Mersey Tobeatic Research Institute (MTRI)

EMPOWER! Young Community Leaders in the Biosphere

IN THIS SECTION

Building MTRI!

MTRI is launching a capital fundraising campaign to reach the ambitious goal of $75,000 to improve the MTRI facilities and programs. Keep an eye on the hatchling turtle to see how close we are to reaching our goal!

Tributes

... following in their footsteps

Sign-up for free membership:

News & Events

Volunteer Water Quality Sampling

MTRI will be working with volunteers to ... more »

2009 Annual Report Now Available

Download the new Report now! Visit our P... more »

Help support MTRI!

You can donate via Paypal, just enter an amount and click the donate button - thank you.

Butterfly Club

Find out more about the Butterfly Club...

EMPOWER!

Young Community Leaders in the Southwest Nova Biosphere Reserve

The EMPOWER! Project is being designed and delivered by a team of students, researchers, and educators here at MTRI and the surrounding community. We have partnered with organizations like the Southwest Nova Biosphere Reserve Association and the Clean Annapolis River Project to engage and empower young environmental leaders in southwest Nova Scotia.

Using the three pillars for the United Nations “Man and the Biosphere” concept (conservation, sustainable development, and capacity buiding) as our guiding principle, we aim to provide opportunities for youth in rural areas to become leaders in their communities. To do so, we are developing a three-tiered approach:

1) facilitate a network of active youth and engaging opportunities

2) research rural outmigration and profile inspiring youth and businesses living in the biosphere

3) spearhead a conference at Kejimkujik National Park, where all involved can meet to learn and share their blossoming skill, knowledge, and passion!

To implement these goals, we employed (and hope to employ again in the future) junior high, high school, and university students throughout the year. We also work with teachers and educators at local schools and other NGOs, to work together and create a united front. If you are interested in the EMPOWER! project, contact us!

1) The EMPOWER! Network

There are dozens of amazing opportunities for youth to become engaged in environmental programs in southwest Nova Scotia. From 4H to Scouts, programs at C@P sites to National Parks, young naturalist clubs and library programs, not to mention school activities like the Canon Envirothon and the Canadian Geographic Geography Challenge.

Unfortunately not all teachers, students, and communities are aware of or have access to these programs. Under the umbrella of the biosphere reserve, we hope to increase awareness of these programs that would engage and enlighten our young environmental leaders. We want to help them find volunteer, education, and job opportunities (VEJ) that will bolster not only their enthusiasm, but also their resume in their pursuit of becoming active members of vibrant communities. We will provide web-fora, teacher training, and other opportunities to establish and proliferate our network of young environmental leaders in the biosphere. We will not reinvent the wheel, but rather get those in existence rolling!

MTRI hired students this summer through the Nova Scotia Youth Conservation Corps with the help of funding from the Nova Forest Alliance and the Rural Communities Foundation. Shaun Allain and Lucas Mader worked on the three major components of the EMPOWER! Project, while Jessica Lohnes helped with research. Carter Feltham, Breagh Lane, Kyle Rawding, and Krystal and Hallie Mailman composed our "Market Team", who set up displays at farm markets in Caledonia, and around the biosphere reserve, to help promote MTRI and the EMPOWER! Project.

A meeting of the minds, the EMPOWER! Project Team at work

2) Profiles: Inspiring Youth, Organizations/Opportunities, and Businesses

We know that young people are moving away from rural communities not only in southwest Nova Scotia but also all over the globe. We conducted some research to better understand why, and the answers already appear to be clear: our youth feel like there is no future for them in the country because there is no work, and there is nothing to do. They believe everything happens in the big city!

To showcase why this is not necessarily the case, we provided shining examples of inspiring youth, awesome organizations / opportunities, and innovative businesses that are enriching and contributing to their communities in rural Nova Scotia. We will share biographical profiles, descriptive information, and illuminating stories that break the bias of “city or bust” and inspire our up-and-comers to find ways to make a living in their hometown, or others like it. Click on the links to download a word-doc summary of each.

3) The EMPOWER! Conference

To culminate our activities and bring together the network of youth and organizations that we established this summer, we delivered a conference from October 1-3, 2009 in Kejimkujik National Park. Students, teachers, and leaders from a diverse array of schools and groups attended this three day event where community members served supper, entrepreneurs entertained, and youth lead and learned about a variety of topics pertaining to the biosphere, and life in rural Nova Scotia. It only cost $25 per student to attend, and that included 2 nights of camping in the national park, food, activities, workshops, and entertainment. We hope the students will return to their respective home communities and spread the word about the EMPOWER Network, and that it will last for years to come.