The City of Airdrie is now accepting applications for the 2020 Eco Youth Awards, which encourage youth to come up with environmentally-focused programs and provides funding to get them off the ground.
“We’ve had students that have wanted to build bird feeders in our community, all the way to building book sheds in their community, to planting more trees,” said Mara Pratt, education co-ordinator for Waste & Recycling with the City.
“It can be any environmental topic,” she added, citing climate change, soil, air, water, energy, food, transportation and waste as potential areas of focus.
Through the award, $750 will be given to one winner in each age category. According to airdrie.ca, the prize is meant to “assist with implementing a proposed initiative or build on an existing project or program.” FortisAlberta sponsors the award, and the City provides matching funds, Pratt said.
The program is a City of Airdrie initiative, and Pratt said it has been offered since at least 2014.
To be eligible, applicants must be youth under the age of 18. Pratt said entire schools, individual classrooms, clubs, volunteer and community groups or individuals can submit applications.
Applications must outline a summary of how the chosen project addresses an environmental issue, the budget required for the project, a timeline to carry out the project and desired educational outcomes from the project. Youth can apply with a current project, Pratt said, or propose a new project.
Applications for the awards opened at the beginning of September, and individuals and groups have until Dec. 7 to apply through airdrie.ca/ecoyouth
After the December deadline, Pratt said applications go the Environmental Advisory Board (EAB), which determines the award recipients.
“We go through all the applications and make sure they meet all the ticks in the box, and then it is given to EAB as a package to go through and mark and judge based on a rubric,” she said.
EAB deliberates on the recipients and once chosen, each group and individual will attend an EAB meeting in January 2021 to present their ideas.
“It’s quite a celebratory opportunity for the youth to speak in public, share their ideas, be in a space they may or may not be comfortable with and celebrate what they’re up to and what they wish to achieve,” Pratt said.
Pratt said the City values the award as a way to encourage youth to work towards change in their community and have a voice in what they want to see in the future.
“I personally love this award and I think the City stands behind it as well, knowing that it’s an opportunity to engage, motivate and inspire youth and to bring forward ideas and new perspectives and allow the youth to have a bit of say and a bit of financial help,” she said.
Ben Sherick, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @BenSherick
