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Four local teams selected to attend National Leadership Clinic
Four local teams have been awarded spots at the upcoming National Environmental Education Leadership Clinic that will take place at Nipika Mountain Resort from April 26-29.
The competition for the eight available team spots was highly contested, with 22 teams made up of 88 educators from across the country submitting applications.
Jointly hosted by the Columbia Basin Environmental Education Network (CBEEN) and the Canadian Network for Environmental Education and Communication (EECOM), this Leadership Clinic will provide teams with the opportunity to network, team-build, share resources, and take action on key goals they have set for themselves.
Local teams include Rocky Mountain School District No. 6, Wildsight, Wild Voices for Kids and a newly formed group of early childhood educators looking at developing a plan to provide more opportunities for environmental education in the early years.
Lisa Lehr, who is the captain of that team said, “Our team members are thrilled with the opportunity to attend this Leadership Clinic. The goal is to create a 10-year plan of action to create awareness, encourage involvement and design inclusive environmental education activities in the early years community. We are looking forward to share knowledge, resources and funding opportunities.”
Local teams will have the opportunity to network and learn from a wide variety of provincial and national teams including Interpretation Canada, the Saskatchewan Outdoor and Environmental Education Network, WildBC and Team BC which is made up of representatives from the BC Environmental Education Provincial Specialist Association, the Institute for Environmental Learning, Green Communities Canada Foundation and the Walking the Talk collaborative.
CBEEN Executive Director Duncan Whittick is excited about the clinic, expressing that “this will be a fantastic opportunity for some of our local educators to be exposed to high quality programs and professionals from across the province and beyond.”
This initiative was made possible by generous support from the Columbia Basin Trust, Columbia Power Corporation, Columbia Valley Community Foundation, Wild BC, Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, Institute for Environmental Learning, Environmental Education Provincial Specialist Association, Metro Vancouver and Nipika Mountain Resort.
With such a strong response to this clinic, CBEEN is looking at hosting this event on an annual basis over the next three years, which would allow more local teams to take advantage of this opportunity.
Local teams have representation from the following Kootenay communities:
Creston, Nelson, Fernie, Invermere, Golden, Kimberley, Cranbrook, New Denver, Radium Hot Springs, Marysville and Windermere.
For more information on CBEEN and the Leadership Clinic please visit www.cbeen.org.
Above photo: Audrey Repin, Columbia Power Corporation’s Director of Stakeholder and External Relations (centre) visits Invermere to offer up their support to CBEEN Executive Director Duncan Whittick (left) for the National Environmental Education Leadership Clinic CBEEN is hosting in April. Lori Horrocks of Invermere (right) will be one of the 32 environmental educators who will benefit from this initiative, and will have the opportunity to offer teams an up close and personal look at Kootenay National Park.
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