Are You Ready for
the Great Waters Challenge?

The Great Waters Challenge has ended for the 2018/19 school year!
Consider joining the Great Canoe Journey school program.
Great Waters Challenge raises the awareness and capacity of youth to better steward and protect our waters.

Are You Ready for
the Great Waters Challenge?

The Great Waters Challenge has ended for the 2018/19 school year!
Consider joining the Great Canoe Journey school program.
Great Waters Challenge raises the awareness and capacity of youth to better steward and protect our waters.

The Great Waters Challenge will focus on British Columbia in Fall 2018.

Participate from other Provinces or Territories:

Join Waterlution Teacher’s Community on Facebook

Find out about Great Waters Challenge public webinars in Fall 2018.

(Please note that workshops will only take place in BC classrooms and prizes will only be award in BC).

Sign up for our School Programs Mailing List

Receive the downloadable self-directed Great Waters Challenge Teacher Tool-Kit in Fall 2018.

Learn about other Waterlution school programs and opportunities across Canada.

Curious about the Great Waters Challenge?

The Great Waters Challenge (GWC) will guide young Canadians  (grades 3-12 & youth groups such as scouts, girl guides or eco-clubs for age 8-18)  to uncover and celebrate water stories in their communities. These stories will be showcased online, to make visible how water connects us all across our communities. The Waterlution team and its British Columbian Youth Advisory Board will support the BC participants throughout the challenge with activities, workshops and webinars to elevate their skillset and spark their curiosity!

The Great Waters Challenge Timeline

The Great Waters Challenge BC
is running from October 15 - December 21, 2018

Monday October 15th, 2018 at 9:30 AM PT

Classes attend a group welcome webinar to meet other teams and knowledgeable youth advisors.

Registered classes receive two challenge activities that help you explore water throughout the program!

Activity 1 “A challenge with my water” 

Teams introduce themselves and choose a water issue or topic in their area that they might like focus on or learn more about throughout the program

Activity 2 “A challenge with my community”

This challenge will invite teams to discover new information about their watershed through research, interviews and by spending time outdoors in their watershed

November 2018

Water Action & Celebration Workshops and Webinars – Workshops and online webinar are lead by our knowledgeable youth advisors. The workshop reviews activity 1 and 2 and empowers students to plan and host a water celebration or action-day. This gives students the opportunity to take charge, plan and lead an educational water event!

December 2018

Students lead Water Celebrations and Action-days

Monday December 17th, 2018 at 9:30AM PT

Closing knowledge sharing webinar.

Friday December 21st, 2018

Submit a short summary and photos/video of your event for a chance to win prizes!

Winners Announced and Prizes awarded by January 15th, 2019!

Ready To Register Your British Columbian School Team or Club?

Join now and:

  • Access our curriculum linked resources
  • Access content that invites youth to take their learning out into their community and make science, technology, society and the environment (STSE) connections using the Great Waters Challenge for Schools & Teams.
  • Access direct support from Waterlution’s Youth Advisory Board and the Great Waters Challenge Team.
  • Join a support community on Facebook and connect with other teachers/educators.
The Great Waters Challenge has ended for the 2018/19 school year!
Consider joining the Great Canoe Journey school program.

Partner & Awards

Youth Leaders in Action - Platinum Sponsor

Youth Leaders in Action - Silver Sponsor

School Prize Sponsors

Prize: 2X Field Trips including (admission to the Vancouver Aquarium and a 4-D film experience)
Value: $480 each
Eligible Locations: Schools in Metro Vancouver or the Sea to Sky Region

Prize: 1X Class set of surprise swag
Value: TBA
Eligible Locations: Schools in the Columbia Basin

Prize: 2X Environmental Stewardship Fieldtrip
Value: $335 each
Eligible Locations: Schools in Metro Vancouver or the Sea to Sky Region

Prize: 1X Beaty Box Rental: Seashore Kit
Value: $75
Eligible Locations: Schools in Metro Vancouver

Prize: 2 x Self-guided field trip
Value: $150 each
Eligible Locations:  Schools near Victoria

Prize: Self-guided Field Trip
Value: $225
Eligible Locations: Schools near Victoria

Prize: 8 x class licenses for iBiome-Ocean: School Edition a game where students to build virtual bio domes, learn 62 marine species and 4 unique oceanic ecosystems and understand how we can help.
Value: $90 per class set 

Eligible Locations: Anywhere in BC!

Prize: Mini Freshwater Testing Kit
Value: $120
Eligible Locations:  Anywhere in BC!

Many thanks to our network partners in BC who are helping promote the Great Waters Challenge program!

Canadian Network for Environmental Education and Communication, Friends of Kootenay Lake Stewardship Society, Central Kootenay Invasive Species Society, Living Lakes Canada, Nelson Youth Action Network, Surrey Schools SD36, BC Water & Waste Association, Stanley Park Ecology Society, BC Lake Stewardship Society, Hakai Institute, Fraser Basin Council and Beaty Biodiversity Museum.

Carol Wyatt’s Grade 4/5 classroom
at Assumption School, Powell River BC

“The students are sponges, who want to learn, who want to share, and who want to be seen as stewards of the water. We take care of salmon, we grow micro greens, we preserve water, and we will teach our primary Grade 2 class about this project in January! Thanks for the opportunity to learn with all the adults and high school students. We had fun. We look forward to talking with the Gjoa Haven students this month!”

Cawthra Park Secondary School
GWC Team - Mississauga, ON

“Taking part in the Great Water Challenge has been a great experience for our class. We have gained a better understanding of how important it is to learn about the heritage and history of our waterway and how it has changed over time. We realize how vitally important it is to be stewards of our watershed, our lakes, our streams – our home. We have hope for the future but know that we need to actively be part of the solution.”

Qiqirtaq Ilihakvik Secondary School
GWC team - Gjoa Haven, NU

“One thing we as a class noticed while reading the blogs is that water is important to everyone – whether you live in a big city like Toronto, or a small town like Gjoa Haven! A lot of water related geological features have first nation names as water was also very important to our ancestors’ way of life.  This challenge has made us more aware of water related issue throughout our country.”

Karen Mostad Grade 6/7
Nanoose Bay Elementary, Vancouver Island, British Columbia

“Participating in the Great Waters Challenge taught us many things about our local water systems and the relationship that Indigenous Peoples of our area have had with water.  Learning about the challenges that our global water systems face, students felt compelled to take action! We started an initiative at our school to reduce the use of single use plastics through educating our community and providing alternatives.  The Great Waters Challenge was a spring board that took our learning on an exciting journey and helped us each develop as social activists and global citizens.”

Join our Future Water Leaders network to be first to hear about youth volunteer opportunities!

NOTIFY ME

Meet Our Volunteer GWC Youth Advisory Board from 2018-2019!

MEET THE 2018/2019 YOUTH ADVISORY BOARD