4-H Ontario and Me to We, a division of Free the Children, are seeking rural and urban high school students in grades 10 and 11 for the second annual Greenbelt Youth Forum.
The forum, to be held at the YMCA Camp Cedar Glen near Bolton from April 16-20, brings together rural and urban students from high schools in the Greenbelt. Through discussions, group work, workshops, guest speakers, and tours, the students explore a variety of issues such as environmental stewardship, resource preservation, land use planning, and local food.
Applications are available on the 4-H Ontario website at http://www.4hontario.ca/greenbelt.aspx or by calling 519-824-0101. Applications are due March 1. A $75 fee applies and covers costs of rooms, food, resources, and bus tours.
During the forum, campers are divided into groups that examine those issues. In 2008, the Conserving Canucks investigated issues surrounding environmental stewardship and green living while the Food Fanatics concentrated on land use and local food. Both groups spent a full day on bus tours where they visited a variety of sites including a composting facility, a gravel pit, a farmers’ market, a food bank, an organic beef farm, and a new dairy operation.
Following the four days, the campers are challenged to tackle a project within their community or school over the summer. The projects can be anything of interest to the youth. The results of these Bushel Basket of Change projects will be showcased at the 2009 Royal Winter Fair where the youth will meet again and celebrate successes.
The program is between 4-H Ontario and Me to We, with funding provided by Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation.
Me to We is the top youth leadership training organization in the world, delivering innovative local and international training experiences to more than 350,000 youth every year.
The 4-H Ontario program builds leaders. Through a network of 1,600 volunteers, and staff and over 6,200 youth, ages 10 to 21, are provided with Learn to Do by Doing” opportunities.
