How will you give back to the ocean this year? Make your ocean promise!
Events
Ocean School is presenting at CASC 2024 Annual Conference
In this roundtable, we will focus on the collaborative efforts between the River Institute, the National Film Board of Canada's Ocean School, and the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne to create a set of videos and complementary activities for youth. Our framework is based on the Haudenosaunee principle of the Two Row Wampum, bringing Indigenous and Western perspectives side by side to discuss environmental issues and promote ecological stewardship. We will present a case study on how we paired the video content with a positionality exercise and a systems mapping activity using Atkinson's Sustainability Compass in our youth climate action workshops. We explore how lived experience shapes perspectives and approaches to issues, and pair this knowledge with the Sustainability Compass to re-frame environmental issues and potential solutions in four key dimensions: Nature, Economy, Society and Well-being.
The session will invite feedback and discussion of how this approach can be used to promote a more holistic view of sustainability and enhance student engagement in climate action. We will invite participants to share their experiences using similar tools, pose targeted questions regarding the scalability of such programs, ways to showcase Indigenous leadership in conservation and STEM, and promote sharing of tools that can be used in workshop settings to promote youth engagement with Indigenous perspectives in environmental science.
Presenter Lexy Harquail from the River Institute is a biologist and environmental educator who served as a Science Producer for the collection. She will share about the making of this project in partnership with the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne to centre Indigenous perspectives in our educational materials about the St. Lawrence.
Attendees will be invited to explore ways that they can address Indigenous perspectives in their environmental science programming. Hope to see you there!
Lexy Harquail is a Communications / Environmental Educator at the St. Lawrence River Institute. The River Institute is a leader in environmental research and provides new knowledge, education, technical services and community outreach to improve the health of the St. Lawrence River and other freshwater ecosystems.
The theme of the 2024 CASC Conference is Connected Horizons, and together we will explore the deep connections we share to place and to nature -- as individuals and as a community -- and how these connections work with us to advance a thriving science and innovation culture in Canada.
This year’s conference, hosted by the Saskatchewan Science Centre and in collaboration with Meewasin Valley Authority and Wanuskewin Heritage Park will connect across Treaty 6 and 4, and Homeland of the Métis; across Saskatoon and Regina; and across Indigenous and Western science.
The Mohawk Council of Akwesasne’s vision and mission was set by its leadership and staff. Together these statements of declaration are to guide the work and activities of the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne with clear goals to strive for as they serve the People. The new vision and mission statements for the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne are as follows:
Vision: “Tsi nén:we wa’kwarihwaientáhkwen – Our Future – Our Responsibility”
Mission: “With a good mind it is our responsibility to protect and exercise our inherent rights while creating sustainable partnerships and building a strong community for future generations.”
The River Institute is a non‐government organization established in 1994 as a unique community partnership among governments, educators, business and industry, and the Mohawks of Akwesasne.
With the St. Lawrence River as our natural laboratory, we have earned an international reputation for research excellence. Our scientific work contributes locally, nationally and internationally to the greater understanding of how large river ecosystems and their components function.
GenAction unites 30 science centres across the nation to deliver climate action programming inspiring our next generation of climate heroes – like you!
Its mission is to engage over 200,000 youth by 2024. Collectively, participating science centres are connecting educators and youth with Science Spotlights, accessible peer-reviewed climate research articles, raising awareness of climate change science AND delivering programming to educate citizens on climate actions they can take to make a difference.
