Say YES to Community Action on Invasive Species with Youth EcoStewards:

ecostewards.ca

 

The Youth EcoStewards (YES) Program—hosted nationally by Invasives Canada – empowers youth with the skills, training, and real-world experience they need to step confidently into their next chapter in environmental and conservation careers. Using biodiversity conservation and invasive species management as our training lens, we launched programming in September with our first national cohort and hit the ground running. 

Our Program Pillars 

YES is built on four core pillars that drive meaningful skill development and hands-on impact: 

1. Online Education, Training, and Engagement

2. Youth-Guided Events, Activities, and Projects (On-Site)

3. Self-Guided Learning Paths

4. Career Networking and Mentorship

 

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Learning & Engagement in Action                                                                                                                                                         

To date, our team has hosted 10 national virtual events and educational webinars, including, for example: 

• From Volunteer to Career green career panel
• An eco-entrepreneurship learning session
• The Eco-Changemakers Virtual Networking Summit, delivered in collaboration with the Southern Alberta Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society Chapter

Participants can also access on-demand training such as Indigenous Awareness Canada's 101 course, enabling flexible, personalized learning. 

And there's more to come: our team is actively developing new webinar series and topics for 2026—participants, stay tuned! 

With our first cohort fully engaged, we're ramping up on-the-ground field trips, partner-led training opportunities, and volunteer placements with organizations across the country. These collaborations provide real-world conservation experience while expanding youth networks and technical skills. 

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Flexible Self-Guided Learning Paths                                                                                                                                                 

The program's self-guided learning paths are flexible pathways and activities that build skills as participants work through the steps. These activities also allow participants to engage no matter where they are in the country. 

We have two self guided activities to engage in: 

EcoMissions: themed, seasonal pre-made pathways that include 5 steps for participants to "level up" from an Explorer to an Innovator. Each step builds technical and leadership skills while encouraging outdoor exploration. 

 

Curious Minds Challenge: A friendly regional competition powered by iNaturalist. Each month brings a new theme that helps observers focus on seasonal shifts while building valuable biodiversity datasets. Participants contribute directly to community science while boosting regional totals. 

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Next Up: Celebrating Youth Success & Launching New Tools                                                                                                                            

We're excited to celebrate participant achievements from fall projects and activities as we close out the year. 

Looking ahead to 2026, we're preparing to launch the Youth EcoStewards Networking and Resource Hub—a new digital space that makes it easy for participants to connect nationwide, access project resources, and collaborate on conservation ideas. 

As we move into winter, our focus turns to skill building, mentorship, and preparing youth to design and launch bold community conservation projects in 2026. 

You can Register for Youth EcoStewards at EcoStewards.ca!

This program is made possible by the Canadian Service Corps and the Government of Canada. 

 

 

 

Mackenzie DiGasparro 
Manager, Youth Engagement, Youth EcoStewards, Invasives Canada