Above: ???? Aislinn Cottell
By News Editor Aislinn Cottell
In celebration of Canada’s 150th anniversary, Nature Canada is launching the Young Nature Leadership Grant. The 1K bursary will be given to a young Canadian under 30 years old who is looking to develop and implement a project inspired by the Canadian Parks Council’s The Nature Playbook, a recently published “how-to” guide for young nature conservationists. Recipients of the grant will have the opportunity to be mentored and coached on this project by Women for Nature, a philanthropic initiative of professional women across Canada, and the donators of the grant.
“The more Canadians experience the awesome benefits of nature, the more support there will be for its conservation,” says Dawn Carr, Women of Nature member and Executive Director, Canadian Parks Council. “The Young Nature Leadership Grant, developed collaboratively with the Council and Women for Nature, is an opportunity to nurture and empower our emerging young leaders to champion nature. By working together we can protect, and encourage new generations to connect with nature. Nature’s future, our future, depends on it.”
Interested applicants can submit either a short video or two-page essay outlining their project idea, which will be evaluated based on criteria including potential impact and benefits, reach, creativity, clarity, and effective use of grant funds. Applications can be submitted on the Women for Nature website, and are due no later than 5 pm (Eastern Time) on March 31, 2017.
“Women for Nature are Canadian women with a vision—women of influence with a passion for nature.” says Eleanor Fast, Executive Director of Nature Canada. “This new Grant is an excellent way for them to pass their passion on to young leaders to help protect our natural heritage and connect a new generation of Canadians to nature.”
Nature Canada is a national conservation organization whose mission is to “protect and conserve wildlife habitats by engaging people and advocating on the behalf of nature.” Representing a network of 50,000 members and supporters, as well as over 360 naturalist organizations across the country, Nature Canada is the oldest national nature conservation in Canada. Over the past 75 years, Nature Canada has helped protect over 63 million acres of parks and wildlife areas, and is the founding member of the Green Budget Coalition, which seeks to present positive and viable solutions for environmental issues to the federal government.
Aislinn is a third year Bachelor of Arts and Science student majoring in creative writing and minoring in chemistry. New to The Nav team this year, she’s enjoying finding out about all the interesting things happening on campus. Her hobbies include reading, drawing, Netflix, and the copious consumption of coffee.
