Developing Water Solutions across the largest freshwater ecosystems on the planet
Participants will attend one of the in-person components
COMPONENT A
SEPT 15-18, 2022
SAULT STE. MARIE & BRUCE MINES, ONTARIO
OR
COMPONENT B
SEPT 30 – OCT 2, 2022
TRAVERSE CITY, MICHIGAN
About WIL Great Lakes
Waterlution, and our partners, are pleased to launch WIL-Great Lakes, a capacity building and innovation acceleration initiative involving young water leaders who work across the Great Lakes region from both Canada and the USA (Northern Turtle Island) who together develop new innovations and approaches across the Great Lakes’ region.
The program combines leadership and skills training with technical expertise from Northwestern Michigan College, coupled with community-led on-the-land knowledge sharing to stimulate and accelerate innovative solution-making, with partners in Sault St, Marie, Ontario.
Core Themes
Innovation teams will create entrepreneurial projects that tackle one of three core themes:
- Water systems monitoring technologies
- Fisheries and habitat monitoring technologies
- High-Resolution mapping including benthic and LIDAR mapping
- Data management, applications, and dissemination
STAY CONNECTED
OUR Water in the Great Lakes needs
INNOVATION
The Water Innovation Lab, known as WIL, is a front-running, immersive leadership training designed to accelerate collaborative innovation, fast-track global knowledge-sharing and devise new innovations that improve water security. WIL supports emerging leaders and entrepreneurs (19-35 yrs) across water and climate change disciplines to learn and innovate together. WIL develops future water leaders to think holistically, design innovatively, and communicate effectively across cultures.
WIL Great Lakes takes place within the traditional and ancestral lands of the Anishinabe, Ojibwe and Odawa people and Indigenous youth of all Nations are highly encouraged to apply.
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Mentors & Coaches
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In-person Components for Hands-on Learning
PROGRAM DETAILS
ABOUT THE GREAT LAKES
The Great Lakes ecosystem is the largest fresh water system in the world and supports the economies & livelihood of people living across Northern Turtle Island in Canada and the US. The scale of these water bodies is so large that managing and protecting them can be a daunting task. At the heart of managing and protecting the Great Lakes is the need for collaboration, sharing knowledge, working together – on both sides of the US and Canadian border – to address gaps, and develop skills of young professionals across water/marine sectors to support resilient communities across the Great Lakes to ensure their protection for decades to come.
With this in mind, participants at WIL Great Lakes will work together to address the following themes:
- Water systems monitoring technologies
- Fisheries and habitat monitoring technologies
- High-Resolution mapping including benthic and LIDAR mapping
- Data management, applications, and dissemination
WHO can apply?
Open to young professionals (ages 19-35) living, working or studying in Canada or the USA (Northern Turtle Island). We welcome and encourage applications from women and all genders as well as Black, Indigenous and People of Colour.
Fees
Due to the generous support from our partners, there are no fees to attend WIL Great Lakes.
WIL Great Lakes
interactive online training sessions
Participants will gather during 2 interactive online training sessions, where experts will share knowledge on the themes and the WIL community will be developed.
in-person collaboration trainings
Participants will then be invited to attend one of two in-person collaboration trainings, based on the nature of their Great Lakes innovation project:
- Sault Ste. Marie, Canada – September 15-18, 2022
- Northwestern Michigan College in Traverse City, USA – Sept 30 – Oct 2, 2022
The in-person 3-day immersive trainings are a deep-dive components of the program for skills development, local field tours, traditional knowledge (Sault St. Marie) and extensive technological knowledge, farmers and fisher people, and innovation project development. Each training will be tailored to local expert knowledge, place-base learnings, field tours, and Resource Guests, allowing participants to attend that which is most relevant to their innovation project, and allow for one-on-one mentorship with experts.
*All in-person programs will only take place if safe to do so in the context of the global pandemic. Adaptations will be made as necessary if gathering is no longer possible.
Schedule
1hr Mentorship Meeting
Date TBD
July – August
Virtual Training Session 1
Skills Training, Networking, Community Building
September 13, 2022
2-hour session 12noon to 2 p.m. EST
Virtual Training Session 2
World Cafe with Expert Resource Guests
September 20, 2022
2-hour session 12noon to 2 p.m. EST
In Person Collaboration
September – October, 2022
In Person Collaboration
September – October, 2022
Participants will be invited to attend one of two in-person collaboration trainings, based on the nature of their Great Lakes innovation project. The focus of the gatherings will be to explore the themes through field tours, immersive on-the-land learning, innovation project development & acceleration, and mentorship:
1. SEPTEMBER 15-18, 2022
Sault Ste. Marie & Bruce Mines,
Ontario, Canada
- Learning circle with Indigneous Knowledge holders
- Lab and field tours looking at water quality monitoring and citizen science
- Getting out on the water in canoes and kayaks and learning with local leaders
- Skills Training and collaboration with team members to advance innovation projects
2. SEPTEMBER 30-Oct 2, 2022
NMC in Traverse City, USA
- Technical training, field and lab tours looking at wastewater treatment, water quality monitoring, and well testing
- Benthic lidar mapping of the Great Lakes
- Getting out on the water, boat tours and data collection
- Skills Training and collaboration with team members to advance innovation projects
October – February
Virtual Mentorship, Coaching and Prototype Testing
Project teams will receive extended mentorship for team innovation projects, acceleration of project development, and potentially initial piloting or prototyping (depending on nature of innovation project) of innovative solutions.
WHY JOIN?
Past WIL Participants
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WIL GREAT LAKES
Resource Guests
More amazing guests will be added soon
Will Kitchen
risk taker, innovator, entrepreneur, and doer
Jennifer Szunko
Talent Attractor, Michigan's Creative Coast
Ann Ralston
President, Ralston Consulting Inc.
Aaron Jones
Fish & Wildlife Coordinator
Francis L “Tex” Criqui
President of Francis Criqui & Associates
Nick Beadleston
Sustainability Consultant
Elaine Ho-Tassone
Director of Operations, NORDIK Institute
Dr. Erik Emilson
Research Scientist
Brittany VanderBeek
Sustainability Consultant
Chuck Meek
Managing Director, Solve for X, L3C
Theresa Smith
CTO of OLA Filter
Bill Palladino
Senior Leadership Consultant
Sue Roppel
Independent Advisor
Al Everett
SCORE Certified Mentor
Mollie Everett
SCORE Certified Mentor
Jay Meldrum
Director of the Keweenaw Research Center
Greg Terell
Founder and the CEO of LooUQ
Laura Rutkowski
Writer, Editor, Instructional Designer
Russell Schindler
CEO/Geologist/Founder
WIL Great Lakes 2022 Team
Karen Kun
President & Founder, Waterlution
Megan Cornall
WIL Coordinator
Stephanie Pheasant-Recollet
Indigenous Relations Coordinator
Chris McLeod
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
FAQs
We encourage you to apply! Tell us about how you’ve been engaged with this topic, and the reviewers will see if you have the right background to be included. This is a young professionals space, and if you really feel you want to be there, put your best effort in. Diversity of experiences adds richness to the WIL program and we encourage applicants that have unique backgrounds.
WIL Great Lakes is open to people working, living, and studying in Canada or the USA, specifically those who work extensively in the Great Lakes region. Unfortunately, we cannot accept global applicants, but sign up for our newsletter and/or follow our social channels as we do host global WILs!
Yes, participants who complete the program will be eligible for a certificate.
Please set aside 1-3 hours throughout the summer for mentorship meetings.
The in-person gathering is an immersive 4 day program with evening activities which are part of the networking. There will be wifi to check email and stay in touch, but the less work you can do during that week the better. This is a professional experience and you will get the most by being as present as possible!
Beyond the WIL programming there will be opportunities to advance innovation projects, with work schedules created by each project group.
Yes, sessions will be recorded for you to review afterwards if you are unable to make a session. We strongly encourage you to attend all sessions, as they are collaborative and interactive, and you will get the most learning by being present!
At Waterlution, speakers and experts are usually referred to as Resource Guests, where the role is to elevate the knowledge and skills of the young professionals participating. If you think you have a strong set of skills to contribute, please email megan.cornall@waterlution.org with your background and she will be in touch.
As a general approach, Waterlution does vegetarian as the base, sometimes adding animal proteins and dairy to fit a variety of people. We do our best to accommodate vegan diets and allergies and would work with you on a case-by-case basis. Participants will be sent a form where those details will be included.
It is our sincere hope that the in-person portion will proceed as planned. The number of people attending has already been adapted to a lower number as a covid consideration. However if something happens beyond our control, we will revisit whether it will happen in person. (But our fingers and toes are crossed!)
Our strong preference is that people can stay the whole time; however, we understand that there can be exceptions and there is space for this included in your application form. It will be taken into consideration.
PARTNERS
QUESTIONS ABOUT WIL Great Lakes?
Megan Cornall