The 2010 Nature Trust of BC Wild Festival will be held at Okanagan College on Tuesday, June 8.
The Wild Festival is one BC's most popular and well attended nature festivals for young people. For twelve years, this annual event has encouraged students from schools across the Okanagan Valley to get outdoors and engage with nature. The goal of the Festival is to provide students with a truly enriched nature experience and inspire them to value biodiversity.
The coordinators of the festival work with local educators to plan and implement fun and educational activities that broaden imaginations, expand learning, and change the outlook of young participants in relation to nature and biodiversity. A few of the many activities planned for 2010 include: birdhouse building and painting, hiking, a BC Wildlife Park "wild neighbour" show, a Learn to Fish activity sponsored by Husky-Mohawk, and a canvas painting activity with renowned marine-life artist Wyland.
Overall, the Wild Festival provides teachers with a way to dramatically enrich classroom learning about the environment, while giving students the opportunity to interact with the plants and animals around them. The 2010 Festival will serve as a celebration of International Year of Biodiversity and the key role that young people will play in the mission to conserve biodiversity in Canada.
On the importance of the Wild Festival, Kelowna Mayor Sharon Shepherd – honorary chairperson and committee member since 1999 – has said: "The Wild Festival for Youth delivers a very timely and critical message to the youth of our community about the importance of sustainability and caring for nature."