Education

Education program builds links between schools, watershed, and community

A ground-breaking new program, the River College Network works with teachers to develop customized learning strategies, modules and activities which integrate environmental issues and watershed management within existing courses.

The themes of water and health are the starting points for environmental learning activities. Among a number of environmental issues, these themes are central to the stewardship of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River. Through the Network, students are invited to explore regional watershed management as well as the broader Great Lakes–St. Lawrence River watershed.

The primary goal of this project is to promote awareness and civic engagement among young people. By addressing local environmental issues within their school programs, students explore, discover, understand and engage with their community and local environment. They develop the skills and analytical tools which enhance their capacity to intervene for positive change.

“A society faced with a radical imperative to achieve a socially, economically and ecologically sustainable basis within a historically short time needs to reappraise most aspects of its organization; education –as the main means of social reproduction–has to be the center of this task…” (Sterling, 1996, p. 18)

Last year, 10 schools participated in the program, and more partners have joined the network this fall. Unlike traditional ‘out-of-the-box’ learning projects where a single, over-arching topic is integrated into the learning process, the River College Network works closely with teachers to develop a suite of interdisciplinary strategies, tools, and community and hands-on activities that are adapted to the school’s environmental mission, the course’s objectives and the student’s competencies.

For example, at College Saint-Hyacinthe the “Biology – Life Evolution and Diversity” classes studied the health of a nearby stream, the Plein Champ. The analysis of a number of physicochemical parameters showed the poor condition of the creek. To counter the deterioration and soil erosion, a student committee now plans to restore the banks with vegetation and is preparing to seek the assistance of farmers, land-owners, community members, and the municipality in the continued rehabilitation of the creek.

In this way the college management, teachers and local stakeholders (from community, social and environmental groups to researchers and policy makers) work in close collaboration to foster a sense of place and culture of civic engagement.

Currently the Network operates in Québec, but there are strong prospects to connect with other Great Lakes initiatives, and extending the program across the region. The Great Lakes Innovative Stewardship Through Education Network (GLISTEN) is a promising future partner.

The River College Network is funded by the generous support of the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation, the EJLB Foundation and a new grant from the RBC Blue Print program. Institutions and teachers interested in submitting their ideas and proposals are welcome.

“While hard-won new laws and new programs will be helpful in protecting the future of the Great Lakes system, the ultimate protection of the lakes will not begin there. It will begin in the appreciation of millions of individuals who fondly call the lakes home or who visit and revere this singularly spectacular spot on the globe… When this respect comes to pass, the basin’s inhabitants and visitors can collectively enact a reform more sweeping than any statute.”
(Dempsey, 2004, p.4)

helene@glu.org and valerie@glu.org

© 2010 Great Lakes News.