigns;
c) facilitation of incrementally acquired river based skills:
i) first aid training
ii) swift water rescue training
iii) introduction to white water raft guiding
iv) introduction to whitewater kayaking.
4) Recreation:
a) regularly scheduled river expeditions;
b) movie nights and social events.
The responsibility of stewardship of one of the most extraordinary regions in North America will soon fall to the youth of our region. The SWCC is confident that through the YOW program we can ensure that some of the upcoming leaders of our communities will have had an opportunity to experience, first hand the grandeur of the Skeena river and the Sacred Headwaters. While doing so, youth in the YOW program will acquire tangible and transferable skills that will allow them to pursue work on any river in the world.
The future is YOW!
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