On Oct. 7-8, more than 800 Grade 4-6 students, with their teachers and parent volunteers, gathered at the Kinark Outdoor Centre to take part in the 20th annual Haliburton-Muskoka-Kawartha Children’s Water Festival (HMKCWF).
Students engaged in hands-on fun at 37 activity-based learning stations set up across the site. Elementary schools from across the Trillium Lakelands District School Board and families of local homeschoolers were involved.
HMKCWF coordinator Kara Mitchell said more than 100 volunteers helped children explore the vital connections between water health, ecosystems, and personal and community well-being through motivational experiences.
The festival, a flagship program of the Haliburton-based charity FEEL (Friends of Ecological and Environmental Learning),is organized in partnership with U-Links Centre for Community-Based Research and Kinark. Significant volunteer support came from high school students in the Kawartha Youth Leadership in Sustainability (YLS)
program and Trent University students from the School of the Environment.
This year, 12 community partners including the Turtle Guardians, Kawartha Conservation, the Muskoka Watershed
Council and the Algonquin Highlands Fire Service enriched the programming through hands-on activities. Mitchell said, “students soaked in messages on water conservation, technology, protection and science and came to understand that their attitudes towards water matters and their actions can and will make a difference.”
With a milestone celebrated this year, many of the 90 parent volunteers said they were inspired through their initial
attendance as school children.
Mitchell added through the waterheroes. ca website, students can continue their water stewardship journey. Running until the end of April, students can enter the ‘big splash’ contest by sending in water friendly actions they pledge to do in the year ahead. Donated prizes will be awarded to individuals, classes and schools making inspiring positive impacts on local water systems through their actions.
Mitchell said the festival was possible thanks to support from a diversity of individual donors, local businesses and
service clubs. She added, “FEEL invites local businesses, organizations and individuals to consider donating at any
level to keep our impactful programming flowing.”
The festival will also recognize volunteerswith an event Nov. 1, noon to 3 p.m., at the Highland Hills United Church in Minden.
Mitchell said, “we’ll be acknowledging all supporters, including our groundwater volunteers and donors; those who have been consistent supporters for the past decade.” She said anyone curious about volunteering is welcome to attend.
FEEL says it is committed to advancing public awareness and appreciation of ecosystems through education. HMKCWF is their flagship program. Since the festival began in 2005, more than 16,000 children have benefited.
More information can be found at hmkchildrenswaterfestival@gmail.com, or www.ecoenvirolearn.org, hmkwaterfestival.ca or www.waterheroes.ca
