MUSEUM HOSTS YOUTH FORUM ON SUSTAINABILITY

Regina and district high-school students are getting a hands-on opportunity through the Royal Saskatchewan Museum (RSM) to develop their leadership skills while helping to make their communities sustainable.

Teams of students and teachers from Regina and nearby communities will develop and carry out hands-on, student-led projects beginning today and ending in October 2004, through Saskatchewan's first Youth Forum on Sustainability.

"The Youth Forum combines youth development with the museum's expertise on sustainability education to give students a unique and exciting opportunity," Regina Wascana Plains MLA Doreen Hamilton said on behalf of Culture, Youth and Recreation Minister Joan Beatty. "As part of our plan for a green and prosperous economy, we are recognizing and celebrating how students, institutions, and communities are working together toward social justice, economic prosperity and the protection of our natural environment."

The RSM developed the forum in partnership with the organization Learning for a Sustainable Future (LSF), the Faculty of Education at the University of Regina, the Department of Learning, SaskEnergy, the City of Regina, the Saskatchewan Science Centre, the Prairie Adaptation Research Collaborative, the Saskatchewan Outdoor and Environmental Education Association, and the First Nations University of Canada. Forum sponsors include TD Canada Trust, Communities of Tomorrow, Saskatchewan Parks and Recreation Association, Natural Resources Canada, Green Street, and the University of Regina Centre for Sustainable Communities.

"All our partners recognize that sustainable communities require knowledgeable citizens willing to acknowledge the significance and impacts of their choices and actions," RSM curator and Youth Forum Steering Committee chair Dr. Glenn Sutter said. "The Forum gives students a chance to take action through projects that touch on all aspects of sustainability and that make a real difference to their communities."

In 2002, the RSM was recognized as a national leader in sustainability education by the Canadian Network for Environmental Education and Communication. The Museum received an award of excellence for the design and content of its Life Sciences Gallery, especially a series of permanent exhibits called The Human Factor.

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For More Information, Contact:

Penny Pedersen Culture, Youth and Recreation Regina Phone: (306)787-2850