A new crop of Nature Guardians at our Youth Summit Brendan Toews

2010 Youth Summit for Biodiversity

Thanks to everyone who attended Ontario Nature’s first ever Youth Summit for Biodiversity!

Dr. Roberta Bondar's keynote speech on Saturday CREDIT: Brendan Toews

We hope you enjoyed the three days of workshops, presentations, discussions and networking. Thank you for making this Summit such a huge success.

Knowing that young people have an important role to play in protecting the natural environment, Ontario Nature brought together more than 60 young participants to work on issues related to biodiversity. Participants learned about and discussed all the ways we can make a lasting difference in our communities.

Those who attended the Summit enjoyed inspirational workshops and presentations – particularly the keynote speeches by Dr. Roberta Bondar and Matt Tod. Garry Sault, an elder from the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation, opened and closed the Summit with a blessing and ran an extremely popular workshop on Indigenous knowledge of nature. Storytelling, music, campfires, and nature photography further enriched the weekend.

Check out the testimonials and our photo gallery. Feel free to add your own pictures and stories from the Summit. We’d love to hear from you!

Testimonials

“I loved how passionate everyone was about what they do. The weekend really inspired me to join more youth groups and pursue a career in ecology or biology.”

– Martina, Pickering

“I really enjoyed the variety of the workshops offered; there was something for everyone and that is difficult to manage but it worked. I loved having Roberta Bondar come, she was very inspirational and it was an incredible experience.”

- Katrina, Port Rowan

“I love meeting people who share my passion for the environment – the strength was in the diversity of information and people, and the energy and knowledge that was brought to the table. The whole thing was just awesome!”

- Laura, Toronto