Redfish Participants Get Hooked on Change

Sixteen river-weary young people arrive in Vancouver this week after paddling the Fraser River from Hope to Jericho Beach as part of a ground-breaking new youth leadership program. These times of environmental and economic uncertainty call for exceptional leadership, and the Redfish School of Change has responded to the challenge with a unique field school that has participants "in the field for the future."
 
"The Redfish School of Change is designed for youth who have a passion for finding solutions to environmental and social challenges," says Nadine Raynolds, Director of the Redfish School of Change. "We have a group of amazing young leaders from across Canada who bring a diversity of backgrounds, study disciplines, interests and perspectives."
 
This intensive six-week field school, accredited through the University of Victoria's School of Environmental Studies, takes participants from the mountains of the Slocan Valley to the west coast of Vancouver Island. Along the way, students visit innovative sites and engage with experts in the field of environment and social justice. Having spent two weeks in the Kootenay region of British Columbia, they are now making their way to Vancouver and Victoria for the month of June.
 
Students are building skills, developing strategies, and making plans for projects to bring back to their communities. Their projects span from tackling urban sprawl and working with youth at risk, to writing a novel, protecting habitat, and starting their own innovative education programs. Look for the students' blog at redfishschoolofchange.blogspot.com. Also see http://www.schoolofchange.ca
 
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 For more information contact:
 
 Nadine Raynolds
 Director, Redfish School of Change GreenLearning Canada  
 cell: 250-361-6966
 tel:  250-358-2164
 
 Ruth Whyte
 cell: 250-216-6975
 Pearson College
 redfish@greenlearning.ca    
 
The Redfish School of Change grew out of a shared passion for social and environmental change and experiential education, as well as a strong belief in the capacity of young people to lead our communities toward greater sustainability. GreenLearning Canada, Pearson College and the University of Victoria partnered to design and deliver this unique program, and founding sponsor Shell Canada made it possible for the first semester to run this spring. 
 
Media are invited to meet the Redfish School of Change as the group travels through the lower mainland, from Hope to Jericho Beach, stopping along the way in Harrison, Mission, Coquitlam, and Richmond. Students and instructors are available for interviews from Wednesday, June 3 to Monday, June 8. The students, ages 18-27, come from British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia.
 
 High-resolution photographs are available upon request.