'The next generation of climate champions': Conservation-centered spring break activities inspiring youth
School might be out for spring break for many Manitoba students, but that isn't stopping them from learning about important climate issues.
As a kid, Colleen Flook attended a FortWhyte Alive summer camp and is now passing on some of that fun to her daughter, Charmayne, for her spring break.
"Looking for minnows in the pond and being inside the building was always cool and paddling. It was a really fun experience," recalled Flook.
FortWhyte Alive's spring break camps are completely sold out, but they are also hosting different self-guided walks and activities for youth to enjoy on their break from classes.
Visitors can partake in outdoor activities like examining various animal tracks, looking for different textures in nature or seeing how a farm works, depending on the day they visit.
"We are trying to raise the next generation of climate champions here at FortWhyte. People who are aware of their natural environment and how they connect here at FortWhyte," said Mark Saunders, the communications and brand manager at FortWhyte Alive.
Conservation is a topic top of mind following a United Nations report released earlier this month painting a stark picture of the future if the world doesn't slash its carbon pollution quickly.
READ MORE: World on 'thin ice' as UN climate report gives stark warning.
With today's youth facing the largest impact, it adds extra importance to climate-focused spring break programming like the Manitoba Museum's, which is all about water this year.
The museum has water-based science demos, a planetarium show about water conservation and many more H20-centered activities.
"Water is so important to life, animals, to our understanding of the world, so it just seemed like a really great theme," explained Anya Moodie-Foster, the museum's learning and engagement supervisor. "Some of our special programming is going to extend all the way to earth day."
While sharing an educational message is the goal, spring break hosts like Assiniboine Park Zoo have to pass the info along while still making it fun for the children.
"So it's really important to have them here in this atmosphere and have crafts and talks and things that inspire them to think about these animals and their connections they have to the environment around them," said Sara Wolowich Brown, communications coordinator for Assiniboine Park Conservancy.
A message certainly passed on to those there on Sunday.
"Because if we don't keep them safe, then all the animals will go extinct," said one young student there with her family.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Most of Canada to receive emergency alert test today
The federal government will test its capacity to issue emergency alerts today, with the exception of Ontario, where the test will take place on May 15.
OPINION What King Charles' schedule being too 'full' to accommodate son suggests about relationship with Prince Harry
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
Ontario man devastated to learn $150,000 line of credit isn't insured after wife dies
An Ontario man found out that a line of credit he thought was insured actually isn't after his wife of 50 years died.
Boy Scouts of America is rebranding. Here's why they're now named Scouting America
After more than a century, Boy Scouts of America is rebranding as Scouting America, another major shakeup for an organization that once proudly resisted change.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Rape, terror and death at sea: How a boat carrying Rohingya children, women and men capsized
In March, Indonesian officials and local fishermen rescued 75 people from the overturned hull of a boat off the coast of Indonesia. Until now, little was known about why the boat capsized.
'A huge difference': These adults born in the '90s partnered with their parents to buy homes in Ontario
An Ontario woman said it would have been impossible to buy a house without her mother – an anecdote that animates the fact that over 17 per cent of Canadian homeowners born in the ‘90s own their property with their parents, according to a new report.
For their protection, immigrants critical of China and India call for speedy passage of Canada's foreign interference legislation
Canadian immigrants threatened by hostile regimes are urging parliamentarians to quickly pass the 'Countering Foreign Interference Act' so they can feel safe living in their adopted home.
How Drake and Kendrick Lamar's rap beef escalated within weeks
A long-simmering feud between hip-hop superstars Drake and Kendrick Lamar reached a boiling point in recent days as the pair traded increasingly personal insults on a succession of diss tracks. Here’s a quick overview of what’s behind the ongoing beef.