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May 6, 1999
(Forest Resources and Agrifoods)


The following statement was issued today by Kevin Aylward, Minister of Forest Resources and Agrifoods. It was also read in the House of Assembly:

I would like to take this opportunity to inform the House of Assembly of the contributions of the Conservation Corps in the province.

The Conservation Corps Newfoundland and Labrador was incorporated as a non-profit organization in 1992. It has an excellent and deserved reputation in the province for innovative and progressive youth training and employment initiatives. It provides young people with meaningful work, and training opportunities in environmental and cultural heritage conservation and enhancement. This organization envisions our young people leading a change in environmental, economic and cultural development and ethics in Newfoundland and Labrador.

I would like to acknowledge the support of this organization by my colleague, Julie Bettney. The Conservation Corps is supported through the Department of Human Resources and Employment with a funding of $450,000 for 1998/99 and will see 130 people employed around the province and will provide a similar contribution in 1999/2000. The program is specifically designed to provide youth educational and development opportunities related to the environment.

This emphasis on our young population reflects a priority of the Department of Human Resources and Employment, that is youth employment.

Last year the program assisted 130 young people and it is anticipated that 130 individuals will be assisted this year.

Volunteerism and environmental awareness are growing steadily among young people everywhere. It is their interest and vitality that drives programs like the Corps' Green Teams.

Since its inception, the Corps has fielded 171 Green Teams - more than 750 individuals between 16 and 27 years old - and carried out 201 projects in 182 communities throughout the province. Roughly equal numbers of female and male students have participated.

Last year's program saw a dramatic increase of 55 per cent in Green Team project applications. Green Team projects emphasize community, youth, and environmental or cultural enhancement. Projects are as diverse as fish and wildlife habitat enhancement, trail development and interpretation, stream rehabilitation and erosion control, cultural conservation such as archaeological digs, and environmental education.

The Corps' Environmental Leadership Program provides students aged 21-24 with leadership and environmental training in the developing world, which they apply on local projects. Six participants and two alternates are selected in the province each year. Around the first of May, they join their Nova Scotia and New Brunswick counterparts and travel on to Costa Rica for seven weeks. There, they take part in projects such as reforestation and environmental education presentations to schoolchildren.

Upon their return, they immediately join the Conservation Corps week-long leadership training camp. They then return to their home communities to assume leadership of a Green Team working on local projects.

I again congratulate the Conservation Corps Newfoundland and Labrador for their commitment and dedication to environmental awareness and preservation. Thank-you.

1999 05 06 3:00 p.m.


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