Are you a high school student aged 14+ and looking for an exciting way to get your community involvement hours and possibly to earn some cash?

Credit Valley Conservation is looking for fit students to be part of its new Conservation Youth Corps (CYC) program this summer. Each week, new teams of CYC will get out and get active doing community-based projects throughout the watershed.

This new program will help with personal development, skills, and training in natural resource stewardship. Students will have the opportunity to earn community involvement hours doing work that will make a difference. After completing the volunteer component of the program, students will be paid an honorarium for their work with the crew.

Thinking Globally but acting Locally. Students will gain a varied work and learning Eco-Experience to expand their understanding of the natural world and to help provide them with the tools to be the Green Leaders of tomorrow. Students will learn how they can make the changes necessary to make a difference to their local environment and contribute to the fight against global climate change. Amongst other projects, the Conservation Youth Corps teams will collectively plant 10,000 trees throughout the watershed. These trees will soak up CO2, moderate the climate, protect our water, improve air quality, and harbour wildlife.

Students will be a part of other projects and receive demonstrations from professional and technical staff. In field trips throughout the Credit watershed students will learn about forest management, monitoring programs, and the use of specialized equipment like Global Positioning Systems (GPS).

We will emphasize the educational component of the Conservation Youth Corps. Conservation Authority staff, community groups and other agencies will help provide the Youth Corps with learning opportunities. Although the program will vary from week to week, students will have the opportunity to improve their species identification (trees, shrubs, fish, amphibians, wild flowers), fish monitoring, forest inventory and management techniques, wetland monitoring and habitat improvement.

Don’t have an entire week in the summer to spare? Don’t worry because the Conservation Youth Corps also has opportunities to be involved on weekends during the spring.

If you are interested in a career in the environmental field, the Conservation Youth Corps is a fantastic opportunity for you.

For more information contact Shawn Verge, Program Coordinator, CYC at 905-670-1615 x 291 or email cyc@creditvalleycons.com