Youth Council Wetlands Field Trip 2025 © Rowan McKenzie
About
Our Nature Guardians Youth Program brings youth together through nature-based experiences and leadership opportunities to inspire and grow the next generation of conservation leaders in Ontario.
We aim to support high-school aged youth by:
- Offering hands-on opportunities for meaningful engagement and community involvement through outdoor events and campaigns
- Developing the knowledge, tools and networks youth need to create lasting, positive change through conservation action
- Providing insight on volunteer, education and career opportunities to help youth grow the skills, experience and confidence needed to make a difference
Youth Council Wetlands Field Trip 2025, Pond study © Rowan McKenzie
What We Are Doing
Youth Council
Dedicated teens leading conservation initiatives
Youth Summit
A weekend-long event that inspires youth
Youth Circle for Mother Earth
A network of Indigenous and non-Indigenous leaders
Wetlands Campaign
Youth take the lead to educate their peers and the public about wetlands conservation
Nature Guardians Youth Program Impact by the Numbers
415 Youth Council members
966 youth have attended a Youth Summit or follow-up keynote speech
78 Our Special Spaces events (a series of conservation-volunteering activities)
8,000+ people engaged through NGYP and youth-led campaigns on wetlands and pollinators
Impact
The Nature Guardians Youth Program responds to an urgent need in society to reconnect youth to the natural world. By providing opportunities to explore, discover and protect wild species and spaces, our program offers environmental volunteering opportunities while nurturing a love for nature and a commitment to conservation.
For more information about the program, please contact Emily Green, Education Coordinator, at 416-444-8419 ext. 280 or emilyg@ontarionature.org.
March Break Birding Social, Nature Guardians Youth Program © Simone Cao
Youth Environmentalist Award
The Youth Environmentalist Award recognizes and celebrates the contributions to nature conservation made by a youth in Ontario Nature’s youth programming and honours the memory of the Canadian victims on Ethiopian Airlines flight 302. On March 10, 2019, Flight ET302 was on its way to Nairobi, Kenya where many of the passengers were going to attend the United Nations environmental conference that was scheduled to take place the following day.
The Youth Environmentalist Award is a tribute to the efforts and interests of the Canadian victims, and nominations were reviewed by their loved ones alongside Ontario Nature’s Education Team.
Monarch butterfly on Joe-pyeweed © Bill McDonald
Award for 2024
The winner of the 2024 Youth Environmentalist Award is Yiming Chen, a member of the Ontario Nature Youth Council. Since joining the Youth Council, Yiming has played an active role in planning and delivering a variety of workshops and presentations on wetlands, including those at the 2024 Youth Summit for Mother Earth, and an elementary school in Markham. Yiming has also done outreach at various events – including the Southern Ontario Orchid Society’s Annual Show and Sale – where she shared information about Ontario’s wetlands and Ontario Nature’s programming with the public.
Beyond her contributions to the Youth Council, Yiming has worked to raise awareness on key environmental issues at her school and in her community, working hard to inspire a love for nature and combat climate anxiety through celebrating conservation wins.
2023 winner: Luke Nguyen
© Yiming Chen
