INSIDE EDUCATION SOCIETY OF ALBERTA

Regenerate Youth Forest Leadership Summit

Supporting Underserved Youth in Rural, Urban, and Indigenous High Schools

Why this Project Matters

More than 160,000 children in Alberta and 116,500 children in British Columbia live in poverty, according to 2020 data from Statistics Canada. Underserved youth in rural, urban, and Indigenous high schools in both provinces face barriers to accessing extra-curricular educational experiences. Gaining the skills and experience they need to make a successful transition into the workforce is a challenge for many of these young people.

How This Project Will Help Underserved Youth Build a Green Career Pathway

The 2024 Regenerate Youth Forest Leadership Summit will host a three-day deep-dive into forest science, technology, innovations, and careers. The program will see 20 rural, urban, and Indigenous high schools in Alberta and B.C. each send four student leaders and two teachers to learn with experts in forest science, wildfire and wildlife management, forest management, and other related areas. The reach of the program will extend far beyond the 120 summit participants: after finishing the summit, each school will develop an education and action plan—further extending the summit’s reach in their school and community to potentially support and educate thousands of youth.

SFI’s Contribution

The SFI Community Grant Program is supporting staff participation from SFI and its educational initiative Project Learning Tree Canada (PLT Canada) at the Summit. PLT Canada education experts will provide a workshop to teachers on PLT Canada and a hands-on, interactive session for the high school participants. The Summit will also be a conduit for PLT Canada resources to be provided to high schools across Alberta and B.C., including schools from Indigenous communities. Each of the schools will develop and deliver an education and action plan for implementation in their school or community post-summit. The tools and resources provided by PLT Canada, and the robust sustainable forest management information available through SFI, will be an important component of each of the action plans.

Partners

This partnership includes Inside Education Society of Alberta staff, forestry professionals, teachers, SFI and PLT Canada staff, and an SFI-certified organization.

• Project lead: Inside Education Society of Alberta
• Sustainable Forestry Initiative
• Project Learning Tree Canada
• Millar Western Forest Products (SFI-certified organization)
• Forest Resource Improvement Association of Alberta

Related Information

Inside Education Society of Alberta: Alberta School Children See Forest Management In Action

Environmental Education Association of Illinois: Immersive Education Event Helps Teacher Teams Integrate Environmental Science Education

Green Jobs: Exploring Forest Careers

New Hampshire SFI Implementation Committee: Forests of New Hampshire Teacher Tours

Parks & People Foundation: Helping At-Risk Youth Connect with Outdoor Education in the Gwynns Falls/Leakin Park Forest

Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center: Washington Kids Gain Valuable Wildfire Knowledge

South Dakota Project Learning Tree: SFI Is Supporting Forest Field Days to Bridge the Gap Between the Classroom and the World Outside

About Inside Education Society of Alberta

Founded in 1985, Inside Education is Alberta’s largest environmental and natural resource education charity. Working from offices in Edmonton and Calgary, its mandate is to support K-12 teachers across Alberta to inspire their students when it comes to working towards a balanced, sustainable future for our environment, economy, and society. If today’s students become informed and engaged leaders in tomorrow’s issues, who are able to make informed responsible decisions, Inside Education believes the world will be in good hands. Learn more.