CC-IUCN-Youth: "The Moment That Seizes Our Heart"

Imagine putting 40 strong youthful voices from 16 countries in a room together for a day to discuss parks, protected areas, youth engagement, and connecting to nature. Going into it, I knew that that was what the Global Youth Ambassador Pre-Congress Workshop was all about, but it ended up being much more than is possible to describe in an emailed invitation. We were challenged, stimulated and I was exposed to perspectives on parks that had never before crossed my mind. In the end, I realized that the challenges Canadian parks face are undoubtedly mirrored in some instances around the globe, yet differ entirely from others. Valeria from Mexico spoke passionately about the security issues in her country that prevent people from experiencing the outdoors- she explained that driving in Mexico is a risk to life that people are not willing to take in order to visit a park. Hearing from Valeria made me reflect on the challenges we so frequently speak of in Canada and made our struggles almost seem petty in comparison. We often get wrapped up in discussing the obstacles that prevent Canadian youth from getting outside (things such as cost, not owning a car or not knowing where to go); these are undoubtedly real issues, but hey, at least we have safe roads. Overall however, the issues that parks face to engage youth in nature are paralleled around the globe, and the workshop proved to be a fantastic opportunity to bounce ideas off one another and become connected to a network of global youth working towards the same goals.

The day was kickstarted with a talk from Alan Latourelle, the CEO of Parks Canada. I’ve had the opportunity to encounter Alan a number of times now, and one thing has remained very clear with each encounter. Alan lives and breathes parks and conservation and believes in what he’s doing right down the core. It is refreshing to see such a passion and spark in the leader of a government agency who undoubtedly has to deal with endless policy, restrictions and negativity on a daily basis. Alan spoke about the “moment that seizes our heart” when experiencing something in the outdoors for the first time. It can happen on the summit of a mountain after a long hike, swimming in a glacial lake, or while having a picnic in a local urban park. No matter how it happens, this feeling is one that every Canadian deserves to have, and is why 5000 delegates from around the world are coming together for an event that has been ten years in the making.

We heard next from Carl Solomon, an Australian with an extensive personal profile that includes founding Right To Play and directing tourism for New South Wales Parks & Wildlife. What resonated with me most in Carl’s talk was the idea of “inspiring learning” instead of education. He also stressed the importance of having a clear vision, laying out a road map, keeping it simple, and having the conviction to do things differently. Carl is clearly an innovative thinker who has had huge amounts of success in his life from sticking to these key strategies and, as he stated, having some fun along the way. Carl’s experience with both the environmental side (by working with parks) and the social justice side (from Right To Play) made me reflect that they are one in the same. The cultural, social, human side is wholeheartedly intertwined with the natural, outdoorsy, environmental side. Choosing between a path in social justice vs. the environment is something that I still toy with constantly, and Carl made me realize that it does not have to be a choice, and in fact, it shouldn’t be. Damien Mander’s keynote address touched on the same concept. Damien founded the International Anti-Poaching Foundation that works in Mozambique and South Africa to implement direct-action anti-poaching techniques. His organization approaches the conservation issue from a social perspective by seeing it as a social problem; villagers see poaching as a way out of poverty, yet so many men die and end up leaving their wives and children alone. Damien’s experience reiterated what Carl touched on- humans and the environment influence and affect one another and creating a separation between them only worsens the situation for each.

The 40 youth and 5000 total Congress participants all started their journey somewhere, and more often than not it was a profound, personal experience in the outdoors. Emma spoke about family camping trips in Paraguay that she went on as a kid that sparked her passion for environmental stewardship. For myself personally, I’ve had countless moments that have seized my heart in the Canadian wilderness, and I have no doubt in my mind that they are what brought me to be among such an amazing group of people right now. In my view, these moments are why we are here connecting, collaborating and inspiring. These moments need to be shared, they need to be celebrated, and they need to be felt by all, because the future of our earth and our people depends upon it. What I hope to gain from the World Parks Congress are real, tangible action strategies that seize the hearts of people around the world and connect our generation to the incredulity of the outdoors.