Credit: Sherry Prenevost
Eco Youth Forum — May 25th in the Rouge
YENYR is proud to host the first ever Eco Youth Forum, held at the Rouge River Community Centre on Friday May 25th, 2012 from 9:00am to 3:00pm. In conjunction with the Windfall Ecology Centre, this event will be the conclusion to our Seeds to Trees project and a celebration of the Rouge Park becoming Canada's first National Urban Park.
The forum will bring together a diverse range of York Region's high school Eco-Teams, environmental organizations, green businesses, and municipality departments. As part of our acknowledgement to the Eco Teams, we would like to showcase their collective achievements to York Region as a symbol of the beneficial impact that the youth have upon our local environment and community.
Markham's Amazing Race — Saturday, April 28th
YENYR hosted a station in the Rouge for Markham's Amazing Race. Participants started the morning off with a good old tree planting session at Bob Hunter Memorial Park within the Rouge Park.
With the help of Friends of the Rouge Watershed, YENYR challenged racers to quickly but carefully plant five native trees in order to receive the clue to the next station as well as contribute to the local environment and the development of the Rouge Park. Racers that failed to properly plant the trees had to restart until their work is approved.
YENYR is very excited to host this engaging station to kick off this year's Amazing Race presented by Markham's Mayor's Youth Task Force. Marck and the YENYR team wish the best of luck to all competitors!
About the team
Youth Environmental Network of York Region
Team: Vithusha Vithiyatharan, Roy Saavedra, Preksha Surana, Marck Mercado
Who: Youth Environmental Network of York Region (YENYR) is an incorporated youth-led non-profit organization. Their mandate is to promote environmental sustainability in York Region by empowering young people. The network includes an executive team of eight students and hundreds of volunteers and has engaged a wide network of youth through school focused initiatives such as conferences, campaigns, competitions, and festivals.
Why: Team YENYR believes Camp Suzuki is an opportunity for the organization to grow and inspires participants to become the much needed environmental leaders within their communities. They strongly support the creation of a National Park in the Rouge and hope to inspire youth in York Region to become active champions.
What: In the coming months, Team YENYR plans to engage its community by attending local events — adding a splash of green to each event — and holding an eco-youth forum and community picnic to conclude their new Seeds to Trees project in the Rouge Park.
