Youth Activity! Invasive Species Removal at UVic – September 21, 2023
Highlights From The Day
For this activity, we engaged youth from UVic’s Education Department as well as Grade 11 students from Mount Douglas Secondary School. Thank you so much Jenn and Natalie for inviting your students to join us!
- 54 amazing youth joined us and contributed a total of 71.5 hours!
- Together our team:
- Removed a volume of 8 cubic metres (over 50 bathtubs full) of invasive plant material!
- Revitalized about 105 square metres of the park!
- Scroll down to see before and after photos, as well as some in-action shots!
- Our Community Investment Partner, the Department of Campus Planning and Sustainability at UVic, provided direction and funding to make this activity possible!
This activity’s work was focused around the Bowker Creek Headwaters, an area on the UVic campus that has been dominated by invasive English Ivy. We started working around the entrance to the trail, and plan to continue this work along the same pathway for the next few months. Our next UVic activity will be taking place on October 22nd. More info and RSVP details can be found HERE.
Before & After Photos
Why Do We Do This Work?
The Greater Victoria Green Team organizes hands-on educational activities that have a positive environmental impact to empower people. Through activities such as invasive plant removals, plantings, litter cleanups and more, we are fostering connections with others and nature so that health and well-being is prioritized, lifelong environmental stewardship is promoted, and community members are enabled to take care of themselves, each other and the places they live. We all have the power to make a difference!
By being out in nature doing something positive as a team, our community members:
- Develop a sense of belonging to community and place
- Have improved mental and physical health
- Connect to nature, which leads to environmentally responsible behaviour
- Learn about local environmental issues and actions they can take
- Learn the value of bringing together people to work towards a common goal
- Become leaders in their communities
- Increase confidence, resilience and perseverance
Partner For This Activity
A big thank you to the Department of Campus Planning and Sustainability at UVic for partnering with our charity, Green Teams of Canada and providing the financial support and direction to make this activity possible – a big shoutout to Claire for all your support!
Thank you for recognizing the importance of collaboration in community engagement and ecological restoration! Together we are restoring habitat and creating connected, healthy and resilient communities engaged in environmental stewardship!
Our next activity partnering with UVic will be on October 22nd. More info and RSVP details can be found HERE.
Community In Action!
What Participants Are Saying…
“This might be my new passion!”
Brian
“Saving lives one ivy pull at a time!”
The youth from today
Our Staff
This activity was run by our Program Manager, Kaitlin Warren (second from the right) and our Program Coordinator, Severine Tyszewicz (far right).
Severine was hired as part of the Youth Leadership Program, intended to empower the next generation of environmentally-focused community organizing!