Water First Launches New Program Together with Six First Nations Communities in Ontario
June 17 2024 - 8:30AM
A brand new opportunity for Indigenous learners will launch on July
8, 2024 as Water First Education & Training Inc. and
Mamaweswen, The North Shore Tribal Council (NSTC) begin an
environmental water training and education internship program. The
15-month internship will see 10 participants from six communities
take part in the program, which can lead to Water First
certifications in Water Quality, Environmental Data, and Fish
Conservation.
"The opportunities for young people coming out of these types of
programs are huge. There are many communities and organizations
looking for employees, particularly within the water fields. And it
may also be a stepping stone for them to go into higher education
to learn more about science and impacts on the environment,” shares
Allan Moffatt, Chief Executive Officer of Mamaweswen, The North
Shore Tribal Council. “Interns will be out in the rivers on their
traditional territories practising environmental stewardship,
monitoring fish habitats and water quality. This really fits in
with many of our communities' long term plans for environmental
sustainability.”
Indigenous communities across Canada face serious and complex
clean water challenges. With a goal of building local capacity, the
Environmental Water Internship will help keep highly-trained and
skilled individuals in the community, monitoring water systems and
potential food sources.
Brooke Harrison, Water First Technical Trainer & Project
Coordinator, and Environmental Water Program participant Nathalie
Mathias collecting data on a local lake.
Water First’s Environmental Water Program delivers educational
workshops and technical training in collaboration with Indigenous
communities, based on collaborative consultation and assessment of
community priorities. Together with community partners, these
programs strengthen local capacity for managing water and fish
resources and the impact of industry and climate change. To date,
Water First has delivered over 80 Environmental Water
workshops.
“This is a brand-new internship program for Water First. To be
able to expand our training opportunities and fill a gap in the
water science field was really important to us,” says Water First
Executive Director and Founder John D. Millar. “Past partnerships
with North Shore Tribal Council have been really successful, so
we’re thrilled that we could roll out the Environmental Water
Internship with North Shore communities. Delivering this program
together means an even greater opportunity to support community
capacity building and see more trained, skilled individuals able to
continue working in water and fish resource management right at
home.”
At Park Lake in Labrador, Environmental Water Program
participants work together to learn how to record data collected as
part of a fish population study.
The Environmental Internship is modelled on Water First’s highly
successful Drinking Water Internship Program, which has certified
more than 45 Indigenous participants since launching in 2017. With
a focus on collaboration, Water First’s program model ensures that
each internship is tailored to the specific landscape and safe
water needs of the community in which the internship is taking
place. “Ultimately,” says Millar, “Water First Graduates with
skills and certifications in the water sciences can contribute
technical capacity to their community after completing the
program.”
Participants in the Environmental Water Internship work
alongside a network of technical trainers, community members and
Water First program alumni. To remove as many barriers to success
as possible, participants are offered learning supports throughout
the internship, including laptop computers, phone allowance,
one-on-one mentoring and child care.
On the land (or in this case, on the water) experiential
learning opportunities for Environmental Water Program participants
at Park Lake in Labrador.
For more information on Water First’s Environmental Water
Internship, and for opportunities to support programs that help
address water challenges in Indigenous communities across Canada,
visit https://waterfirst.ngo/what-we-do/environmental-water
About Water First Education & Training Inc. (Water
First):Water First is a registered Canadian charity that
works alongside Indigenous communities to address water challenges
through education, training, and meaningful collaboration. Since
2009, Water First has collaborated with more than 95 Indigenous
communities located in the lands now known as Canada while
supporting Indigenous youth and young adults to pursue careers in
water science. Learn more: www.waterfirst.ngo.
About Mamaweswen, The North Shore Tribal
Council:Mamaweswen, The North Shore Tribal Council (NSTC)
represents seven First Nations (FN). They are Batchewana FN, Garden
River FN, Thessalon FN, Mississauga FN, Serpent River FN, Sagamok
Anishnawbek and Atikameksheng Anishinawbek. All First Nations are
located along the North Shore of Lake Huron within the
Robinson-Huron Treaty area. The North Shore Tribal Council
Secretariat is the corporate arm of this collective of First
Nations. NSTC’s mandate is to assist and facilitate the activities
of the member communities of the North Shore Tribal Council. In a
manner that promotes the cultural, spiritual, political, economic,
environmental and social well being of the member First Nations.
Learn more: https://mamaweswen.com/
For more information, please contact:
Ami Gopal |
Allan Moffatt |
Director of Development and
Communications |
Chief Executive Officer |
Water First |
Mamaweswen, The North Shore
Tribal Council |
1-800-970-8467 ext. 106 |
1-877-633-7558 |
ami.gopal@waterfirst.ngo |
allanm@mamaweswen.ca |
Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:
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