Thank you to Mr. Rosenberg and his grade 5/6 class who joined this activity:
Sophia, Amaria, Jayden, Elianna, Emma, Isabela, Danny, Felix, Alice, Bertie, David, Defne, Arturo, Pearl, Sam, Dean, Christopher, Cal, Charlotte, Elijah, Sarah, Reid, Yaxin, Abby, Maher, Junhan, Natalie, Mason, Teya, Lucy, Julia, Shishi, Seulwoo, Romy, Art, Emma, Wendy, Yufan, George, George, Micah, Noah, Elena, Ana, Nasca, Jei, and Sami
Thank you to the following participants for your hard work and enthusiasm:
9 Grade 11 Environmental Science students from Mount Douglas Secondary School and teacher Natalie Buchmann!
Student Impacts
43 students were engaged, contributing 77 hrs to revitalize local habitat!
- 27% visited UVic’s Alumni Chip Trail for the first time
- 37% removed invasive plants for the first time
7 of the Grade 11 Environmental Science students completed a survey. Among respondents:
- 86% felt inspired to take future actions to help the environment
- 86% felt a sense of belonging and connection to others
- 86% experienced a positive boost in their well-being (71% from being in nature)
- 100% increased their understanding of environmental issues
- 100% learned new things & developed skills
Highlights
- It was a beautiful sunny day under the forest canopy!
- Both classes, a Grade 5/6 class from Arbutus Global Middle School and a Grade 11 class from Mount Douglas Secondary, walked to the forest from their classrooms!
- Students shared with Sara after the activity that they learned how to properly pull ivy, how large the roots can grow, and that ivy can climb up to 100 feet up a tree.
- Many passersby were interested and excited about the work we were doing with the students, and one UVic student who stopped to chat is now joining us for Sunday’s activity.
- We had fun in the soil while pulling the invasive ivy and Cal found many earthworms!
- We spotted a hummingbird nest in the canopy, adding a special wildlife moment to the day.
- We had returning students say they were so excited to come back this time and see the success of the work they had done!
- We’ve been working to steward Alumni Chip Trail at UVic in partnership with UVic’s Office of Campus Planning and Sustainability for many years and there’s been a noticeable positive difference being made! This was our 1st trip to this part of the trail in 2026.
- Students also learned that English holly is invasive, spreads quickly, blocks sunlight from reaching other plants, and can be tricky to remove once it’s grown in.
- Students had a friendly competition to see who could pull the longest ivy vine. Congratulations to George and Hunter for winning the challenge!
- Shout out to Denelia for being my photographer and helping capture some incredible shots!
- Working side by side outside the classroom, students connected with one another in a new way, building relationships while tackling a shared challenge.
- There was a strong sense of engagement and curiosity, with many students expressing interest in continuing to take part in environmental stewardship activities beyond this experience.
- We saw two deer walking through the site while taking the before photos, showing how important the work we are doing is for protecting and restoring habitat for local wildlife.
What Students Said
Video of Lucy and Daphne talking about helping the environment and being surrounded by wildlife!
Video of Sophia talking about how much she loves helping nature!
Video of Abby talking about how nice it is to be in nature and help clean up!
Video of Romy talking about how good it feels to be in nature and pull ivy.
Video of Faye and Iri talking about how nice it is to be out of the classroom and engage within the community.
Community Investment Partner
THANK YOU to UVic’s Office of Campus Planning and Sustainability (special thanks to Claire & Peter) for partnering and working with our charity, Green Teams of Canada, and making this activity possible with their financial support and direction!
This was our 3rd partnership activity of the 2026 year and we are excited for many more to come!
Together we are achieving our common goals and creating connected, healthy and resilient communities engaged in environmental stewardship.
Why We Do This Work
The Greater Victoria Green Team is a program of the charity Green Teams of Canada.
We believe in the transformative power of hands-on environmental activities to empower individuals and strengthen communities.
Through initiatives like invasive plant removals, tree plantings, and litter clean-ups, we not only foster connections among participants but also deepen their relationship with nature. Spending time outdoors has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety while enhancing mood, focus, and overall mental and physical health.
Our activities are designed to be inclusive, welcoming individuals of all backgrounds, ages, abilities, and skill levels.
What sets us apart is we attract a wide mix of young community members who may not otherwise spend time outside, igniting their passion for nature and environmental care.
We are committed to instilling an environmental ethic that leads to lasting behaviour change. We aim to create a sense of belonging and connection to place, encouraging participants to recognize their ability to make a meaningful impact.
Together, we can all make a difference. Join us as we build a brighter, greener future for everyone!
Staff Who Made This Activity Possible
Our staff work hard to run high-quality community activities. Outreach, activity logistics, social media, reporting on impacts, partnership building and more – they do it all!
This activity was run by Sara Schwartz, the Greater Victoria Green Team’s Program Manager, with support from Ashton Kerr, the Lower Mainland Green Team’s Partnerships Manager.