CVC’s Conservation Youth Corps (CYC) is gearing up for summer! As the province starts to move into its re-opening plan, we’re ready to safely host youth volunteers through our CYC program.
This year’s program is set up differently. We’re offering a fun four-day outdoor environmental program for teens where they can earn up to 21 volunteer hours. The focus is for volunteers to learn about local plants and animals, complete environmental stewardship projects and have fun.
Volunteers will have the opportunity to support a variety of stewardship projects such as stream restoration, invasive species removal and watering newly planted trees at different sites in the community and at our conservation areas. These projects build resilience to climate change, provide habitat for wildlife and help beautify our communities.
Bringing Youth Back to Nature
Registered volunteers will meet our staff at local parks in their community. This allows students to walk, bike or take public transportation to site locations each day of their volunteer experience. On Saturdays, we ask volunteers to come to one of our conservation areas. Each week we’re hosting the program in a different community of the Credit River Watershed.
We understand that youth and their parents or guardians may have concerns about safety. We’re dedicated to the health and wellbeing of all our volunteers and staff. We have made changes to the summer CYC program to align with government safety guidelines. These changes include:
- Mandatory online safety training
- Reduced group sizes
- Mandatory COVID-19 screening the day of the event
- Physical distancing and mandatory masks
- No equipment sharing
- Continue to adjust programming based on evolving provincial and public health unit guidelines
If you are a teen between the age of 14-18 or know someone who is and loves being outdoors and working in nature, check out our summer CYC program. Registration is now open.
By: Emma Whilding, Crew Leader, Youth Outreach