‘Super eye-opening’: Stewardship program teaches kids about urban forestry, sustainability
A sturdy basket made of plastic bags braided together.
A planter made of a plastic pop bottle and twine rope.
A pocket-sized, reusable makeup wipe made of old cotton, pillow sheets and crayons.
A bird feeder made of a plastic juice jug, coated in floral-patterned tape and hung by a piece of string.
The common denominator between these crafty objects - besides being upcycled - is they were the creation of kids with a keen interest in sustainability.
It's thanks to a youth stewardship program spearhead by Green Venture, a non-profit dedicated to implementing greener practices in Hamilton, that saw about a dozen high school students get a crash course on urban forestry and professional skills last month.
The five-week program was capped off with students breaking into two cohorts and showcasing a pair of stewardship projects centred around building a more resilient environment in Hamilton.
The projects - one a website, the other a TikTok account - were prefaced by twice-a week virtual sessions that featured a host of guest speakers and lessons about native trees, green infrastructure, climate change and even resume building.
Miranda Burton, program manager at Green Venture, said the stewardship program was a first for the non-profit, but plans are underway to extend it another year. It was inspired by the lack of practical, hands-on learning opportunities kids had during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A lot of these students want to be doctors, communications, engineering, but it's really important to establish this type of urban forestry stewardship at all levels," she said, and not just something of interest for people who want to go into environmental field jobs."
Illyria Volcansek, a Grade 11 student in Hamilton, said she didn't have a clue about urban forestry before signing onto the program. Now, she knows a little bit of everything, from ecosystems and tree maintenance to native plants and the importance of expanding urban forests.
I knew almost nothing about urban forestry before going into the program, so the whole experience was super eye-opening for me," she said.
Volcansek's cohort opened the TikTok account, an optimal way to share videos and reach teens.
Her idea was the sturdy basket made of plastic bags braided together - I had a very long braided plastic rope stretched (across) my home for a while" - which took a few days to make and film.
It was totally worth it," she said. I finally have a place to store my giant pile of knitting yarn, and once I'm done using it I can take it apart and recycle the components."
These types of changes to everyday life behaviour, however small, are key to laying the foundation for a more sustainable future, said Dr. Myles Sergeant, a Hamilton family doctors and president of local charity Trees for Hamilton.
Especially here in Hamilton, where we need as much urban forestry as we can get," said Sergeant, one of five guest speakers who spoke to program participants.
I'm a hopeful person. We hear all about climate change. People worry about the sky falling in, there's a lot of angst. But I think we're seeing a lot of change in society. And they are the future, these kids, so it's encouraging to see such excitement."
Sebastian Bron is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator. Reach him via email: sbron@thespec.com