by Jane Pangilinan, Digital Engagement Technician
Community involvement is important to building connections with nature. That is why the Ottawa Faith Community Capacity Building (OFCCB) initiative, a collaboration between Greening Sacred Spaces and Watersheds Canada, is made to connect 6 faith communities with the environment and with each other. Watersheds Canada and Greening Sacred Spaces is helping these communities bring an environmental project to life. In an effort to overcome financial barriers, the OFCCB will support and provide the resources needed to develop and lead this local environmental project. The OFCCB is a great opportunity to learn more about the environment and build outreach to the surrounding community.
A key aspect of the project is the toolkit. The Freshwater Stewardship Engagement (FSE) toolkit is a curated list of resources with a wide range of different topics like community gardens or green retrofits. The topics are meant to inspire the creation of a green project that is local to the community and will strengthen the connection between community members and nature. One of these topics is youth engagement. In a society with a growing dependence on social media, how do we engage young people to be inspired by and connected with nature? One way to engage young people is to bring nature to them.
In urban settings, it is hard to find aspects of nature compared to places that have forests and lakes close by. Bringing nature to youth can be challenging but when done in a way that is creative and innovative, can be very rewarding. Ideas like backyard birdwatching or field trips to your local or national park can spark an interest in nature at a young age. Starting a community garden or planting trees can help bring nature to urban settings and the youth who live in these communities.
Create a passion for nature
Spark an interest in enjoying nature by doing an activity like planting seeds together and watching them grow. Let them find a favourite animal, plant, pollinator, or tree that they want to get to know more about and protect. The connection starts with their interests and can grow into a lifelong passion for the environment.
Educate
Another method to ignite a passion for wildlife, plants, and trees is to educate. Learning can lead into acting and protecting the environment. Watersheds Canada and Greening Sacred Spaces both have an amazing list of resources through the FSE toolkit and on our websites for this purpose. Engagement can come in many forms which is why the OFCCB is focused on community involvement and flexibility for projects. The FSE toolkit is free for all to use so do not hesitate to utilize these resources!
Who is Watersheds Canada?
Watersheds Canada (WC) is a nonprofit and registered charity with a mission of helping lakes, rivers, and shorelines through restoration and education. With dedication towards facilitating community involvement, WC hopes to provide the tools and resources needed to protect water resources all over Canada. WC believes that in order to make the best impact, we must actively help others. With this in mind, Watersheds Canada provides proven and practical ways to improve water quality over the long term and trains others to do the same.
Who is Greening Sacred Spaces?
A program by Faith and the Common Good, Greening Sacred Spaces (GSS) helps faith communities with both the educational and spiritual dimensions of green action within the community. They provide resources about topics like green retrofits and decreasing the environmental footprint.
This blog is part of a series generously funded by the Ottawa Community Foundation, TD Friends of the Environment Foundation, and the Living Cities Canada Fund of Green Communities Canada. The two-year Ottawa Faith Community Capacity Building Program is led by Watersheds Canada and Greening Sacred Spaces.