The Quinte Field Naturalists Association, a non-profit organization sponsoring nature education, conservation, and research in the Quinte region, is sponsoring a youth from the area to attend a special nature conference this fall.
They are now accepting applications to send a local youth to Ontario Nature’s “Youth Summit for Mother Earth” September 22-24 at Camp Wahanowin in Longford Mills.
QFN’s John Lowry says the conference, held annually since 2010, is a cross cultural event for young people ages 14-20 who have a strong interest in environmental issues.
“And they have a series of workshops and a lot of outdoor events, seminars. And it just all deals with environmental issues and how to sort of live with Mother Earth, so to speak.”
The summit is jointly sponsored by Ontario Nature (a charitable organization dedicated to protecting wild species and wild spaces through conservation, education and public engagement), Trent University’s Indigenous Environmental Institute, Plenty Canada and the Walpole Island Land Trust.
More than 90 Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth will be attending.
QFN will pay for the successful candidate’s participation fee, which will cover the full cost of a young person’s participation in the summit including workshops, meals, accommodation and event coordination.
Lowry says environmental issues affect everybody and they hope to encourage more youth to become active in caring about the earth.
“I always say they have more at stake because, you know, I have a great nephew who just turned nine years old yesterday. Hopefully he lives to be 80, 90. So there’s a lot more, you know, investment for them in terms of having a livable planet.”
He adds that a present member of the QFN executive participated in the conference when they were younger and highly recommended the experience.
Quinte Field Naturalists has approximately 100 members but Lowry says they are always accepting new members and would love to see more younger people join the organization.
Applications for the “Youth Summit for Mother Earth” can be submitted to John Lowry and Lori Borthwick, Environmental Convenors for the QFN at the following email address – johnslowry18@gmail.com.
Applications are being accepted through August 5.
