Asian Visitors to Learn from Youth Corps Model

Two Nova Scotia Youth Conservation Corps projects will serve as models for seven professional educators and researchers from China and Vietnam.

River restoration projects with the Bluenose Atlantic Coastal Action Plan in Lunenburg and the Cobequid Salmon Association in Truro are being showcased this week to allow the Asian partners to learn about initiatives, programs and activities in Canada that empower youth within the conservation movement.

The visits are part of the Youth Education Initiative Program, a major component of the Community Based Conservation Management Program. This program is led by Saint Mary's University in co-operation with Xiamen University, Fujian Agricultural University, Vietnam National University, Nova Scotia Agricultural College, DalTech and the University of New Brunswick. Funding for this program comes from the Canadian International Development Agency.

The youth conservation corps is an initiative sponsored by the Nova Scotia Department of Environment. The corps will employ 172 Nova Scotia youth this summer. The youth, aged 17-24, will work on 40 environmental projects across the province.

The mandate of the corps is to give youth valuable and lasting environmental skills, which are used to benefit communities and the environment. Youth learn skills that benefit the environment and provide them with a better long-term outlook for environmental employment.