Coastal Insights: Raincoast’s education program goes live
Coastal Insights: An online learning series to connect people to place.
Spring marks the anticipated shift in seasons; as the days get longer, new shoots emerge and bird songs become a welcome daily tune. Typically, it represents an exciting time for Raincoast science teams with the start of our busy field season and work throughout iconic regions of British Columbia’s coast. The Achiever takes to BC’s coastal waters after a winter of maintenance, and youth get inspired through our Salish Sea Emerging Stewards program. This year, however, due to the pandemic, old-growth temperate rainforests and the sight of our marine mammal neighbours are replaced with our urban and suburban settings, and the inside of our living rooms.
Our Salish Sea Emerging Stewards program, which focuses on experiential and place-based learning, looks very different this year. The program typically takes youth on a journey through the Salish Sea to discover their coast and create a connection to place. While there is no substitute for physically engaging with the ecologically and culturally important places we typically visit, we have developed a way to inform and inspire digitally.
Last week, we ran the first episode of our Coastal Insights webinar series. Each week will feature new guest speakers who will share their work, passion and stories of coastal British Columbia (BC). Topics will range from a general introduction to BC ecology and conservation to bears and salmon to pairing Indigenous knowledge with scientific research. While creating life changing experiences aboard Achiever isn’t currently possible, we are creating a program that we hope will lead to the same outcomes. Students will learn about local ecology, they will hear various perspectives on stewardship, and will be inspired to pursue careers in science and conservation.
Every Wednesday at 1pm, through May and June, we will deliver a live and interactive program that will be filled with incredible imagery and videos which will bring us into the coastal environments of British Columbia.
If you can’t come to the coast, we’ll bring the coast to you!
The program is primarily designed to support High School students and schools, however, anyone interested in continuing their learning and staying updated on Raincoast’s latest research and conservation efforts can join.
To learn more and register, please visit Coastal Insights.
We look forward to seeing you online.
You can help
Raincoast’s in-house scientists, collaborating graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and professors make us unique among conservation groups. We work with First Nations, academic institutions, government, and other NGOs to build support and inform decisions that protect aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, and the wildlife that depend on them. We conduct ethically applied, process-oriented, and hypothesis-driven research that has immediate and relevant utility for conservation deliberations and the collective body of scientific knowledge.
We investigate to understand coastal species and processes. We inform by bringing science to decision-makers and communities. We inspire action to protect wildlife and wildlife habitats.
