Youth Environmental Stewardship (YES)

Young people are the future, and the way we treat our environment today will directly affect their quality of life as adults.

With that in mind, Surfrider Pacific Rim has developed a program designed to educate, inspire, and empower young people to step up as leaders in their community, instigating much needed changes for a sustainable future.

The Youth Environmental Stewardship (YES) Program teaches the YES Curriculum.

YES Curriculum

Combining place based learning with hands-on, practical engagement, students are encouraged to develop their understanding and connection to the natural world, thus instilling a sense of responsibility for its protection. The four-class program explores:

1. THE PLASTIC PROBLEM

Understand the problems associated with single-use plastics, the challenges of effective waste diversion, and the effect plastic has on marine ecosystems and wildlife.

2. BEACH CLEAN

Learn how to efficiently and effectively clean the shoreline, collecting useful data as you go.

3. TRASH TO TREASURE

Create thought-provoking artwork out of the collected marine debris to inspire discussion and make the ocean pollution epidemic more visible.

4. OCEAN FRIENDLY CAMPAIGNER

Discover leadership styles and develop campaigns to create change your school and community.

Schools Participating in the 2024 YES curriculum;

Current 2024 Ucluelet Secondary School Youth Club initiatives ;

Acquiring the correct recycling bins, & correctly labelling them to ensure accurate waste sorting processes within the school
Adding compost bins to the lunch hall
Organizing weekly waste-free lunches
planning 2024 remote beach cleans within the Pacific Rim

If you’re an educator interested in delivering this program with your class, or would like information about setting up a Surfrider Youth Club at your school, please contact youthcoordinator@pacificrim.surfrider.org

Surfrider Youth Clubs

As we work to ensure students are informed about the issues affecting our coastlines, it’s essential we provide opportunities for them to influence environmental action through service, leadership development, civic engagement and direct action organizing. Canada’s first Surfrider Youth Club was established in the Pacific Rim in 2018 and since then the network has gone from strength to strength, organising youth-led beach cleans, waste-reduction initiatives, fundraising activities, as well as building community outreach and awareness.

In February 2020, Surfrider Pacific Rim hosted the Inaugural Surfrider Youth Conference alongside Surfrider Foundation Wavemaker award winners Ucluelet Secondary School Surfrider Youth Club. Attended by students from across Vancouver Island and BC Lower Mainland, these smart, articulate, and motivated youth are driving real change in their communities, and we couldn’t be prouder of all their hard work!

Deepest gratitude to our generous sponsors that support the continual development and success of this program, ensuring its accessibility to all young people in the region. With heartfelt thanks to: Clayoquot Biosphere Trust, the Vancouver Foundation, Live To Surf, Ucluelet Secondary School, Maaqtusiis Secondary School.